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Myth #5: “Digital music discovery is better because I control everything.”
Manage episode 504853107 series 3684353
MYTH: “Digital music discovery is better because I control everything.”
TRUTH: When it comes to music discovery, total control is overrated.
There’s a special joy in not knowing what’s coming next … and loving it anyway.
That’s what radio delivers:
A curated moment. A surprise song. A story that hits home.
And the sense that you’re not the only one hearing it.
Radio isn’t just music — it’s companionship.
It’s a shared soundtrack across a community — a neighborhood, a city, the world — all tuned into something special, together.
Digital is self-serve and, over time, can become a rather lonely experience.
Radio is crowd-delivered, a reminder that we’re part of something bigger, even when we’re alone.
In a world full of custom playlists and infinite skip buttons, radio is that friend who dares to say: “Trust me. You’re going to love this.”
— -
No Bluetooth. No Wi-Fi. No Data Plan.
Just music, news, sports, weather… and maybe a guy ranting about potholes.
All delivered invisibly through the air.
That’s AM/FM radio.
Still the only mass medium that works in your car, your cabin, your basement, or during a total blackout.
No cables. No buffering. No “Terms & Conditions.”
You can grab a $15 transistor radio, pop in a couple of AAs (or crank the handle), turn a dial—and boom: real-time content, delivered by nothing more than magic and physics.
It’s easy to take for granted—until everything else stops working.
When Hurricane Katrina hit, cell towers collapsed, and power was out for weeks. But local radio stayed on the air, powered by generators. Stations became lifelines, broadcasting shelter locations, rescue info, and messages from missing loved ones.
In the early hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, radio stations became the go-to source for updates as internet access buckled. Many Ukrainians kept small radios by their side, relying on them when phone service disappeared.
After the 2003 Northeast blackout, which knocked out power to over 50 million people, people didn’t turn to the internet.
They turned to the radio - tuned into car stereos and battery powered sets - to figure out what just happened.
Radio doesn’t require a monthly bill. It doesn’t ask you to accept cookies. It doesn’t freeze when the cloud service glitches.
It just works—every day, especially when it matters most.
In a world where tech keeps getting more fragile and complicated…
Radio remains simple. Reliable. And oddly magical.
Sometimes the most powerful tool is the one that’s quietly worked all along.
It’s not just retro. It’s resilient. Future-proof. Indispensable.
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