What hath we wrought?

I'm sitting in a radio studio now, and sometimes I wonder what the future holds.
In the 80's there was an explosion in the number of new stations, to the point where the advertising pie just wasn't big enough to support them all. Then ownership caps were, for all intents and purposes, eliminated. Radio station values skyrocketed at the exact same time automation became cheap and reliable. Stations became "properties" and many are nothing but investment vehicles for large corporations who run them unattended for days, even weeks at a time.
Many stations play the same over-researched 300 song library with DJ's reduced to reading pre-written liner cards and 12-15 minutes (or more!) of commercials per hour.
Radio has simply become irrelevant to many people, despite the hue and cry of a small number of radio geeks who think more local content and better DJ's will save the industry. It'll help, but not much...-where are these new DJ's to come from? The majority of stations are not staffed nights, overnights, and a good part of the weekend-the shifts where jocks cut their teeth and hone their craft. Program directors are too busy running 5-station clusters to critique and mentor new talent.
Many people use CD's/Ipods/satellite radio now in cars, with Internet streaming very popular in homes and workplaces. Why? Too many commercials and cookie-cutter radio formats.
In short, it's boring. But, the same corporations that have diluted what radio is are in the best position to save it. Yes, that's right. Instead of bean-counters making decisions, let radio programmers come up with new formats for stations and give them an honest chance. Yes, many won't make money at first-and some won't make it at all. Isn't that the same business model used by movie studios, drug makers, and Big Oil? Those companies aren't hurting for profits and offer great returns for shareholders. Big Radio has the knowledge and cash to save radio, but as long it's only fixated on next quarter's numbers Radio will continue it's slow slide into history.