The Role Of Radio In The 1920's

INTRODUCTION

Radio has evolved greatly since its birth in the late 1800’s. Although it was growing and evolving since birth, the greatest period of change occurred after World War II to present day. From privatized AM broadcasting, to commercial FM radio to the current crop of internet & satellite radio stations, technological advancements have changed the way we use radio in our daily lives.

The commercialization of radio significantly changed the entire radio/broadcast medium. In the early days of radio, companies did not believe that broadcasting entertainment and news programs could generate revenue and become profitable.

Radio’s power to reach the masses over far distances has been it’s greatest strength. Radio opened the door for global

real-time communication of ideas and messages. Commercial radio further built upon that foundation by using this medium to push products and services to the public. But once stations began broadcasting Rock and Roll in the 1950’s, a younger crowd with lots of spending power began hearing their messages (White, 2008). Charismatic radio citizens rose to prominence and were able to spread their own tastes to influence the masses and thus shaped the landscape of popular culture.
THE INDUSTRY
Not until the 1920’s when department stores began selling radio receivers and patronizing broadcasters in return for airing advertisements (Hilmes, 2014).

. The sale of affordable & user friendly receivers made listening to the radio a national craze and a viable entertainment source. Radio’s development came about at a time that was pivotal to it’s long term success The economic stability of the 1920’s gave fledgling broadcasting operations the financial support that was needed to grow and prosper. Advertising became the sole financial breadwinner for radio stations once companies realized the far and wide reach that radio could take their

message.
Radio had proven to be a stable medium through the Depression years. People relied on radio for news, and entertainment programs such as “The Lone Ranger” to take them away from their harsh reality of economic crisis (Hilmes, 2014). . After WWII a technological innovation in Frequency Modulation, also known as FM, produced a clearer, static free signal. Although FM radio was clearer and could transmit music better, it struggled to with AM radio. By this time television had also begun to enter the marketplace, which began to sway advertisers and viewers/listeners attention. In 1945 the Federal Communication Commission or FCC restricted FM toward the higher end of the dial since FM and Television had previously occupied some of the same frequencies on the electromagnetic spectrum (Hilmes, 2014). .
The most enduring cultural legacy of radio is the music it presented. Prior to radio, the piano sheets and word-of-mouth were the channels through which popular songs made its course. This acted as a blockage towards spread of music on national and international platforms. Even though recording technology had been conceived decades before the launch of radio, the live music played through the radio made it more accessible to the audience at home. Live musical performances therefore became an essential part of early radio programs. A time came when performance venues had their own shows that were broadcast nationwide to live audiences through radio like performances at Harlem’s Cotton Club.
Primarily, the radio networks played swing jazz that gave bands wide-spread audience. Well-known band-leaders like Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman became famous nationally via radio performances. The Jazz music flourished as radio made it more popular only to be replaced by classical later on. NBC promoted music through different shows like Music Appreciation Hour, that not only educated masses about music as an art, but lead to wide spread awareness and recognition about artists (Howe, 2003).
As the radio technology seeped in, it significantly altered the ways popular music and dance was performed. Due to microphone usage the voice quality was immensely enhanced leading to better voice throw of vocalist allowing the singers and bands to use variety of vocal ranges that were more expressive and innovative (Horowitz, 2005). Furthermore, the use of microphones helped in recognition of solo performers that were less encouraged or heard previously. The high exposure lead to rapid turnovers in popular music (Wald, 2009). Previously, the same arrangements could be played by jazz bands for ages, but with radio the competitiveness thrived. Bands not only had to come up with new and better musical material they had to create an edge to win audiences from other bands.
Television came about in the late 40’s at a time when radio had already established itself as a viable news and entertainment medium with 20 plus years of success.

