Evolution of TV and Radio

Since television came out in the 1930's, it has come a long way from the black and white imagines to the HD quality that we now experience. Initially there was a very limited selection of channels and what one could watch. Since then the market has expanded dramatically, and has been narrowed down into very specific target markets. What was once a few major networks, has now been broken down into every interest imaginable; food, cars, crime; history, sports, you name it. This has been ideal for marketers who come up with the commercials for these stations. The demographic has been narrowed down to almost a stereotypical viewer, which makes it very easy to identify what products would appeal to them best.

Radio on the other hand has gone almost the other way. With the invention of other forms of music such as portable audio devices (iPods), XM and Sirius, as well as CD's, it has become increasingly difficult to survive in the radio industry. Stations are having to broaden their selection of music to accommodate as many possible listeners as possible in order to maintain their ratings. Although some people of college age find the radio a good source of finding new music and popular hits, many of them are choosing exactly what they want off off their music library's and playing it anywhere they need it. Perhaps it will take some new wave of technology to bring radio back to the mainstream for of media that it used to be.