Social Habits Changes Due to Radio - Essay Example

As the wireless transmission of electromagnetic waves became a practical reality, towards the end of the nineteenth century, enthusiasts and hobbyists were attracted to the relatively simple process of assembling a rag-tag radio set or wireless telephone, as it was called initially. Hundreds of technology enthusiasts started experimenting, and broadcasting their messages, by installing their transmitters in the basements of their homes. What was initially thought of as an innovation suitable for the military and on ships, for sending SOS and other messages, quickly percolated to the masses, as amateur radio operators started filling up the airwaves with entertainment programs, like music, talks etc. After the American government stepped in to regulate this air traffic of signals by allotting licensed frequencies to private operators, the era of commercial broadcasting came into being and led to a perceptual shift in American culture. The men and boys saw the experimentation with radio as a symbol of masculine prerogative, brought it into their homes, and introduced it to the other family members. The listeners discovered the new face of their identities, closely linked to the idea of cohesive nationhood, through broadcasts of diverse entertainment programs and news items. Gradually, commercial reasons led to the introduction of advertisements interlaced with the main items, as well as the standardization of broadcast timings, for most of the programs. With this, listeners could tune in to multiple broadcasts by adjusting their schedules accordingly. The network programs allowed people to sit and listen to their favourite serials, like the women’s serial drama nicknamed “soap opera”, at the same time every day or every week. This created a sort of customer loyalty as far as the programs were concerned, and a gradual shift in the cultural habits of the audience. The advertisements which were interwoven along with the main program also created a loyalty towards the products which were advertised. These factors permanently altered the social habits of American society.

With the rise of compulsive consumerism brought about by the radio transmission of popular programs and advertisements, large media companies like NBC, and CBS sensed big business opportunities. The individual broadcasting stations were affiliated with national networks or were absorbed by big broadcasting chains so that they could benefit from the economies of scale. The broadcast time was gradually increasing, By the middle of the 1930s, many stations were using airtime of 12 to 18 hours per day. This made it necessary for the broadcasters to fill the expanded airtime with variations of program types already developed. Large companies like NBC and CBS also had to develop newer varieties of programs, like live performances by orchestras, talk shows, soap operas, and afternoon serial dramas. For this, they had to develop their recording studios.

Transcription, or pre-recorded music was also in vogue. To cut costs, these large companies bought the prerecorded music from transcription firms. The big companies were better placed financially, so they could command better quality of transcriptions, and also could afford to hire the best performers for their live shows. Although music was dominating the air time, emphasis by the network broadcasters was on transcriptions and not on classical music, whereas NBC could manage to broadcast a symphony orchestra with eminent musicians like the conductor of the New York Philharmonic for many years, as opposed to the network operator who was mainly using transcriptions of music performances by local artists. Similarly, CBS hired the services of actors, writers, poets etc. to continue with high-quality dramas and talk shows. Thus, the large media firms, that entered the broadcasting market, were able to continue with high-cost, but better-quality broadcast programming well beyond the arrival of the next big innovation, which was television.

In the earlier period of amateur broadcasting, people were using any broadcast frequency of their choice. This created chaotic conditions, as messages could either get mixed up or could be received by unintended individuals. This situation sometimes interfered with important communications such as distress messages or messages of military importance. The American government had to step in and set the situation in order, which it did in the form of the Radio Act of 1912, which was later modified to the Radio Act of 1927. The government created and issued licenses for using public airwaves. There was a substantial difference in the approach of the American government and most governments of other countries. For example, the British system was to retain most of the frequencies under government control and collect a special tax from the buyers of radio sets to support public programming of the broadcasts. In contrast, the American government issued licenses freely to the private operators, only with a commitment from them to broadcast programming in the ‘public interest’, and a preferential clause to exclusively use these frequencies during emergency conditions to broadcast messages and instructions to the citizens. The impact of this bold initiative, to place a public resource like airwaves completely in private hands, made it possible for the radio industry, the advertisement industry as well as a host of other ancillary support industries on a distinctly commercial path under free market conditions. This unique policy paved the way for the unprecedented progress and development of the American radio industry. Read More