The mega mergers in radio pretty much resulted in that.
Just to be clear, I do trawl Youtube and have found lots of good and great stuff. There are bands doing 80s synth stuff better than a lot of actual 80s synth bands did it back then. But my comments on this thread are in the context of what passes for mainstream ‘popular’ music.
VNV Nation, Rotorsand, SITD, Assemblage 23, Blutengel...
That is the disconnect.
Only old people think of radio or tv as the place where you find music.
The internet and listening to each others portable players have replaced radio, tv, and record stores.
Back when I was a kid I listened to rock, classical, big band jazz, R&B, Folk, and some country if it was ballads. Most people I knew only listened to rock or country.
Today wider musical tastes are more common among young people. I think a lot of it has to do with the greater portability of large music collections.