Best of the Blog 2021

It’s been my tradition since I began this blog seven years ago to look back on the year that has just past and share with you the Top 5 Most Read and shared articles of the past 52-weeks. Maybe you missed them or perhaps you’d like to read them again.

To date, I’ve published 386 articles that have been viewed over 245,300-times around the world.

Most Read Article of 2021

One of the things I loved about listening to radio growing up was the flawless on-air production one could hear up and down the radio dial. Sadly, today’s radio hardly ever sounds like that anymore, which prompted my most read article of 2021 titled “Does Radio Sound Choppy to You?”

This article obviously hit a nerve with readers as thousands of you feel as I do that there is a definite lack of attention to what comes out of one’s radio speaker. It reminds me of those famous words of former FCC Chairman Newt Minow, when he referred to television back in the 60s as a “vast wasteland.”

Second Most Read Article of 2021

I’ve heard many folks blaming the state of things in America today on radio and television broadcasts. These people think that what we need to do to fix things is to bring back the Fairness Doctrine.

It was shortly after the January 6, 2021 insurrection on Capitol Hill that occurred during the counting of the President Electoral Votes that I wrote “What was The Fairness Doctrine?”

The Fairness Doctrine only applied to broadcast radio/TV stations during the years 1949-1987. It required the holder of a broadcast license to both present controversial issues of public importance, and also to present them in a manner that was honest, equitable, fair and balanced. It didn’t apply to cable networks or social media, which did not exist in 1949 when the doctrine was enacted.

Third Most Read Article of 2021

Following a much delayed trip across America to visit our children and grandchildren, I wrote “What I Recently Witnessed About Radio use.” This article would draw the most comments of any of my blog articles in 2021. I chronicled how radio was used (or not used) in three different households, as well as in hotels, businesses and public transportation. What I would witness, was concerning.

Fourth Most Read Article of 2021

Sue, (my wife and the editor of this weekly blog) and I grew up on AM radio. For me, it created a passion and desire to pursue a radio career while I was still in grade school. In the article “The Thrill is Gone,” I reviewed the declining state of AM radio in America, but even more importantly, I addressed the lack of great on-air, live radio personalities that created a medium which was exciting to listen to. It was my plea for the radio industry to bring back the thrill of listening to Great Radio.

Fifth Most Read Article of 2021

Just over ten years ago, I was in Las Vegas presenting at the Broadcast Education Association’s annual international conference about how things would be changing in our world in the decade to come. It was the beginning of the second decade of the 21^st century, when already mediated communication was social, global, ubiquitous and cheap. It was the beginning of what we now call the social media revolution.

With that decade in the rearview mirror, I thought it might be pertinent to review those predictions in an article titled “What is The Future of Radio?”

Whether you are in the radio business, OR are a radio listener, there is one question you honestly need to ask yourself. Read this article to learn more.

Most Read Articles, Period

The most read article to date is “SiriusXm Radio is Now Free,” which pondered what might happen to commercial over-the-air AM/FM broadcast radio if this satellite broadcaster opened up some of its channels to everyone as an ad-supported service.

Next is “The Day the Dumbest Idea Invaded the Radio Industry,” which addressed how the concept of increasing shareholder value hurt the broadcasting industry as much as every other industry it was introduced to.

The article that holds the record for the most views on the day it was published (over 3,500 reads) continues to be “We Never Called It Content,” published in 2015. It was about the iconic radio personalities like Larry Lujack, The Real Don Steele, Robert W. Morgan, Dale Dorman, Ron Lundy, Salty Brine, Bob Steele and so many, many more upon which the magic of radio in the 20^th century was created, but which 21^st century radio has abandoned.

                  Radio is an art form.

When you remove the artists, there’s not much left.

Why I Blog

I blog for broadcasters, educators and students, I blog to provide media mentorship and to pay-it-forward to the broadcasting industry that I have been a part of for over 50-years. I’m grateful for the more than 184,000 people from all over the world who have visited this blog (https://DickTaylorBlog.com) and have read an article that caught their interest.

Thank You for reading, next week I will begin my eighth year of blogging with all new articles.

Together we can all learn from one another by sharing our experiences, knowledge and wisdom. Feel free to contribute your thoughts to the discussion in the comments section. I read every one of them.

Happy New Year!

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