Almost ten years after the Telecommunications Act of 1996, 26 different radio station formats in Arbitron's 296 survey areas were examined in 2005 as a followup to Wirth's 2001 “Nationwide Format Oligopolies.” This longitudinal study sought to ascertain if format oligopolies (four companies reaching over 50% of a specific radio format's audience nationally) had evolved into format duopolies (two companies reaching over 50% of a specific radio format's audience nationally) and into format monopolies (one company reaching over 50% of a specific radio format's audience nationally). Five format monopolies, 7 format duopolies, 13 format oligopolies, and 1 format non-oligopoly were documented.

Can less really be more? This study is designed to provide the radio and advertising industries with an objective, theoretical foundation to what is being called “Less Is More.” Specifically, this study compares the effectiveness of 30-second and 60-second radio commercials on unaided recall. The results indicate that the brand recall as well as the message and proven recall of advertising from 60-second commercials are significantly greater than from 30-second commercials. The results also indicate that the first or second commercial in the commercial set will be better recalled. Based on these results, this study suggests a possible pricing model for 30-second commercials and a premium for first or second in-pod placement. This study was sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters 2005 Grants for Research in Broadcasting Program.

Recent industry research in the United States suggests younger audiences are leaving terrestrial radio for new technologies like MP3 players, Internet radio, and satellite radio. This paper presents findings from a survey of 430 undergraduate students regarding their uses and gratifications of these new technologies. The sample consisted entirely of young adults age 18–24, where the likelihood of new media use and adoption is expected to be high. The situation in the U.S. may describe similar patterns in other countries. The study discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings, and the potential impact on terrestrial radio.

Surveys were distributed via e-mail to student-run college radio stations across the country to determine what influences college radio programmers to add music to their playlists. Inquiry was structured in two ways, a quantitative, aggregate data analysis, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and a case-by-case, qualitative analysis. A regression analysis provides some evidence that if promotional material was received concerning music which was new or unique then the music was more likely to be added. Through qualitative data analysis it was revealed that programmers cited the quality of the music as an influential reason to add a specific song as well as other emergent themes including, “assistance from the label” and “well reviewed music.” Overall, this study suggests that, despite student-run college radio's reputation of independence, the record industry still plays a role in college radio programming and has influence when it comes to getting music aired.

Over the past three decades, rising competition from television and other new media prompted the FCC to ease the responsibilities of radio stations to maintain extensive records of issues programming, while retaining the responsibility of stations to provide ready public access to records. This study investigated the availability of Issues-Programs Lists in nearly 100 Missouri radio station Public Files. One in five randomly sampled stations failed to produce access to Lists upon demand as required under federal law. Noncompliance themes include: Inability to access Public Files within 20 minutes of face-to-face requests; station personnel with limited or no knowledge of Files; denial of access to Files and Lists (i.e., verbal refusals, locked studio doors); and incomplete Files. The rate of noncompliance leads the researchers to urge greater efforts among Missouri broadcasters to be aware of and to train station personnel properly to respond to File requests.

The passage of the Telecommunication Act of 1996 eliminated national radio station ownership limits and considerably relaxed local station ownership caps compared to previous ownership restrictions. Media policymakers have been concerned that increases in media ownership concentration not decrease market format diversity. However, recent format diversity research on the radio industry has not directly considered other factors beyond ownership concentration that may affect format diversity. This study replicates Rogers and Woodbury's (1996) and found the number of programming formats broadcasting in a market (format diversity) is positively related to the number of radio stations serving the market. The percentage of market population listening to radio is positively related to the number of market stations and is not statistically related to the number of formats. This study also found increases in radio ownership concentration do not affect the number of market formats; however increases in ownership concentration may negatively affect the size of a market's radio audience.

After a mass democratic movement ended the 17 year Pinochet dictatorship in Chile in 1990, social activists saw community radio as an ideal medium for participatory democracy and for articulating grass roots needs and demands. However, the initial upsurge of grass roots radio activism was squelched by government delay in enacting enabling legislation. The provisions of the law that was eventually approved made the license application process onerous for grass roots organizations. Community radio was also adversely affected by the overall decline in grass roots social activism which reflected both widespread disillusionment with the government's limited reform agenda and deliberate government policies to bring about social demobilization. As a result, although community radio has become well established, with over 300 legal stations plus others operating without licenses, it has not fully realized its potential as a social activist and democratic medium. The field research for this article was funded by two professional development grants and a Latin American Studies travel grant from California State University San Bernardino. The author thanks the reviewers for their helpful comments.

Ownership of MP3 players, such as Apple's iPod, continues to grow at a steady pace in the US. College students are one age group that is active in the adoption of these devices. Based on a uses and gratifications framework, this study examined how college students are using this technology as compared to radio listening. Results showed that more than half of the respondents in a national random sample own some type of MP3 player. Motivations for using the players included boredom, stimulation, entertainment, relaxation/escape, and loneliness. An important finding was that the use of MP3 players appears to be serving as a substitute for listening to traditional radio for this age group. This manuscript was submitted to editor-elect Michael Brown, who supervised the blind review and made all editorial decisions.

"Sean Street, Historical Dictionary of British Radio. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006." , 14(2), pp. 236–237