Expect to be reading in the year 2000 about two developments, one technological, the other regulatory, that could offer new choices to the listening audience and provide some competitive challenges to the existing radio industry.
One is satellite-distributed radio... They expect to charge about $10 a month for the services, which could make their debut in late 2000...
The other is low-power or micro radio. The FCC is considering proposals to license small stations in unused portions of the FM band. Proponents say micro radio gives a voice to opinions and music not heard on commercial or large public stations. The radio industry says there's not a lot of room left, and signals from poorly run micro stations will step on existing stations. Micro radio advocates say the industry, which already is lining up allies in Congress to block any move by the FCC, just doesn't want the competition for listeners.
Of the two, satellite radio is probably the bigger competitive threat to radio as it exists today -- and if recent history is any indication, maybe not much of one at that. Radio has been through this before. Television didn't kill radio, but it certainly transformed it.