Radio revolution on Long Island.

A group station operator in Long Island, New York, is flipping its three FM stations to "channel" formats. No DJs, just continuous music in three different categories. And most interesting, only 80 seconds of commercial time per hour. They're selling hourly sponsorships to advertisers, with open-close and a minute spot in each hour of music. Read all about it in the Long Island newspaper, Newsday.

So, they cut the program staff to almost nothing, offering sales jobs to the jocks--some takers. It's the ultimate format rollup. Radical? Yes. Creative? No. Been done. More music, less talk. In fact, every new format rollout has featured a commercial-free startup for years and years. This won't be the last juggle job, as the radio business starts (too late?) to figure out how to face the future. But this isn't the answer. Radio needs some new choices.