Radio

Beyond the ABC's Backyard

by Fiona Martin

Soldering Toward Media Democracy: Technical Practice as Symbolic Value in Radio Activism

by Christina Dunbar-Hester

Journal of Communication Inquiry, 2012

This article follows radio activists engaged in a combination of policy advocacy and broadening access to technology... more This article follows radio activists engaged in a combination of policy advocacy and broadening access to technology and skills through hands-on work. In practice, this largely played out as a systematic elevation of “technical” work and downplaying of policy/advocacy expertise, even though both were salient features of their work. The article argues that radio activists cultivated a technical identity that served to mark boundaries between their group and others in the terrain of media democracy work. Technical identity also took on special significance as the group grappled with organizational maturation, mitigating the anxiety felt by workers as they experienced the shift from an inexperienced, though highly driven and successful activist collective, to a more sustainable nonprofit activist organization. The article concludes by naming technological activism as one strategy in the wider spectrum of work to promote media democracy and speculates on the consequences of technical identity within the wider movement.

Stimulating the Imagination in a Radio Story: The Role of Presentation Structure and the Degree of Involvement of the Listener

by Emma Rodero

Emma Rodero (2012). Stimulating the Imagination in a Radio Story: The Role of Presentation Structure and the Degree of Involvement of the Listener. Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 19 (1), 45-60.

It has always been stated that the radio is the invisible medium that has the greatest effect in stimulating the... more It has always been stated that the radio is the invisible medium that has the greatest effect in stimulating the imagination of listeners. Therefore, this article intends to compare two kinds of presentation structure—dramatisation versus narration—in a fictional radio story to determine the extent to which the imagination is aroused and the point to which the listener becomes involved. The outcomes of the study point to the fact that the dramatised structure is the form of presentation that is best able to fulfil these aims.

A comparative analysis of speech rate and perception in radio bulletins

by Emma Rodero

Emma Rodero (2012). A comparative analysis of speech rate and perception in radio bulletins. Text&Talk, 32 (3), 391–411.

Speech rate is one of the most important elements in a news presentation, especially on radio, a sound medium.... more Speech rate is one of the most important elements in a news presentation, especially on radio, a sound medium. Accordingly, this study seeks to compare broadcasters' speech rate and the number of pauses in 40 news bulletins from the BBC (United Kingdom), Radio France (France), RAI (Italy), and RNE (Spain). Most authors addressing the medium of radio recommend a speech rate of between 160 and 180 words per minute (wpm). If this rate is considered, only one radio station, BBC, would be within the suitable limits. Instead, higher speeds and fewer pauses have been identified in the RAI and RNE bulletins. The second part of this study attempts to analyze whether perception in the news can be affected by different speech rates. The findings indicate that the extent to which the individuals surveyed experience subjective assessment varies according to the speech rate.

Geeks, Meta-Geeks, and Gender Trouble: Activism, Identity, and Low-power FM Radio

by Christina Dunbar-Hester

In this paper, I consider the activities of a group of individuals who tinker with and build radio hardware in an... more In this paper, I consider the activities of a group of individuals who tinker with and build radio hardware in an informal setting called ‘Geek Group’. They conceive of Geek Group as a radical pedagogical activity, which constitutes an aspect of activism surrounding citizen access to low-power FM radio. They are also concerned with combating the gendered nature of hardware skills, yet in spite of their efforts men tend to have more skill and familiarity with radio hardware than women. Radio tinkering has a long history as a masculine undertaking and a site of masculine identity construction. I argue that this case represents an interplay between geek, activist, and gendered identities, all of which are salient for this group, but which do not occur together without some tension.

Free the spectrum!' Activist encounters with old and new media technology

by Christina Dunbar-Hester

This article contextualizes discourses surrounding new media technologies by examining activism around community... more This article contextualizes discourses surrounding new media technologies by examining activism around community media, using as a case study an activist group that has advocated for greater citizen access to low-power FM (LPFM) radio since the mid-1990s. It argues that the significance of new and emerging communication technologies can be grasped most effectively when emerging technologies are considered in a dynamic field that includes older technologies; emerging technologies are often viewed through the lens of patterns of use and interpretation of older technologies, at least initially.The article follows the activists’ assessments of not only FM radio but emerging internet-based technologies, including webstreaming and wi-fi networks. In practice, the activists circumspectly negotiate expanding their efforts to encompass community wi-fi networks, while trying to retain the vision, flavor and organizing strategies from their LPFM campaigns.

Beyond “Dudecore”? Challenging Gendered and “Raced” Technologies Through Media Activism

by Christina Dunbar-Hester

This article follows media activists trying to transform the media system by broadening access to technology and... more This article follows media activists trying to transform the media system by broadening access to technology and skills. These activists intend for tech- nological engagement to be compatible with a range of social identities, but their hopes are not always achieved. It is difficult to cultivate forms of technical affinity and expertise not associated with White masculinity, though the activists are more successful with regard to inclusion of women than of people of color. This case study provides an opportunity to analyze how social and personal identities may shape, and be shaped through, interactions with communication technologies, as well as the ramifications of technologically- oriented activism in the wider array of efforts to secure a more democratic media environment.

