Then:
Even in its early days, radio played a major role in American culture because of its role as the first form of leisure technology. At the time of its initial launch, broadcast radio content was commonly referred to as “potted-palm” music. However, during the mid 1920’s radio became pure entertainment. This new medium created a gateway for hundreds of personalities to become household names, and radio shows became the favored form of entertainment. Even some film stars shifted towards radio to record melodramas of their hit movies. This was also the time where comedy began increasing in popularity with the release of Bob Hope’s extremely popular Pepsodent series followed by other on-air comedians such as Red Skelton, Danny Kaye and Jack Carson. The 1930’s are often described as radio’s “golden age” for its combination of many adored genres including music, drama, comedy and even sports. This was also the era in which many African Americans musicians joined the jazz music scene. Artists such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington received celebrity status because of their radio popularity. When the swing dance craze began in the late 30s and early 40s, stations began embracing the musical stylings of white artists such as Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey, leaving African American Jazz musicians to nightclubs. During the 1950’s, radio served as a key component for defining the rock-n-roll era of music. It allowed teenagers and young adults to form a new identity surrounding their favorite genres of music and the artists that produced them. For example, many teens enjoyed the music of Elvis Pressley, and due to the fact that he received radio coverage many began to emulate him as well forming their new identity surrounding their radio obsession. The reinvention of radio led to the creation of the disc jockey which led to the renovation of local broadcasting. This allowed radio to emerge as a new outlet of subcultures as station searched for target audiences.
Now:
Today, radio still maintains its ability to appeal to specific audiences. Teens are still attracted to pop music, older teens enjoy variations of rock music, while many adults prefer in sports broadcasts or talk shows. The twenty-first century has seen the continuous prevalence of local and national radio talk shows, such as NPR’s “Morning Edition”, shock jokes such as Howard Stern, live sports broadcasts and even community and political programs. However, radio is no longer held down by geographic limitations. Internet radio empowers stations to cross social and political barriers as well as geographical ones to support more niche audiences. This new radio environment bring to light media professor, Marshall McLuhan’s “global village,” with internet radio allowing the platform to become more accessible more people can enjoy the media it carries. People can listen to internet radio just as easily as broadcast radio. While it may not be as popular as it was in the 50s, the radio evolution has allowed for more advancements in communication with the rising demand of podcasts and streaming services. While traditional radio may be threatened by internet radio, people’s obsessions with music as well as specific artists is alive now more than ever. Music and musical artists are used as an emotional outlet for many children and teens, it serves as a destresser for many adults and people can enjoy and fuel their musical fixations through multiple means of listening. Both broadcast and internet radio stations have Top 100 lists so that fans can keep us with how well they’re favorite artists are doing at the same time as they enjoy their favorite songs. Popular artists today are from the Elvis Pressley’s and Louis Armstrong’s of yesterday, however people are still just as engaged by artists such as Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Shawn Mendes who all bring their own unique subcultures to the radio music scene.
Later:
As far as the future of radio goes, it seems that the only people who truly care about were radio is heading are radio people. With all the advancements in audio consumption, listeners don’t care where their music is coming from. In other words the futures we should be pondering are more on the lines of “the future of what people want to listen to,” and “how this new audio will affect our culture.” The concept of listening and enjoying music among other forms of audio will not be going away. Although us radio broadcasters want to keep the traditional form alive as long as we can, I think we can all agree that as long as the radio is around in some way, shape or form, we will be satisfied. People will still listen to music on their way to work and whether it be their local radio station, podcast or an online station is besides the point. Advancing and adjusting to the technology of today is something that many media industries have had to do, but that in itself just proves how important that media form is to culture, because it is conforming to it. The form of content is quite regularly shaped by the platform carrying it, and according to Mark Ramsey of Mark Ramsey Media this means that “radio” won’t always mean “radio”. Despite the fact that commercial radio targets various audiences based on age, gender and ethnicity, each of these groups are being confronted with new forms of technology all spanning from and connecting to other forms of technology. Platforms are changing, as Ramsey says, in the past people could listen to the radio while driving their car to work and once cars begin driving themselves people will be listening less and watching more. Although we can’t protect traditional means of radio from the new technological era, radio and audio streaming is constantly adjusting to the culture around it. People will always love music and the fanfare that surrounds it, an appreciation that the traditional form of radio started almost 100 years ago.
TDMP Blog Writing Project 