Whether we can help it or not, the radio is dying. Of course, most people listen to the radio daily, but when was the last time you truly enjoyed listening to the radio? The radio that is never lacking ads, annoying hosts, and songs you aren’t singing along to anymore. How much time have we wasted trying to find a song that we can tolerate on our daily commutes? With all the technology and streaming services of today, why risk a lousy disc jockey when our favorite tracks are in the palms of our hands?

Every day, my mom and I drive to school, and every day, she insists that we listen to the same old local station to keep us entertained. Well, at least she is entertained. Every morning, we drive to school, and after a bad song comes on, the host asks all the listeners for pledges in order to keep their local station afloat. “Just a small donation of $3,000 until we reach our goal for today! You’ll get a cool T-shirt!” Now, I am all for supporting local endeavors; however, this daily nagging got me thinking: why are people choosing to listen to ads and bad music when they can curate their own playlists they know they’ll love? Maybe it’s just the convenience of the radio, but quality over quantity, right? When asked about her music preferences, Sierra Zampach, a Sophomore at St. Petersburg High School, explained that she prefers listening to her own music in her free time and during daily errands because she “likes a certain type of music that you won’t hear on the radio.” On the other hand, Mary Noga, an IB Sophomore at St. Petersburg High School, says that the music she hears on the radio is “too repetitive,” which in turn encourages her to listen to her own music. 

The radio is an iconic broadcasting service and always will be. However, will it keep up music-wise with the rest of our media and pop culture? On the contrary, the radio definitely has beneficial traits like the news stations and segments in shows. Ms. Bourne, an art teacher at Lakewood High School, claimed that she enjoys getting the news from a “community vantage point” via local radio stations. Staying informed is now more critical than ever, especially for the younger generations who will soon be voting and making changes in our communities.

Ultimately, the radio isn’t going away anytime soon; however, its listeners may be moving on… With today’s new technology and innovation, all our media and entertainment must grow and innovate with it, or get lost in the old ways right next to the iPod music player minis and mailed-in Netflix DVDs.