DougTerry.com said: May 28, 2008 12:35 pm PST
Chris, I thought your piece in the Post was very insightful, particularly the part about how TOP hurt MAL by jumping to FM. Your general equanimity in the face of market forces, however, leaves several things out. First, the right constantly talks about "the free market", yet I challenge you, or anyone, to name five major areas of American business that are truly free. Almost every part of our economy has come to its success and riches is at least partially regulated, meaning free market is a relative, not an absolute term. Just today, there is the story about the real estate brokers being forced to allow their listing services to be accessed by non-traditional brokers.
Most areas of business are not wide open, free markets and as soon as one comes along, business tries to shut it down.
Another point: sure business models change, but as you pointed out, good sense and investing in the future is never out of style. Just because it is "free" does not mean it will ever again produce results that you or anyone else of good sense desires. Further, radio and broadcasting in this country have always, until recent years, had least had the pretension that they were about more than just money grabbing by whatever means available. Public service was part of the creed, because the airwaves ultimately belong to us all.
I would submit that broadcasting is one of many fields where the ideal of a free market runs contrary to the public interest and needs. Your loss of your job is one result of the abandonment of any public service standard. The good ol'days weren't perfect, but they had a plus side to them. Will there ever be a full service station in DC again?
Let's make this free market more open and more free. Radio and television licenses should not be awarded to one company forever. Let's take them back, in various rounds, and award them to new competitors, at least every 20 or 30 years. Let's try something new.