There are so many important aspects about radio that my group would love to discuss and analyze for our final video project, but unfortunately we have to narrow down the topics of interests in order to meet the 2 minute length requirement of the video. The topics that stood out to us the most according to the reading include the impact The Titanic had on radio, the importance of FDR’s Fireside chats, and the power that radio has on people which was shown through Orson Welle’s alien scare. I want to discuss why each of these topics are so important and influential in the world and evolution of radio.
The Titanic is crucial when looking at the importance of radio because the tragedy made people realize the value of immediate communication. When the Titanic hit the icebergs, the attempt to send out radio signals was a bit of a fail because the signals could only reach so far. On top of that the signals that were sent to New York had to go through England before reaching New York. This delay of time was precious time that took the lives of the Titanic victims. After this disaster struck, the world realized that radio innovations were desperately needed. From that point on, people focused on strengthening the radio signals and used radio for more than just emergency uses. The world of radio was seen in a new light when it was used for news purposes over emergency uses.
The FDR Fireside chats were extremely important for the value of radio. Since televisions were not invented, radio was the primary way that people had the chance to connect with each other. On top of that, the Fireside chats offered a sense of comfort to the public because the radio made FDR to appear more personal as families gathered around their radios at night to listen to him. The radio is important to Fireside chats because it offered the community a sense of closeness and it brought America together through the primary form of communication.
Orson Welle’s connection with radio is extremely unique. People invested a sense of vulnerable credibility with radio shows and Welles completely took advantage of that. He convinced the public that the world was under attack by aliens and that we were all in danger. This event exposes the flaws of radio and the vulnerability of the public. This crisis made people reevaluate what to believe in the media because it was one of the first time that the media had disobeyed their trust. Since this event is so unique and caused such a strong impact on society, my group decided to choose this as our topic to analyze in a film.
Innovations in Media 