Corporate Interests out to KILL Analog FM

fm is not dead, anymore than vinyl is. I listen to the radio often, and more and more often. Every city I've ever been has a local jazz station, and they are all good.
When I can't decide what to play, The music is on the airwaves. Sometimes it's nice to let someone play stuff for me, and hear what is out there instead of in here. Radio is a good source for discovering new music as well. And, there is a lot of stations out there, both popular and not so popular. And, it's free.
A good tuner helps. Try putting a fraction of the effort into a tuner that you do into your other source components, and be rewarded, if you are so inclined. I can't help but notice that tuners are the least expensive of any source component, from circuit city to the high end to evan state-of-the-art. (I wonder what percentage of audiophile-types have a good tuner?).
Sony owns the biggest piece of the market, not just cd's and cd players, they own a major picture studio, a record company, and that is not an accident. Sony recognizes that if you own hardware AND software, then you can corner your own market and create your own products.
Sony is currently working on digital radio. I heard an ad, an 'informertial' on AM radio and they came right out and claimed that the goal was to make all radio digital.

this is another consumer outrage: corporate greed running rampant over the taxpayer-owners of the public frequency spectrum. They are all in the pockets of the legislature, trying to profit further at our expense. There is still *some* good radio available out there, but apparently it's not gonna last for long. Wish I'd known this before plunking down the $2500 for my new tuner. The official comment period is over but I'm complaining anyway - have everything to loose & nothing to gain from this corporate fleeze.

Hey Basement...believe it or not, I live in Chicago and there is no local FM jazz station...none. Some of the PBS and college stations play jazz at night or weekends, but that's it.

I agree with Fatparrot...FM died here year's ago. I bet 90% of our stations are owned by four companies, and I bet 50-70% are owned by two. With the exception of a few college stations in their more tolerable hours, I don't bother listening to the radio for music and haven't for years. I find my music elsewhere.

I rather agree with you on this topic. I'm the owner of a video editing and media duplication company; and virtually all the trade magazines I receive have coverage of the sell-out of the airwaves by Washington. Most of the TV networks have resigned from the National Association of Broadcasters because they all want to have a larger slice of the the TV market. (The current 35% market share does not seem to be enough for these corporate piggies!) As for the radio spectrum; many of the major markets have already been sold off to Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting. Not only do both of these operations play the same "Top 40" (And what focus group decided that?) crap in every market, they compress the audio they broadcast.
If you are fortunate enough to live somewhere that has a local PBS station, local college radio station, or other independent radio station; give them a listen. They are a dying breed if Powell and the schmucks at the FCC have their way. I personally think it's time the American public woke up enough to realize the airwaves THEY OWN - are being sold off by a bunch of greedy, campaign contribution-seeking jerks in Washington. Enough already!

A little off topic, but related. Recent rulings have also seriously limited internet based radio stations. Web broadcaster are now required to pay royalties on the music they stream (retroactive to 4 years ago!). The royalty rate is higher than that charged to traditional airwave broadcasters. Additionally, webcasters are now saddled with cumbersome record keeping requirements. The net effect is to eliminate small to medium sized webcasters.