Adam Carolla's last show AND FREE FM's last day is tomorrow

After hearing so much from our class relaying their fears about the pending demise of newspapers, it is now my turn to be sad. CBS has apparently pulled the plug on FREE FM (97.1 KLSX in Los Angeles) and therefore, starting next week, I won't be able to listen to Adam Carolla live on the radio in my car on the way to work.

Luckily he will still do a podcast.

Here is the link to his website if you want to check out his show and podcast.



I'm guessing that no one else in class really cares because I didn't get the feeling that anyone else listened to Adam but me, but today he spent a great deal talking about the future of radio and that is relevant to our class. If you have the time to check it out that's awesome. If not, here's some of my highlights...

1. The jist I got is that FREE FM's demise has been on the horizon for a while. According to my best friend Sebastian (he got me into the show and is more of a Daily Show junkie than I ever will be), this demise of FREE FM may or may not have to do with the current economic situation. Apparently the FREE FM affiliate in San Francisco went belly up after only being on the air for about a year.

2. A caller told Adam that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (co-creators of the original The Office show in Britain) were on the radio. They then moved to doing a podcast that was free and but after building an audience, they started charging for it and made enough money that they don't have to work anymore. So, I guess it is possible that a business model for podcasting could be developed.

3. Adam's not sure what's going to happen, but he and his co-host Teresa think podcasting MIGHT be the way of the future for radio and that someday everyone will have internet in their cars so they can stream podcasts while driving. But, similar to the idea of newspapers going online, a business model has to be determined so that the people doing the podcasts will make money. No one is absolutely sure what that model will be. As for Adam, he's going to get it off the ground and see what happens. Luckily for Adam, he's rich and he has the freedom to experiment. However, he feels terrible for the hard-working radio guys at FREE FM that are now unemployed.

4. Teresa Strasser (Adam's co-host who reads the news headlines on the show everyday) says that the sound of human voices talking (or in my words, RADIO) will always be compelling to people. We always want something to listen to while working or driving in the car. How we get those voices in the future is the question.

Let's see what happens. Is the silly, ranting Adam Carolla correct? Will podcasting be the radio of the future?

Am I asking rhetorical questions again? I am ashamed of myself. :)

I'm really feeling that Broadcast TV and Radio will always exist. But the technological method that will bring the medium to us will probably be the internet. Again, let's see what happens.