Intro to Mass Communication Chapter 7 - Radio

Radio

Communication through the use of radio waves 

Telegraph

Early communication technology that used wires to transmit messages through a series of clicks 

Networks

Originally groups of radio stations that shared the same programming, these became large broadcasting corporations in control of radio programming 

Variety Show

A radio program genre that generally revolved around a host and cast that participated in sketch-comedy and musical numbers 

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Federal commission charged with regulating the communications industries 

Fairness Doctrine

A 1949 FCC ruling that required station owners to allocate equal time to opposing points of view 

Border Stations

Stations located just over the United States – Mexico border that broadcast into the United States without being subject to its regulations 

Local Marketing Agreements (LMAs)

Agreements between radio stations and networks to share facilities and resources 

Consolidation

The purchase of multiple radio stations by a single owner 

Radio Station Format

A template for radio stations that determines the type of music that will be played and the audience that will be targeted 

Spanish-Language Radio Formats

Radio formats that target Spanish-speaking audiences, including talk, religious, and popular music formats 

HD Radio

Digital transmission of radio signals that allows separate subchannels to be broadcast on the same analog frequency 

Podcast

Prerecorded programs that can be downloaded from the internet 

Radio Wave Technology

Is used in everything from television to cell phones, making it a primary conduit for person-to-person communication 

Guglielmo Marconi 

• Credited as the inventor of radio 

• Young man living in Italy, he read a biography of Hienrich Hertz, who had written and experimented with early forms of wireless transmission 

• Duplicated these experiments in his own house, successfully sending transmissions from one side of his attic to the other 

Person-to-Person Communication

Early radios acted as devices for naval ships to communicate with other ships and land stations and their focus was on ______ ___ ______ ________

1909

In Budapest, Hungary a subscription service allowed individuals to listen to news reports and fictional stories on their telephones; This innovation emerged in the United States as a pay-per-play phonograph service in Wilmington, Delaware in the year _

1906

Massachusetts resident Reginald Fessenden initiated the first radio transmission of the human voice, but his efforts did not develop into a useful application

1916

Lee de Forest used radio to set up an experimental radio station, 2XG, and broadcast it to New York City

Government Regulations

1912, _________ _________ such as licenses and limited broadcast ranges were required so radio stations did not drown each other out; Regulation also gave the president the power to shut down all stations, which was exercised in 1917 upon the U.S. entry into World War I 

Simple

Technology needed to build radio transmitter and receiver was relatively ______

WGY

1922, Schenectady, New York’s ___ broadcast over 40 original dramas 

• WGY players created their own scripts and performed them live on air 

• Same group also made the first known attempt at television drama in 1928 

Early Radio Advertisements

Consisted of general sales message with no hard sell or mention of price

NBC

1926, RCA started ___ (National Broadcasting Company) 

• Divided into Red and Blue networks 

CBS

1928, the United Independent Broadcasters became ___ (Columbia Broadcasting System) 

Music

Early network programming focused mainly on ____ but soon developed to include other programs such as a variety show 

• Format generally featured several different performers introduced by a host who segued between acts 

• Included styles of jazz and early country music 

• At night, dramas and comedies (The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, and Fibber McGee and Molly) were popular 

• News, educational programs, and other talk programs emerged during the 1930s 

Radio Act of 1927

Established the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) to oversee regulation of the airwaves 

• Allowed major networks such as CBS and NBC to gain a 70% share of U.S. broadcasting by the 1930s, earning them $72 million in profits by 1934 

• Nonprofit broadcasting fell to only 2% of the market 

National Committee on Education by Radio

Struggling nonprofit broadcasters created the _______ ________ __ ________ __ _____ to lobby for more outlets in protest against Radio Act favoring commercial broadcasting 

• Based arguments around airwaves were a public resource

Communications Act of 1934

__________ ___ __ ____ did nothing to help the nonprofits, but was consequential 

• Created Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and ushered in a new era of government regulation 

ABC

RCA had to sell its NBC Blue Network and the result became ___ (American Broadcasting Corporation)

Golden Age of Radio

Occurred between 1930 and the mid 1950s 

Mutual Broadcasting Network

During the Great Depression, radio became so successful that another network, the ______ _________ _______ arrived creating four national networks (NBC, CBS, ABC) 

Serial Dramas (soap operas)

