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Review

How Radio Adapted to Changing Technologies

1920s: Boom in Radio
-Problem:
Radio waves became so crowded, nearly every radio had poor or sporadic reception
-Solution:
The Radio Act of 1927 and the Federal Communications Act of 1934
Helped establish some order and guidelines for frequency use and created a policy that stated any broadcaster using the now government-owned airwaves had to act in the public’s interest
The Radio Act of 1927 and the Federal Communications Act of 1934
Laws made to help manage how radio frequencies are used
Government Ownership of Airwaves:
Said that the airwaves (the space through which radio signals travel) are owned by the government, which means the government gets to decide how they are used
Broadcasters Must Serve the Public:
Any radio station or broadcaster using the airwaves has to do things that are good for the public
This could mean providing important news, educational content, or anything else that benefits the community
1930s and 1940s: Golden Age of Radios

Radio was the center of most US American families’ living rooms
Reception became more reliable, programming content became more diverse among others
Example: News, dramas, comedies, music, and quiz shows
1950s
-Television began to replace the radio as the central part of home entertainment
=> Radio was forced to adapt to the changing marketplace (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, 2007)
Example:
1)Radio technology had advanced to the point that it could now be made portable
Since radio was being forced outside the home, radio capitalized on its portability by marketing pocket-sized transistor radios that could go places television could not
2)Radio also partnered with car manufacturers and soon became a standard feature in new automobiles, something that was very uncommon before the 1950s
3)Radio also turned to the music industry to replace the content it had lost to television
Stations that once aired prime-time dramas and comedies now aired popular music of the day, as the “Top 40” format that played new songs in a heavy rotation was introduced
4)Talk radio also began to grow
Even more recently, radio stations have turned to online streaming and podcasts so their content can still make its way to computers and portable devices such as smartphones
-Just as radio caught on quickly, however, so did television and movies
In the end, the combination of audio and visual offered by these new media won out over radio

Words

sporadic
Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated
So, when referring to “sporadic reception,” it implies that the radio signal reception is inconsistent, with the signal strength varying significantly over time
This can lead to a listening experience where the radio signal comes and goes unpredictably
reception
The process of catching or receiving the radio waves by a radio receiver, and successfully converting them into audible sound or other forms of data
Good reception would mean a clear, strong signal with little to no interference, leading to high-quality audio output
Poor reception, on the other hand, would result in a lot of static noise, weak signal strength, and possibly difficulty in tuning into specific stations

Professor Notes

How Radio Adapted to Changing Technologies

1920s more radio stations
Not many recognition of radio
Setting up different radio stations in various locations
Got a little bit crowded of airwaves
AM radio hearing two broadcasts at the same time
1930s, progressive Roosevelt
Airwaves, public property
Must have a public interest function
More diversity in the programs
1940s & 1950s
Golden age of radio, the peak
Late 1940s and 1950s
People began to start Television
Advantages of Radio:
Big box, transition radios, radio became much smaller, and was more portable
Can watch outside of the home
Pocket sized transition radio developed
TV was too big to carry around
Television itslef was heavy, can’t transport them around
1950s
Car radios were introduced
Formed partnership with radio companies
Almost every vehicle has radio
More focused on music
Prime time: Evening 6:00~
Bigger audience for radio
Radio stations used to air
Switched over to more music
Billboard top 40, play the most popular songs
Talk radio
People discussing people about politics, call in from the phone
Traffic reports
Talk radio famous more in cities
TV and movies became more popular

Television’s Golden Age

Televisions copied format of radio format
How do they pay for?
Advertisement, so they make more money in prime time having more
Candid Microphone
Play tricks on people, people don’t know they are being filmed
Actors who got their positions transferred to TV
1940s ~ 1950s
Television affected the culture
Can have entertainment instead of night clubs or radios
Television can see and listen at the same time
Radio already showed what people wanted
Early 50s, television became very common outpacing radios
mid-1950s, 30 years television golden age
There was technological improvements: television shows in color
3 Major television networks: NBC, CSB, and ABC
Lots of competition among these three tv networks
First, put out similar kinds of programmes divided information(Documentary) and entertainment
Big thing was nightly news (6o’clock and 11 o’clock)
People became one loyal network from another
Cable television , 100s of programs, but network television, still highly rated
Large cities also have local news
FCC: Govenmental agencies
TV, radio was under the public service function law
They have to provide some information not only
Dateline
In depth to a news, unlike Nightly not focusing on one issue and moving to the next
Extensive interview
60 minutes
Investigative, interview controversial issues
Major networks are national networks
Three networks, should provide all the people, appealing to other people in the country
Limited the variety of television (Actors coming repeatedly )
Sitcoms
About 30 minutes
Dramas
Tend to be about a hour
Sketch comedy
Something like saturday live
soap operas
During the day, in the late afternoon
Product advertisement
Networks were huge
95% of viewership
All of them were watching at least one of the three famous networks
1980s, network began to decline
Fox Network
Different tehchniques, to attract people
Before Simpsons, cartoons will come in the late afternoon
Simpsons is more for adults
When cable television came out, different programming options didn’t existed

Cable and Satellite Television

Increased competition, wasn’t only the three networks competing anymore
Try to regulate..
Us government changed ..
1970s, nobody had the cable televisions
HBO subscribe, no channels
HBO: Grandfather of cable channels, usually showed movies
Ted Turner
Launched his own channel
TBS would mostly show movies
Turner, developed CNN(Cable NEws Network)
People intially thought 24 hours was not going to work out, but it did work out
Now, we have lots of channels, got everything on there
Cable advantage: Rural areas, didn’t have reception, but now we can get channles, no need for antennas
Network television was free, because airwaves owned for the people
But for cable, people have to pay for it