Mass Media

1
Mass Media Society

• Chapter 8 Radio

2
Significance of Radio

• Radio can motivate people to action
• Radios outnumber people 21 in the U.S.
• More than 13000 radio stations in the U.S.
• Media Timeline Radio page 204

3
Technical Development

• Guglielmo Marconi electromagnetic spectrum
  energy waves that radio messages are piggybacked
  (remote control)
• Lee De Forest audion tube made voice
  transmission possible
• Reginald Fessenden 1st radio program, 1906
• Edwin Armstrong developed static-free
  transmission frequency modulation (FM),
  amplitude modulation (AM) (page 206)

4
Characteristics of U.S. Radio

• Frank Conrad an engineer played music,
  developed KDKA 1st licensed commercial station
  in 1920
• Licensing demonstrated the U.S. commitment to
  placing radio in the private sector

5
Role of Advertising

• Traits developed in the early 1920s
• Private rather than state ownership
• An entertainer emphasized pop culture
• Economic foundation through advertising
• 1927 Congress established the Federal Radio
  Commission regulatory agency
• Noncommercial stations dont carry commercials
• Public Broadcasting Act supports the
  noncommercial station
• NPR National Public Radio no requests of
  purchase

6
Radio as Entertainment

• Early Mass Programming potted-palm music
  symphonies, big bands country music variety
  shows comedies, drama series, quiz shows
  operas
• Culturally unifying factor in the nation between
  1920-1940s

7
Formats for Specific Audiences

• TV came along radio lost advertising switched
  to recorded music rather than producing programs
• Alan Freed pioneered rock n roll DJ
• Gordon McLendon Top 40 Rick Dees
• Sports radio

8
Radio News

• Significant news source for Americans during WWII
• News Format
• Breaking news
• Headline service
• All news
• News packages
• Decline of Radio News 1990s the FCC dropped
  public service as a condition for license
  renewal, stations eliminated their news department

9
National Public Radio

• Joan Kroc gave 200 million to NPR
• NPR started in 1970 funded by the Corporation for
  Public Broadcasting All Things Considered
• 22 million listeners a week
• Programs constitute only ¼ of the contact on its
  affiliates
• Competitor PRI Public Radio International
  A Prairie Home Companion 1974

10
Talk Radio

• 1980s major genre in U.S. radio call-in
  formats
• Talkers talk show hosts large followings
• Less news focus, more entertainment music

11
Four Historic Networks

• NBC
• ABC
• CBS
• Mutual non exclusive
• Today ABC, Westwood, Infinity, American Urban
• Affiliate station that subscribes to a network
  for programming o-and-o

12
Broadcast Regulation

• Trusteeship Rationale
• Federal Radio Commission
• Trusteeship concept government regulates
  broadcasting in public interest
• public interest, convenience, and necessity
  criteria for awarding broadcast licenses
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  replaced FRC, added mandate that included TV,
  telephone

13
Regulations

• Engineering
• Ownership
• Content
• Regulating Networks Affiliate pressure,
  antitrust, network licenses
• Deregulation
• Emergency Alerts

14
Quality on the Air

• Marketplace Values
• Measuring Quality local service, size and
  quality of programming staff, balance of
  advertising
• Future of Radio digital, web, satellite radio