Good comment, wooly.  Often thought the same myself.  Really benefited (in ways I didn't know then) when my family moved from Burnaby to Vernon in 1957.  Went from big city media scene ("NW--Top Dog in B.C. radio!"; TV everywhere, two daily papers) to a place that only had the local radio station and a weekly newspaper.  NO TV!!

Everbody listened to CJIB, the little 1,000 watter.  Couldn't pull in another signal very easily...if at all. 

"Everybody" went to see Okanagan Mainline hockey at the local arena, too.  When Kelowna's CHBC started broadcasting and people could hear Foster Hewitt (as always) but SEE the NHL action he was describing...local hockey nose-dived.  

Same stuff.  

Here's a funny thing, though: in some areas, broadcasting has proliferated.  Victoria market: 1969: about 325,000 people, 3 commercial radio stations.   2016: about 358,000: 7 stations.  Figure that out; I can't.