What's even more giggle-inducing is how the industry is responding: a slash-and-burn approach to laying off staff that can only help to accelerate radio's slide into homogenized, syndicated irrelevance. Citadel announced major cutbacks last week in five major markets, and last month, radio juggernaut CBS (my former employer) let go nearly 5% of its employees, and not just random traffic assistants, but popular air personalities and managers. About the only radio sector showing any vibrancy is NPR, which glowed like an annoyingly gifted younger sibling in comparison to the bloodied, drug-addled truant of PBS in a recent NY Times article. But radio with commercials is losing the most sought-after, youngest listeners, and then responding by doing exactly the opposite of what those listeners want: getting rid of the local talent that keeps people tuning in. Ah, well: there's always Pirate Cat Radio, whose signal comes in loud and clear at 87.9 at my house, and they can say "fuck" all they want.

Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user Road Side Pictures.