I used to listen to the radio a lot, but – over the last half-dozen or so years – I’ve listened to less and less. There are a bunch of reasons for this:

• The iTunes effect: While I don’t own an iPod (what kind of geek am I??), I do have iTunes installed on my computer, and – since I do spend a lot of time in front of the screen (OK, I can get the geek card back…) – I just rip my CDs to my computer and run iTunes on my computer.
• My stereo sucks: Both my receiver (30+ years old) and CD player (decade) died almost at the same time. Rather than replace both, I got one of those small, all-in-one units. Not a good decision. When I replace the receiver and player, I’ll play more CDs. But again – not radio.
• Radio sucks: The consolidation of radio stations has led to a really bland mix of music. I’m now relying on iTunes and friends to find new artists, instead of hearing them on the radio.

The last item, of course, is the biggest reason I don’t listen to the radio that much anymore.

And I live just outside Chicago, as good a radio market as one will find.

That sucks, and not just for me: I listen to less radio, which hurts the radio stations, the artists and the recording companies. I really don’t see who allegedly wins in this scenario.