Why are some radio companies asking the FCC to let them own more stations while others are giving stations back?

In this episode, I look at the contradiction at the heart of today's broadcasting industry. As Beasley Media Group and Connoisseur Media push for relaxed ownership rules, companies like Saga, Cumulus, and Townsquare are surrendering licenses because some stations simply aren't worth selling.

I trace the roots of today's consolidation back to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, explore why decades of mergers have led to fewer local voices and fewer jobs, and ask whether radio's struggles are really part of a much larger problem across American business.

I also share part of a recent conversation with KFI's Bill Handel from the latest Archer & Feldman podcast about whether radio can ever become truly local again—and why I still hope it can.

Is radio dying? Or is it simply the first warning sign of an economic model that's begun to consume itself?

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