Linking Community, Radio, and Action Research on Climate Change: Reflections on a Systemic Approach

by Blane Harvey

Harvey, B., D. Burns, et al. (2012). "Linking Community, Radio, and Action Research on Climate Change: Reflections on a Systemic Approach." IDS Bulletin 43(3): 101-117.

This article reflects upon the opportunities and challenges of using Participatory Action Research (PAR) with... more This article reflects upon the opportunities and challenges of using Participatory Action Research (PAR) with community radio broadcasters in southern Ghana to investigate the impacts of climate change. Through a detailed outline of the methodological approach employed in this initiative as well as the findings that it produced, we consider how action research might serve to reveal the power relations, systemic drivers of vulnerability, and opportunities for sustainable action for social change related to climate impacts. As co-facilitators of this process based in a Northern research institution, we reflect upon the challenges, limitations and benefits of the approach used in order to identify potential areas for improvement and to understand how the dynamics of this partnership shaped collaboration. We also discuss how employing a systemic approach to action research helped to provide insights into the interactions between the physical and environmental impacts of climate change and related systems such as land tenure and agricultural production. A systemic approach to PAR, we argue, lends itself especially well to analysis of climate change adaptation and resilience, both of which are embedded within complex systems of institutions, assets, individuals and structures, and therefore not appropriate for narrow or one-dimensional analyses. Finally, we consider the specific contributions and challenges that engaging community radio as a research partner may offer to investigations on climate change.

Participation – In what? Radio, convergence and the corporate logic of audience input through new media in Zambia

by Wendy Willems

Forthcoming in: Telematics and Informatics, 2012.

Recent literature has pointed to the way in which new media such as the internet and mobile phones have the capacity... more Recent literature has pointed to the way in which new media such as the internet and mobile phones have the capacity to enable more participatory and interactive communication, either through user-generated content or through a broader participation of audiences in mainstream media’s content production. This potential is celebrated even more in contexts in which there is deemed to be a lack of political accountability or limited consultation of citizens by government. This article investigates the extent to which new technologies have changed the quality of audience participation in radio content production in Zambia. Engaging with literature on participation in media studies as well as development studies and based on interviews with station managers, producers and presenters of six radio stations in Zambia, the article examines both the opportunities and limits of the use of internet and mobile phones in audience participation. It argues that there is a need to situate these practices within a broader corporate logic in which participation is not merely about adding more voices but also feeds into radio stations’ commercial strategies of increasing revenue and accessing personal data of listeners through SMS and social media.

Bombs, threats don't stop the journalists of Kanaky

by David Robie

Robie, David (1987). Bombs, threats don't stop the journalists of Kanaky. Islands Business, November edition.

Bombs, sabotage, death threats and assaults are all in a day's work for the staff of the fledgling radio stations and... more Bombs, sabotage, death threats and assaults are all in a day's work for the staff of the fledgling radio stations and newspaper campaigning for independence in New Caledonia. The three FM stations, operating in the capital, Noumea, the north-eastern town of Hiénghène, and the Loyalty Islands, and the newspaper Bwenando face formidible obstacles. While they see themselves as the “free” voice of Kanaky, they are portrayed by the French-controlled media as “revolutionary” and trying to subvert the French Republic. New Caledonia does not enjoy the freedom of press which is taken for granted in metropolitan France or in neighbouring South Pacific nations such as Australia, New Zealand and even pre-coup Fiji. Although there are few laws that curb the media, the nature of ownership means the mainstream media is heavily biased against the Kanak population which supports independence.

“Resist the Usual": Young & Rubicam’s Soft Sell Strategies in Radio Comedy Programming

by Cynthia B. Meyers

Paper presented at the Society of Cinema and Media Studies Conference, Boston, MA, 22 March 2012, as a part of "Time to Smile" panel.

Although most ad agencies producing radio programming in the 1930s used hard sell advertising strategies, Young &... more Although most ad agencies producing radio programming in the 1930s used hard sell advertising strategies, Young & Rubicam followed soft sell principles, including the use of humor, emotional appeals, and advertising integration into program texts, in order to avoid alienating audiences.

Troubleshooting the Wayback Machine: When Radio Goes Online

by Tona Hangen

Presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) Conference, March 2012

Lusoga Essay Series: Okwanghanga enimi dh'obuzaale n'engeri y'okukikolamu

by Cornelius Gulere

To be published in Lusoga journal "Amakobo" soon.

This essay is the first in the series to be written in Lusoga. It is intended as a sample for those studying Lusoga... more This essay is the first in the series to be written in Lusoga. It is intended as a sample for those studying Lusoga language and literature in high school. It raises the fundamental question of language policy in Uganda and give 25 reasons why Lusoga should be promoted and this should be done. This paper has deliberately left out the references which will appear in the journal.

