Radio was an integral part of Canada’s past, and it will continue to be a part of our future. While it has been thought that radio may give out to newer technologies such as internet and television, the opposite has happened in that they have merely helped to support and stimulate radio growth, rather than to stifle it (Lax 151). Since the inception of radio, it has been expanding, and new uses for radio are constantly being discovered. Another reason why radio has a future in Canada, and the rest of the world, is that our nation is a commuter society and while we are in our vehicles, the radio is our lifeline.
Radio in the Future:
As Frank Chamberlain so succinctly stated in his article entitled How Radio Wins Friends and Influences People, “we haven’t scratched the surface of radio in Canada in terms of what might be the field of public relations…in the field of information…education…cultural things” (Chamberlain 17). Radio of today is basically controlled by the advertisers who finance the different stations, but it has been questioned by many people whether or not advertising as a whole may be someday eradicated completely from the station’s airwaves. Chamberlain voices this vision of a future radio, along with the hope that various bodies who work for the public good, such as schools, churches, and welfare agencies, will discover that radio can be used, not only for entertainment, but also as a tool to connect people, and groups of people, from all over the world. There is nothing definite or permanent about radio, instead, it is a growing phenomenon that is ever expanding and changing, and this is the beauty of radio: its ability to adapt.
Radio’s Future in a Commuter Society:
A second reason why radio has a future is that our nation is a commuter society. Many people may never listen to the radio while they are in their homes; they may prefer the comfort of the television or the ease of the internet but when they are in their vehicles, the radio reigns. One of the reasons for this is that it provides the news, whether it is the morning, afternoon, or evening news. People like to be informed, and since many do not have the time to sit down for an hour and read the newspaper in the morning before they go to work, the car ride there can be a good time to catch up on what is going on, both locally and globally. Another reason is that people like to know the weather; they like to know what to expect for the day so they can dress appropriately, or so they know what kind of weather to expect while traveling. There is also the entertainment value of radio to consider, whether that includes listening to music, to the banter of the DJs, or to the infamous radio scams and prank calls. While listening to a CD may be the first choice for many when they climb into their vehicles, it is the radio they will inevitably turn to when checking for traffic jams, detours, or wait times to get over the border. In short, while some people may not necessarily want the radio, they do need it, which is one reason why its survival in our future is ensured.
How Radio is Changing from Analog Radio to Digital Radio to Podcasting:
A third reason why radio does have a future in our society is that it is always expanding and growing. It is not a static entity, but rather one that can adapt and change with the times. In recent years, standard analog radio has been moving over to make room for the newer phenomena of digital radio. People who have digital TV can listen to various radio stations through different channels, and radio content can also be streamed live over the internet (Lax 151). This is serving to broaden the base of radio, as its content is now available in numerous forms, rather than the traditional way of just over the radio. In some ways digital radio is thought to be superior to analog radio because of its better quality of sound. With digital radio there is not the typical loss of content due to bad reception which is often associated with analog radio, especially with the AM stations (Lax 152). In 2004 radio stations started to use podcasting. This allowed consumers to store music and radio programs on their iPods and other devices, which essentially helped to mobilize radio as it was now no longer confined to areas where a radio was available, but could be accessed by a wide variety of devices (Menduni 15). These examples all help to underscore the fact that radio truly is a constantly growing medium, and while digital radio did not become as widespread and long-lasting as originally thought, “there is an acceptance among broadcast professionals that the future [of radio] is digital” (O’Neill 87). Whether this specific school of thought proves to be true or not, most will agree that digital or otherwise, radio does indeed have a future.
Why Radio Has a Future:
Enrico Menduni sums it up best when he states that listening to the radio is becoming “more and more a choice rather than a necessity” (Menduni 13). People want to listen to the radio. It is not something we are forced to do and therefore distasteful to us, but it is a comforting and habitual activity that we enjoy partaking of. Radio has a future because of its ability to adapt and change. It began as merely a simple, archaic form of entertainment, but over the years it has morphed into a giant entity that provides not only entertainment, but also news, weather and traffic updates for commuters, as well as constant access to a vast collection of music. One of the many changes of radio over the years was the introduction of digital radio which was initially seen as a replacement for traditional analog radio (Lax 152). Instead of this happening though, to the surprise of many critics, digital radio and analog radio have both survived the test of time, with each carving out its own specific niche. While many things may come and go, some things will never change; radio is one of these. It may be transformed through the years and its appearance may change, but at its core it will always be a present and constant part of our society and future. This is the resilience of radio.
References
Chamberlain, Frank. "How Radio Wins Friends and Influences People." Food for Thought 3.8 (1943): 15-17. Web. 1 Oct 2009.
Lax, Stephen, Marko Ala-Fossi, Per Jauert, and Helen Shaw. "DAB: The Future of Radio? The Development of Digital Radio in Four European Countries." Media, Culture and Society 30.2 (2008):
Menduni, Enrico. "Four steps in innovative radio broadcasting: From QuickTime to podcasting." Radio Journal - International Studies in Broadcast and Audio Media 5.1 (2007): 9-18. Web. 1 Oct 2009.
O'Neill, Brian. "Digital Audio Broadcasting in Canada: Technology and Policy in the Transition to Digital Radio." Canadian Journal of Communication 32.1 (2007): 71-90. Web. 2 Oct 2009.
Maria Langstaff - Maria grew up in Sombra, Ontario. She now lives in Etobicoke, Toronto, where she attends the University of Guelph Humber. She is currently ...
Join the Conversation