It's a shame what's happened to radio

A former radio DJ reflects on the evolution of the medium, noting that the industry has changed significantly since his career ended in 1994. He expresses that the personal, creative freedom he once enjoyed in radio has largely disappeared.
Why it matters
This piece highlights the cultural shift in media consumption and the decline of traditional, personality-driven broadcasting.
A repeat of an article I first published on 30 July 2009. I’ve expanded and updated it.
I signed off the air for the last time in 1994, capping a nine-year side career on the radio. People still sometimes ask me if I miss being a disk jockey, and for a long time I always wistfully answered yes. But not anymore. It’s not that I would be rusty as heck after all these years – and boy, would I. It’s that radio has changed drastically, and it just wouldn’t be any fun for me today.
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