Can an old medium even have a new era?

For the first time ever, a Spanish-language radio station has topped our local Arbitron ratings. The Dallas Morning News claims this "milestone heralds a new era in Dallas radio, one where advertisers can no longer dismiss Spanish-language radio as simply a niche format." Maybe. Or maybe radio in general can be dismissed as simply a niche format.

I don't want to say that DMN may have missed a larger story here, but DMN may have missed a larger story here. Is all this a sign that non-Spanish speakers, by comparison, just aren't listening to radio anymore? Do Hispanics who prefer to speak Spanish listen to the radio because they have yet to embrace newer media? And most important, does this mean that Hispanic stations can finally get a payola scandal of their very own?

See what I mean. Larger stories, all of 'em.