For years I have been a commuter. I have driven 15-20 miles each way, back and forth to work for over 20 years, averaging probably an hour a day. For much of that time I was a radio junkie. I listened to music radio, talk radio, sports radio and local radio for traffic and weather  and news updates.

Then a few  years ago a colleague suggested some podcasts that he thought I would enjoy.  That started a fundamental change in the way I consumed media during my commute. Since I started listening to podcasts I don’t listen to radio at all, except when my kids want to listen when they are with me.

I now only listen to podcasts. I choose the host, topic or guest that interests me that day. I now subscribe to around 30 or so podcasts and they occupy my commute time. Now I am educated on topics I choose, rather that whatever the radio host chooses to talk about or play.

So what about traffic reports? I used to rely on local radio for that. Now with mobile apps like Inrix, Waze or just Google Maps with traffic I don’t need traffic reports.

What about local sports? I used to rely on radio for that. Now I just rely on Twitter and selected apps like the ESPN Sportcenter app.

What about local news? Again radio was my almost sole source for news. Now, Twitter. I just follow the news organizations I want and don’t have to wait for the radio announcer to tell me what is going on.

What about local weather? Again I was relying  heavily on local radio for that. Now, I have selected weather apps such as Weather Bug, Weather Channel and Yahoo Weather.

And music? Pandora, Spotify and others provide augmentation to the music I have downloaded to my phone.

If my personal experience is any indication then radio has tough times ahead without changes. Media strategist Mark Ramsey agrees. I am not sure what those changes would look like. What do you think?