Historical perspective of radio
For glossary of radio terms, click here.
Unique qualities of radio
# only medium based primarily on music. This may be changing with the popularity of video music stations in the enlarged cable setup and satellite radio.# specialized around musical tastes, lifestyles.
# saturation widespread í about 99.4 percent.
# least expensive medium to receive.
# most important medium in Third World nations around the world through the Voice of America.
# It is an effective tool in propaganda, such as Axis Sally (talks to U.S. women) and Tokyo Rose during World War II.
# easy to use while engaged in other activities.
# least formal/most personal
# main medium in a disaster..
# most flexible medium for advertising. Click here for old-time radio advertising.
# potentially fastest medium to cover news ... not always interested in news, however.
# highest youth appeal.
# poetic/stimulates imagination.
# easy to target by gender.
# segments audience for advertisers.
# provides good source for immediate weather and traffic information.
# allows audience participation games and other gimmicks.
Historical highlights of radio
#1901 Marconi sends trans-Atlantic wireless signal.
# 1919 Radio Corporation of America formed among Westinghouse, General Electric and A T & T.
# 1920 first commercial station formed in Pittsburgh, KDKA.
# 1926 Networks formed; between this year and 1934, four networks will be in operation.
# 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiates "fireside chats" to American people.
# 1934 Communications Act establishes Federal Communications Commission to regulate airwaves. Here are current FCC rules on the following:
Obscenities
# 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast frightens millions.
# 1939 first FM station goes on air in New Jersey. Television makes debut at World's Fair in New York.
# 1941 "Mayflower Decision" prohibits editorializing by broadcasters.
# 1941-45 The War Years.
Hear samples
Banking Fireside Chat on Banking — March 12, 1933 Fireside Chat by FDR
The Hindenberg Disaster — May 6, 1937
Speech by Princess Elizabeth, age 14 — Oct. 13, 1939, age 14
Pearl Harbor — Dec. 7, 1941 report by Charles Daly
VE Day — May 8, 1945 report by Gabriel Heater
Old Time Radio Suspense
# 1950 TV begins to pull viewers away from radio; advertisers follow.
# 1960s New formats introduced.
# 1970s Talk/news radio introduced.
# 1980sFM radio most important/AM goes stereo (but doesn't catch on very well).
Formats
# All-talk/news
# Ethnic-oriented
# Classical
# Country and Western most popular format in number of stations
# Middle of the Road includes album-oriented rock, soft rock
# Religious
# Shock Radio from Howard Stern to Lisles and Hahn.
# Top-40 includes rock 'n' roll
# Jazz
# College/alternative
# Click here for Texas radio stations
# Click here for non-commercial radio stations
# Click here for Radio-Television News Directors Association Ethics
Types of stations
# Commercial
# State-run
# Public
# Shortwave
# Educational
# Community
# Special-interest
# Pirate
Click here for radio stations around the world
Measuring the Audience:
# Arbitron and Nielsen are the major rating services. Arbitron, the most popular service, is taken four times a year.
# The measurements are taken in dayparts, and they dictate what the station can charge for advertising at any given time of the day. Also, the measurement can tell advertisers who the audience is demographically.
Arbitron Inc. is a media and marketing research firm serving the media—radio, television, cable, online radio and out-of-home—as well as advertisers and advertising agencies in the United States. Arbitron’s core businesses are measuring network and local-market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local-market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. The company has developed the Portable People Meter™, a new technology for media and marketing research.
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films (via the AMC MAP program[citation needed]) and newspapers. NMR, headquartered in New York City and operating primarily from Chicago, is best-known for the Nielsen Ratings, a measurement of television viewership.
Nielsen Media Research, the preeminent media research company in the world, began as a division of ACNielsen, a marketing research firm. In 1996, Nielsen Media Research was split off into an independent company, and in 1999 was purchased by the Dutch conglomerate VNU. In 2001, VNU also purchased ACNielsen, thereby bringing both companies under the same corporate umbrella. VNU was reorganized and renamed the Nielsen Company in 2007.
The Nielsen TV Ratings have been produced since the 1950s and statistically measure which programs are watched by different segments of the population. The most well known portion is the "diary". During the 4 sweeps months of February, May, July and November, Nielsen interviewers in Dunedin, Florida and Radcliff, Kentucky ask homes to participate in filling out a diary of the programs watched in their home for a one week period. Nielsen has ways of measuring American TV viewing other than the diaries. Recently, Nielsen announced the launch of its A2M2 project that would measure television viewing in and out of the home.
Nielsen Media Research is a sister company to Nielsen//NetRatings, which measures Internet and digital media audiences through a telephone and internet survey, and Nielsen BuzzMetrics, which measures Consumer-Generated Media. Nielsen also conducts market research for the film industry through National Research Group (NRG).
News and Features Information Many stations simply cannot afford news and features. Other stations tailor their news and features to their particular target audience. For example, radio station KISS may have news about rock groups and features about things of interest to rock 'n' roll fans.
The news report
This report includes an opening lead, which may be sound only. Then, the reporter uses actualities or sound bites to flesh out the story just as direct quotes would in print. Answers all questions (who, what, when, where and why) but not in the lead. In a continuing story, the reporter must give a brief bit of background about what has happened. The continuing story will end when the event has ended and all questions have been answered.
The feature report
This type of information does not necessarily depend on a quick deadline; the feature may include music; it concentrates on word play, puns, humor, human interest; it may include natural or ambient sounds; should have quotes that build the story in a natural way. The ending should be as carefully planned.
Check here for jingles and more
Click here for the Museum of Television and Radio
Click here for the Poynter Broadcast Journalism Bibliography
Last updated Aug. 10, 2009