Week 6 – Radio Days

This week’s readings focus on the introduction of the radio in the 1920’s and it’s affect on society as a mass communication medium.

Again, Crowly & Heyer (2011) discuss how the radio was a medium used to communicate news ‘as it happened’, further reinforcing the increasing human demands of faster technology as a result of being able to access more information, more quickly.  Crowly & Heyer elaborate, “It enabled people to experience distant events as they occurred” (2011, p. 184).

Stephen Kern’s article “Wireless World”, tells the story of how radio was used to communicate to the world the sinking of the infamous Titanic as it happened (Kern 2011).  The radio aided in advising other ships to come to Titanic’s rescue, however unfortunately, it was also found to be miss-used (Kern 2011).  Susan Douglas’ article “Early Radio” explains how authorities later found that amateurs had intentionally advised rescue crews that all passengers were safe and being taken to land, when in fact this was not the case (Douglas 2011).  This is an example of the trust and reliability that individuals place on the radio as a delivery of news and current affairs.

Kittross & Sterling’s (2011) article titled “The Golden Age of Programming” further highlights human’s trust in the radio, with the broadcast of the fictional story “War of the Worlds” (Kittross & Sterling 2011).  Thousands of listeners mistakenly believed the world was being invaded by aliens, which caused mass panic and kaos on the streets (Kittross & Sterling 2011).  The radio was regarded as a powerful and influential medium at the time, which is why so many believed what was being aired by the CBS network was a true story (Kittross & Sterling 2011).  A journal published by Brewer & Pritchard, explains how radio stations establish trust and credibility with their audiences, by engaging with them and following a consistent routine (Brewer & Pritchard 2008). 

This is evident in today’s society with the news programs that are aired on several mainstream radio stations, such as the ABC and Triple J.  Our expectations of a radio station are the delivery of news consistently (every half an hour or hour), with up to date and breaking news as it unfolds.  Again, the need for constant ‘feeds’ of information by humans is evident in this channel of communication.

Reference List

Brewer, P R, Pritchard, D 2008, Ideology and Public Trust in Radio as a Source for Local News, Journal of Radio & Audio Media, Milwaukee.

Crowley, D & Heyer, P 2011, Communication in history: technology, culture, society, 6^th edn, Pearson, Sydney.

Douglas, S 2011, “Early Radio”, in D Crowley and P Heyer (eds), Communication in history: technology, culture, society, 6^th edn, Pearson, Sydney.

Kern, S 2011, “Wireless World”, in D Crowley and P Heyer (eds), Communication in history: technology, culture, society, 6^th edn, Pearson, Sydney.

Kittross, J M, Sterling, C 2011, “The Golden Age of Programming”, in D Crowley and P Heyer (eds), Communication in history: technology, culture, society, 6^th edn, Pearson, Sydney.