yeah, it's not a huge surprise as podcasts and such have risen so spectacularly.
it is a weird thing, though. I prefer local voices to national ones most times. i really enjoyed jeff ward with ed clements for instance. great local voices sometimes just talking local nostalgia is good local content, imo. or local stories, or how national stories affect local stuff.
i really enjoy the new morning show with matt and bob on 93.7. it's a bit formulaic at times, but i listen regularly on the podcast. chuy is the hidden assassin on that show. dude is sneak attack funny, but you gotta be ready for it or you'll miss it.
but these guys make shit, and i think it's because radio hasn't figured out how to exist in the modern world. to be fair, the fcc has really shit the bed here with a bunch of arcane and old-fashioned rules about airwaves that mix things up unnecessarily, but i see no reason why two local sports channels cannot exist in this market is obscene. austin is nearly top ten in terms of population nationwide! there's no reason why it shouldn't work.
but the ad and ratings models are both massively fucked from my outsider perspective. i don't know how much a typical prime drive time 30 second ad runs, but i'm guessing it's not enough to sustain long-term quality content. we have so many fucking local businesses, it's mind boggling to me that they will put billboards on bowie baseball fields but not buy a radio spot.