looks like they learned a lot from the NeXT-inspired UIs like WindowMaker

It's a heckuva lot more than mass market research. Deregulation in 96 was pretty huge factor, which enabled Clear Channel to grow to some 1200+ stations. Cutting costs, and eating the competition (ala Microsoft, Enron, various airlines, many telcos...note the deregulatedness of the not-MS ones!) helped. Another funny thing about the media is that they control the media, which is the filter determining public opinion. friggin aye, our whole mode of operating as a country is creating this banal monster...giving businesses the rights of citizens, promoting the idea that it's okay to make gross sums of money and drive people on the other side of the world out of business to put in another Wal-Mart.

Anyway, I got off topic a bit, but the point is that as long as we're gonna let them give us only vanilla, we won't get super fudge chunk. I just subscribed to Sirius (XM competitor) and it rocks nicely. Make your journalists ask questions, read Robert McChesney, turn off lame-ass shock jocks with 22 minutes of commercials per hour and 20 minutes of talking!

cheers
rick