Class Discussion: October 6,2016

Radio's Progression Through the Years

October 6, 2016 

    Recently in class we have been discussing the topic of radio broadcasting and how it has progressed throughout the years since it was invented. This topic is broad as well as interesting. It was enticing to hear how radio broadcasting influenced people's day to day lives, and how this new technology became part of them. I find it compelling and also interesting how radio grew to what it is today.
    Radio really didn't start to reach a mass audience until the first radio broadcast was transmitted. It started as something that you, alone, listened to but grew into something beyond anyone's imagination. Radio's way of being a new invention and somehow escalating to a household commodity that everyone has astounds me.

    People then realized that radio could be used to advertise their business and products. This introduced radio in a whole new light. Radio then became the first "live" medium which meant  people could listen to the news as it was happening. Radio grew and grew throughout the years but then, almost instantly, televisions started to take hold of the family household. All talent such as actors and produces then left radio to be on television, where not only their voice could be heard but their face could be seen as well. After the talent left radio, it saw an immediate drop in listeners. This caused radio's investors to pull out.  In around 1955, radio had to demassify and focus on what they do best, transmitting music and talk shows such as NPR. 

    This lecture helped me understand what all radio broadcasts went through and how radio has progressed to be what it is today. We rarely hear plays or acted scripts on the air but back in the 1920s, that was all the rage. We have come to learn and love radio that broadcasts our favorite songs and chill news stations.