preview

Was Radio Survived In The 1930's Is Radio Dead?

Decent Essays

How Radio Survived
By 1930s, radio entered its Golden Age with countless entertaining programs and news; however, it did not last long because of the appearances of many new forms of mass media. Despite being through many years and losing their advantage, radio never really vanished like some people predicted. In Media Essentials: A Brief Introduction, Campbell, R.Martin and Fabos show the changes of broadcast radio during many decades, which can relate to “Is Radio Dead?” – the essay of DSN News. In the textbook, Campbell, R.Martin, and Fabos note that radio lasted for many years because of the luck it got at several times. Moreover, surviving was not enough for radio, it created its new digital technology to be able to withstand during the …show more content…

The radio industry had a numerous of loyal listeners who stood by it through many shifts and vicissitudes. For example, when TV was introduced, many radio listeners still chose to listen to radio. DSN News claims, “In the late 1940s with the birth of television, many predicted radio's demise - it never happened. Then came tape recorders, 8-track tapes, and CDs... and radio still survived” (“Is Radio Dead?”). In the time when the appearance of television made many radio shows disappear, its customers switched their old habit from listening to radio shows to listening to music on radio. And, as a consequence, FM was introduced to make music sound better on radio, however, some customers showed their loyalty once again. “When FM radio began turning the tide of listeners from AM, once again many predicted the death of AM radio. Today, some of the most listened to radio stations in the U.S. are on AM, such as WINS/New York, WGN/Chicago, or KGO/San Francisco” (“Is Radio Dead?”). Beyond many predictions, some radio audiences were loyal to the old radio digital technology – AM instead of using FM. Campbell, R.Martin, and Fabos say, “Radio today remains one of the most-used mass media, reaching 93 percent of all American ages twelve or older every week” (C/M/F p.182). Despite the emergences of television, computer, and smartphone, radio customers faithfully used …show more content…

In the darkest moment, the radio industry found a glimmer of hope light like drowning people grasp the hand of God. For instance, when radio was not popular anymore and less widely used, the outburst of economic depression created an opportunity for the radio industry to take back their losing customers. DSN News mentions, “…in times of recession, most folks will shift towards traditional free services such as broadcast TV and radio. So, even though the audience is shrinking, radio is still an important and reliable medium” (“Is Radio Dead?”). The economic depression helped broadcast radio have a change to get back their leaving listeners and attract new customers. And, in the textbook, the authors also show how lucky the radio industry was when Congress encouraged people to use radio as a tool for learning. “…Congress… proved sympathetic for an old idea, using radio and television as educational tools” (C/M/F p.181). Encouraging people using radio and television for learning made those technologies find back their losing place and became more popular. Therefore, in my thinking, luck is one last important thing to build the success of the business, especially the radio

Get Access