Television may have defeated radio very easily as the radio stations struggled to compete with little to no socio-economic capital. The invention and spread of television forced radio stations to change their content as well as their sources of funding. TV quickly became the dominant entertainment source in most homes in the US. In the 50’s to 60’s stations lost large amounts of programming to television and were forced to adopt specialized formats to set themselves apart and appeal to certain segments of the listening population. The “Top 40” music format was born during this period and encouraged radio stations across the country to experiment with different formats. The Top 40 format was the preferred choice of young listeners with expendable income to buy the records that were played. The need to be in the Top 40 to sell records led to a situation known as payola, in which radio DJ’s would illegally be paid or otherwise compensated for playing certain records in the interest of their benefactors (Hilmes, 2014). Payola had great effects on what music made it to market, and the DJ served as the

gatekeeper.
FM radio grew and stabilized in the 70’s and 80’s due to the FCC’s limitation on AM licenses. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 removed a cap on the amount of stations a company can own in a single market, which created new broadcast conglomerates that controlled several stations in large markets and further pushed the demand of specialized formats, and network syndicated programming.
As broadcast technology ages it is giving way to invention and innovation. In the last few years HD radio has increased the signal strength and quality of terrestrial radio stations. Satellite Radio, boasting clear digital signal is being beamed into consumers homes and vehicles. Traditional stations are embracing the World Wide Web, and streaming simultaneously via the internet with their live broadcasts. All of the music and entertainment that traditional radio provides is becoming increasingly portable and diverse through these innovations and the abundance of user-generated podcasts. It seems that the tides have turned on commercial radio stations, since they are now competing for revenue with their consumers as well as all of the new mediums.

THE DISC JOCKEY
Like all other media sources, radio was largely involved in shaping culture. Not only did it affect the way the advertising world evolved, but had grave influence on music, idealogical perspectives, political issues and lives of people. The importance of radio as a broadcast medium, is concentrated mainly in the nature of what it represents as a means in itself, because, it possessed an intimate quality that most other media did not- Imagination.
The power of voice and imagination is seen to signify in no other media but radio. In relation to other media, the radio generates a very particular communicative situation, in which the transmitter and receiver are unseen, in which spaces are perceived without the listener ever getting a visual on the scene in which, over nothing, seas are drawn , rivers, mountains, animals, faces, smiles, sadness is felt. It takes a very special kind of person on the transmitting end to gain listener’s trust and lead them on a journey through those spaces and time. Radio Disc Jockey’s may be some of the most influential people of our time, from Casey Casem, who pioneered the Top 40 format also known as Contemporary Hit Radio, to the MTV Video Jockeys or recent history.
To be a radio personality, you do not need a formal education however the more you understand about the psychology of media, and how you, as the DJ/Radio Personality, can completely make or break a listeners day depending on what you moods you set. You must be able to introduce original ideas that resonate with your audience in a way that engages them. Although not required, Disc Jockeys typically possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism or Communications and have on-air experience from their high school or college radio stations. Personality is something that cannot be taught or bought, it has to be meticulously crafted and it is what the listeners fall in love with aside from the great music you play.
To work in a major market is every broadcasters dream, but the top tier companies to work for in all markets are Clear Channel Communications, Infinity Broadcasting and Cox Radio. The average radio host will make a salary around forty-thousand dollars but that number varies greatly across the industry and can go as high as eighty-thousand dollars in top tier markets.

THE FUTURE
While the radio industry is still a significant power in broadcast media, the internet has largely reduced its audience and forced stations to embrace “new media” or get left in it’s wake . Nobody could have imagined that something could actually possess the power of bringing the entire world to our finger tips. More than 20 years have passed since the Internet entered and revolutionized the entire world as one the most bizarre yet effective mass medium.
Being one of the most supreme inventions of our modern times, the internet had changed the entire outlook of life. As radio lost it’s grip on the masses, popular DJ’s have become overshadowed by bloggers and Youtube personalities. They now set the tone for popular culture, because that is where the golden audience of 16-24 year olds go to consume their media.
The broadcast industry has turned to streaming services; podcasts, which are recorded playback of live shows specifically for the internet and portable devices, to stay afloat. There have been several mergers and structural reorganization’s on the radio dial. CBS Radio currently controls some of the most popular stations in the United States because smaller broadcasting groups simply cannot compete with the giant conglomerates. The internet has made such an enormous impact on the social order so much so that everyone now has a voice, and can become tastemakers in their own circles.

CONCLUSION
Radio laid the foundation to revolutionizing our world through media; television followed the trend and largely stuck to the values outlined by radio. The internet world however has changed the rules, values and paradigms for cultural and social revolution. It’s not wrong to say that radio has primarily paved the way in which cultural and social revolution could be brought about by media. Rock and Roll will never die, but the Disc Jockey has already moved on to greener pastures.