Radio: the life story of a technology

by Brian Regal

Cultural Policy, the Public Sphere, and the Struggle to Define Low Power FM Radio, Journal of Radio Studies

by Christopher Lucas

Visibly audible. The radio dial as mediating interface

by Andreas Fickers

Published in: Trevor Pinch / Karin Bijsterveld (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Sound Studies. Oxford University Press: Oxford (2012), pp. 411-439.

This chapter considers the radio receiver and, more specifically, the radio dial as a mediating interface. Usually the... more This chapter considers the radio receiver and, more specifically, the radio dial as a mediating interface. Usually the radio dial is thought of as mediating between the operator—the listener—and the radio stations tuned in by turning the dial. Here we look at mediation in a wider sense—between a European regulatory regime of frequency allocation and the imagined European broadcasting landscape of the listener. My argument thus develops a triangular relationship between the rise of a European regime of frequency regulation, the materiality of the radio set, and the symbolic appropriation of the European broadcasting landscape. This approach requires an analysis of the material, institutional, and symbolic dimensions of a concrete technical innovation: the calibrated radio station scale. In analyzing the iconological and semantic meanings of this technical artifact, I emphasize the importance of material objects as sources for a cultural history of technology in general and of radio listening in particular.

Die Anfänge des kommerziellen Rundfunks im Saarland. Die Geschichte der Saarländischen Fernseh AG (Tele-Saar und Europe No. 1)

by Andreas Fickers

Published In Clemens Zimmermann, Rainer Hudemann, Micheal Kuderna (eds), Medienlandschaft Saar von 1945 bis in die Gegenwart. Band 1: Medien zwischen Demokratisierung und Kontrolle (1945-1955) Oldenbourg Verlag: Muenchen, pp. 241-310.

This chapter reconstructs the fascinating story of the first commercial television station in Europe: Tele-Saar.... more This chapter reconstructs the fascinating story of the first commercial television station in Europe: Tele-Saar. Funded by the French occupational government in the Saar region, the station aimed at promoting the French high-definition television system (819 lines) in Germany. In order to finance this act of technopolitical diplomacy, the French started a commercial radio station (Europe nr.1) which became one of the most popular French speaking radio stations in post-war Europe.

Seeing the Familiar Strange: Actants, Actors and Arenas of Transnational Media History

by Andreas Fickers

This article is published in Medien & Zeit 26:4 (2011), pp. 16-24.

The essay pleas for a critical reassessment of the nation as long lasting paradigm of historical research on mass... more The essay pleas for a critical reassessment of the nation as long lasting paradigm of historical research on mass media. By presenting the transnational perspective as a useful framework
for seeing the familiar strange, the author introduces the three interrelated concepts of actants, actors and arenas as critical tools for the study of transnational media flows. Based
on three historical short stories dealing with the emergence of a telegraph infrastructure for news reporting in Sweden, the establishment of a transnational „pirate“ radio and television station in the Saar region, and subversive viewing practices of the Romanian television audience in the 1980s, the author aims at problematizing the complex spatial and topological nature of transnational mediascape by using an integral media historical
approach.

The Emergence of Television as a Conservative Media Revolution: Historicising a Process of Remediation in the Post-War Western Europen Mass Media Ensemble

by Andreas Fickers

Article published in Journal of Modern European History Vol. 10: 1 (2012), pp. 49-75.

This article claims that the emergence of television in the 1950s must be interpreted as a conservative media... more This article claims that the emergence of television in the 1950s must be interpreted as a conservative media revolution. It aims at revisiting some of the popular narratives about the emergence of television as a revolutionary moment in media history and questions the newness of television in the European mass media ensemble. Focusing on a set of privileged sites of negotiation where the tensions between the conservative and modernising agencies of the medium became most visible or explicit, the article emphasizes the ambiguous and contested nature of television as a new medium. Finally, the author pleas for an integral approach to media history that studies the intermedial relationships and interdependencies between television and other mass media.

Tuning in Nostalgic Wavelengths: Transistor Memories Set To Music

by Andreas Fickers

This is a chapter of the book Sound Souvenirs. Audio Technologies - Memory and Cultural Practices, edited by Karin Bijsterveld and Jose van Dijk Amsterdam University Press: Amsterdam (2009), pp. 123-138.

This chapter examines the meaning of and nostalgic yearning for transistor radios in the lyrics of popular songs.... more This chapter examines the meaning of and nostalgic yearning for transistor radios in the lyrics of popular songs. Popular music provides a treasure of lyrics that deal explicitly with the transistor radio as a cultural phenomenon – a neglected
topic in scholarly work on the history of radio so far. From Chuck Berry’s “Oh Baby Doll” to Buck Owens’ “Made in
Japan,” the Beach Boys’ “Magic Transistor Radio” to Kraftwerk’s “Transistor,” a broad range of popular music genres reflects the transistor radio’s deep cultural impact in youth culture and popular entertainment. In analyzing both contemporary lyrical reflections and nostalgic echoes of the transistor radio in popular music, this chapter provides an unorthodox take on the rich and fascinating sound souvenirs of a technology that blazed the trail of mobile electronic devices.