______ ______ and programs that focused on domestic work aired during the day when many women were at home 

• Advertisers targeted this demographic with commercials for domestic needs such as soap 

• Because they were sponsored by soap companies, daytime serial dramas soon became known as soap operas 

News Broadcasts

Another aspect of radio’s Golden Age: by late 1930s, popularity of radio ____ __________ had surpassed that of newspapers 

• Radio had ability to emotionally draw in its audiences creating stronger responses from them 

Edward R. Murrow

1940, ________ _ ______, a journalist working in England at the time, broadcasted firsthand accounts of the German bombing of London, giving Americans the sense of the trauma and terror that the English were experiencing at the outset of war 

Herb Morrison

As recording technology advanced, reporters gained the ability to record events in the field and bring them back to the studio to broadcast over the airwaves that very day 

• One early example was in 1937 when the German passenger blimp, the Hindenburg exploded into flames while attempting to land in New Jersey killing 37 passengers 

• Radio journalist ____ ________ was already on the scene to record the descent, capturing the fateful crash 

Border Stations

Another important innovation on FM was the growth of ______ ______

• Stations broadcast at 250,000 watts and higher, their listening range covered much of North America 

• Content also diverged from that of U.S. stations 

• Carried music like country and western 

Wolfman Jack

Border station disc jockeys, such as _______ ____, were instrumental in bringing rock and roll music to a wider audience 

Sound Capabilities

FM radio drew more listeners than AM radio due to better _____ ________ 

• Music sounded better on FM 

• People, especially young people, disliked AM radio because of the predictable programming, poor sound quality, and over-commercialization 

Profits

FM stations struggled to make the kinds of _______ that the AM spectrum drew 

Public Broadcasting Act of 1967

1967, federal government passed the ________ ________ ___ __ _____

• Created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and charged it with generating funding for public television and radio outlets 

National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Station (PBS)

In 1970 the CPB created ________ ________ _____ (NPR) and ________ ________ _______ (PBS)

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Further increased consolidation by eliminating a duopoly rule prohibiting dual station ownership in the same market by lifting the numerical limits on station ownership by a single entity

Consolidation

________ made radio more profitable, it reduced local coverage and diversity of programming 

• Radio landscape became uniform and predictable 

Satellite Radio

Began in Africa in late 1990s; U.S. XM first broadcast via satellite in 2001, quickly followed by Sirius; Satellite broadcasting was a way to get around the finite limits of the broadcast spectrum and allows for even more niche programming to develop

Audio Newspaper

Radio was initially considered a kind of _____ ________

Radio Act of 1927

First of a series of acts that decided radio’s future; Allocated frequencies and airwaves, but also allowed for station owners to support themselves financially by selling commercial time 

• Decision was heavily debated, with fierce lobbying from those who saw the potential for vast profits and those who wanted to use this relatively new resource, the radio, for the public good (not the enrichment of big companies) 

Political Landscape

Radio has had a considerable influence on the ________ ________ of the United States 

• Radio brought news instantly, giving people immediate knowledge of world events such as war 

• Government leaders relied on radio to convey messages to the public such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” 

• Radio used to generate propaganda for World War II 

Rush Limbaugh

Conservative radio host ____ ________ began his popular program one year after the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine and continued it until his death in 2021 

• Sometimes called the most powerful voice in American politics 

Nashville, Tennessee’s WSM

Played early country, blues, and folk artists; History of this station illustrates the ways in which radio – and its wide range of broadcasting – created new perspectives on American culture 

Barn Dance

• 1927 program ____ _____ hosted by George Hay 

• Featured early country music and blues followed by an hour-long program of classical music 

Shreveport, Louisiana’s KWKH

Aired an Opry-type show called Louisiana Hayride 

• Propelled stars like Hank Williams into the national spotlight 

• Country music, and a mix of folk, blues, and mountain music 

• Elvis and Johnny Cash may not have become national stars and country music may not have risen to become a popular genre 

Microphones

Because of ___________, vocalists could be heard better over the band, allowing singers to use a greater vocal range and create more expressive styles, an innovation that led singers to become an important part of popular music’s image 

Popular Music

Exposure of radio led to more rapid turnover in _______ _____

• As radio broadcasts reached wide audiences, new arrangements and songs had to be produced at a more rapid pace to keep up with changing tastes 

TV

__ owes a significant debt to the Golden Age of Radio 

• Major radio networks like NBC, CBS, ABC became and remain major forces in television 

