I was watching TV the other day, flipping channels and couldn’t find anything to hold my attention for more than a few seconds.  So I flip off the TV and grab the Kindle and start reading whatever forgettable book I’m in the middle of.  

That lasts about 15 minutes.

Next I turn on the radio and flip around for a bit.  I’m quickly bored by the usual inane banter from the faceless voices at comes through the speakers.  I flip over to SiriusXM and flip around there for a bit.  Then I grab the ol’ iPod and flip through my library, then over to various Podcasts then check out Slacker, and Pandora and Rdio.

After about 20 minutes spent on audio entertainment, a thought hit me.

This is what it was like when we first got cable TV back in the early 80s.

I vividly remember the ‘wow’ of getting cable.  Flipping through a hundred some channels of new video goodness and thinking it won’t get any better than this.  (Editor Note:  Yes, it will.) 

And there I was experiencing that same type of ‘wow’ as I flipped through all the choices I had to fill my ears.

Sure, there were the usual AM/FM suspects.  A few even broadcast in “HD” so..um… that was option.  But the real thrill was when I turned on my iPod.  And really, for the first time, I noticed the array of audio entertainment and apps I had at my Wi-Fi fingertips:  SiriusXM, Podcasts, radio stations streaming their content and other online music services like Pandora, Slacker, Rdio are all right there in my hand.

With this new insight, I settled in for a bit and just flipped around to hear what’s out there.  And there is a LOT.  Way too much to cover right here.  But one thing is clear.  More choice is more gooder.

But I am curious to see how this all plays out in the years ahead.  Much like cable and how cable channels have become niche, I’m wondering when there becomes a standard for audio. I’m really looking forward to the day when I’ll complain there’s a trillion different audio programs to listen to and nothing good’s on.

Ian Cohen is Production Director at The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the RSS link above. Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com