Advertisers

Stations devoted themselves to one type of music or programming 

• Evolution of radio station formats took place and target defined audiences with predictable tastes and habits 

• Because advertisers want their commercials to reach an audience likely to buy their products, this kind of audience targeting helps stations attract ________

Country Radio Format

• Most popular radio format in the 2020s and has been for decades 

• Includes stations devoted both to older and newer country music and thus includes deceased artists such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash along with younger artists such as Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, and Morgan Wallen 

• Favored in the south, west, and midwest 

• Appeals to both male and female as well as young and old listeners giving advertisers great reach 

Religious Radio Format

• Many broadcasters have found success with religious programming, primarily Christian, which can take the form of formal services, lectures, lessons, and Bible readings as well as hymns and music 

• Second most popular format in American radio 

• Top 3 stations are Christianrock, Smile, and K-Love 

• Programming is based in particular cities such as Atlanta or Detroit, but can be used by stations around the country 

News/Talk/Information Radio Format

• Third most popular format 

• Includes AM talk radio, public radio stations with talk programming, network news radio, and personality talk radio 

• Reaches broad demographic (varied audiences – weather, news, sports, politics) 

Spanish Language Radio Format

• Increasing Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. has resulted in a number of distinct Spanish-language radio formats 

• Radio analysts bring these together under one format placing them often in the top five of radio formats 

• Formats within formats and include Spanish oldies, Spanish adult hits, Spanish religious, and Spanish talk among others 

• Often found in large American cities 

Classic Rock Radio Format

• Generally, play rock singles taken from the 1960s into the 1980s 

• Demographic is the so-called Baby Boomers 

• List of the most-played radio songs of all time are from that era 

• Another distinct but similar format is album-oriented rock (AOR) 

• Focuses on songs that were not necessarily released as singles, also known as album cuts 

Adult Contemporary Radio Format

• Generally targeted toward individuals over 30 

• Favors pop music from the last 15 to 20 years as opposed to classic rock or current hits 

• Different subformats like hot AC and modern AC target younger audiences by playing songs that are more current 

• Urban contemporary format plays modern hits from mainly black artists such as Beyonce, Drake, Lil Wayne, John Legend, and Ludacris, featuring a mix of soul, hip-hop, and R&B 

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Said one company could own four or five radio stations in the same city, controlling the music and news that listeners heard 

• Result was this

• Clear Channel, now known as iHeartMedia, grew from 40 stations to 1,240 in just six years 

• More than one-third of American radio stations were bought and sold 

• 3 companies (iHeartMedia, Cumulus, and Entercom) now own close to 2,000 radio stations in the United States 

Satellite-Based Radio

1992, the FCC allocated a spectrum in the “S” band for nationwide broadcasting of ________-_____ _____

• Four companies applied and in 1997 the FCC gave licenses to two of them 

• CD Radio (later Sirius Satellite Radio) 

• American Mobile Radio (later XM Satellite Radio) 

• Paid more than $80 million to each use space in the S-band for digital satellite transmission 

Sirius XM

• 2007, Sirius and XM needed to merge in order to survive (Result was?)

• 2020s begin, _____ __ has become a dominant force in radio 

• Offers hundreds of channels from hundreds of artists 

COVID Pandemic

• _____ ________ brought a halt to the morning and evening commute of millions of listeners 

• People now working from home and don’t listen to radio in the car on their commutes 

Conglomeration and Consolidation

___________ and ____________ are shaping each medium in the 2020s and radio has proved no difference 

• Large, multinational corporations continue to buy up small, local, and regional stations with the result that radio becomes more standardized, homogenized, and less local 

HD Radio

• Developed in 2001 to help traditional radio stations compete with emerging satellite radio technology 

• HD Radio stations upgraded quality 

• Technology allows signals to be compressed so that multiple shows or stations can be heard on one frequency 

Screens

• Some researchers feel that the future of radio must be on _______ 

• Multimedia and video are now almost essential for experiencing media in homes or offices 

Top Podcasts

• “This American Life” - 2014 radio show launched the first season of a podcast, Serial 

• Resounding success and was downloaded 68 million times by the end of the first season 

• 2017 The New York Times began The Daily, a news podcast that features original reporting and recordings of the newspaper’s top stories 

• Another top podcast has been Stuff You Should Know 

NPR

___ is among the leaders in podcasting