A Mobile World

“The key feature in the practice of mobile communication is connectivity rather than mobility.” (Castells, Pg. 304).  This statement is extremely true because the primary reason why people by cell phones is to be connected.  The mobility of cell phones does make it easier for us to be connected, but being connected is the most important factor.  House phones used to be our primary telephone communication and those were not focused around constant connection.  Those were simply based about getting in communication with people when necessary. Now, with cell phones we use communication beyond the limits of what is necessary because we feel the need to constantly be connected with everyone at every second.  Cell phones have also encouraged these connectivity methods by allowing people to access their emails, Facebook, and Twitter accounts all on their cell phones.

As the book mentions, the wireless communication redefines space.  The levels of privacy have changed due to convenient communication. The space of flows have changed to the point where there is a constant flow of information.  Both space and time are blurred into a new world where communication is constant and news flow never stops.

Wireless communication has also destroyed personal communication. “People build their own private space by simply ignoring others around them. (Castells, Pg. 306). When people are walking to class or on the streets, they are usually on their cell phones, staying in connection with the rest of the world. Meanwhile, they are oblivious to the people they pass or any human interactions that they could’ve encountered if they weren’t on their phones.

Wireless communication allows people to constantly be on the move.  There is no doubt that advancements in technology has increased the pace of the average daily life. In the past, people would go to work and come home after a long day to check their messages and maybe return a few phone calls.  Now, people have cell phones where they can constantly be contacted to and from work, as well as at work.  Cell phones can disturb the peace.  People often take vacations to avoid the life of work, yet now people bring their cell phones and can be contacted at any moment anywhere in the world. It is a valid question to ask, “do people control cell phones or do cell phones control people?”

Radio in the Denver Market

Radio has been around forever.  This being said, it has survived the Great Depression, the Great Recession and the constant fluctuation of the economy.  Luckily, radio is able to not only maintain a stable number of followers, but the world of radio also continues to grow.  Radio has spread out across America and for years has continued to thrive in Denver.

In the Denver area, there are a large number of radio stations.  Denver radio stations have a large number of genres ranging from country to rock to christian radio to talk radio and so many more.  Some popular local stations include KUVO, KDVR, and KBPI.  All of these stations are FM Radio stations, but Denver also has a selection of AM stations, as well.  The difference between FM and AM is the quality of the signal.  AM radio signals are sent to the satellite in space, reflect off of the satellite and trickle down to listeners.  FM, on the other hand, sends out signals directly to the listener.  This form of FM signals explains why the quality is much better and the sound is much clearer.

Along with the corporate radio stations, there are also school radio stations.  Here at the University of Denver we have a radio show KVDU.  CU Boulder also has a radio station called Radio 1190. College radios surprisingly have a large number of listeners and is a great way for students to get a taste of radio in the real world.

How does radio thrive?  The way in which radio stations make money is solely based on advertisements.  In the Denver area, most radio stations advertise about local news.  It is a mutual benefit that local companies survive due to their advertisements and that radio stations survive to the local clients.

Overall, Radio is an important form of communication in Denver, whether it is entertaining people with news or entertaining people with music.  The beauty of radio is that there are so many genres of stations that gear to such a large variety of audiences.  Denver radio stations continue to be successful and are constantly changing to improve for the future.

 

 

Radio Reflection and Group Project

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.

 

Overview of Radio: Group Analysis

When analyzing my group’s blogs on the radio, it is interesting how one concern that arose was social class.  It is very common with media, that new inventions are only accessible to the wealthy and upper class.  Especially, in the 30’s and 40’s, it was very difficult to not only have access to radios, but to purchase a radio of your own for your house.  Before radios were popular, there were very few of them and the time and tools used to make them definitely increased the price.  From the past to present, times have definitely changed.  As radios became more popular, then the invention of mobile radios caused the world to become much more connected.

Not only were radios uncommon when they were first invented, but radio stations were also very uncommon.  The lack of radio station variety gave less incentive to create more radio stations.

The one tragic event that had a positive outcome for radio was the disaster of The Titanic.  With so many lives at risk, the sinking of the Titanic made the government more aware of the importance of communication everywhere at all times.  The tragedy forced people to look at radio in two ways.  One way was that they needed to improve and enhance radio, so radio signals can reach more people in times of an emergency.  The second way was that radio could be used for communication in cases that don’t always involve emergencies.  The idea of spreading news through the radio was an entirely new concept.  From that point on, the use of communication completely evolved by relying on the sensation of radio.

Radio has come a very long way and has faced many battles.  One of these struggles includes the lack of support from President Hoover.  Yet radio still triumphed his negative comments about radio.  The biggest earthquake that shook radio was the invention of the television.  Many people had their doubts that radio could survive in the world of television. But by taking a step in a new direction with innovative ideas, radio was able to triumph yet again.  The invention of music genres per station and top 40 radio hits were all aspects that benefitted radio. On top of that, gearing to certain audiences was a skill that radio adopted in order to increase the number of listeners. Radio has come a long way and continues to change for the better!

Radio and the evolution of “broadcasting”

It is fascinating how the public did not immediately praise the invention of the radio.  The first form or radio waves were simply seen as a defect.  A lot people viewed the radio as a wireless telegraph because they could not wrap their heads around the invention of this new phenomenon.  A lot of times, a new invention could be right in front of us and we fail to recognize it because it so foreign to us.

Another unique aspect to the radio was the lack of privacy.  When radio waves were sent out, there was no way of making them private, so everyone could hear everything.  In cases like the Titanic, this was beneficial because many boats made efforts to help due to the communication through the radio.  Once the invention of the telephone was established, people could voice individual phone calls of communication.  Radio engineers were in desperate need of “selectivity” in order to discover a way to send out private radio waves.  The lack of privacy with radio waves is how the term “party line” was developed.  Instead on having point-to-point communication, radio was a giant public party through radio waves.

The term “broadcast” is also something that has evolved over time.  In the past, “broadcast” was defined as scattered.  According to novels like Tom Sawyer and others, “broadcast” was used to describe ashes straying in a fire.  When radio first used the term broadcast, they were referring to the radio’s tendency to stray.  Over time, broadcast was redefined with the true meaning of sending out signals on air.

Radio faced many struggles before it was well established.  They faced the questions of how to make a profit with public air waves.  They also dealt with the lack of support of President Hoover. It all came together with the Communications Act of 1934 where commercial broadcasting perfected how to reach audiences and how to properly manage radio.

The Wireless World: advancing towards modern communication

The world of wireless radio has been apart of our society of communication dating back to the tragedy of The Titanic. Although The Titanic lacked the communication of radio that we have today, it still was enough to get in contact with Newfoundland in the hopes of getting rescuer ships.  The Titanic only had a wireless range of 1,500 miles, which delayed the process of saving the victims of the sinking ship.  Back in 1912, when The Titanic sunk, wireless radio was very new and lacked distant communication.  When The Titanic sent warning signals to Europe, the signals were forced to go through New York first.

“When the world weeps together over a common loss…when nature moves in the same direction in all spheres, why should not the nations clear the sea of its conflicting idioms and wisely regulate this new servant of humanity?” (Pg. 188.)  The devastation of The Titanic brought than infliction of pain over the families and friends of the victims, but it also allowed the world of communication to take a step in a new direction.  Wireless radio had been used for emergency purposes at sea for saving lives in situations like The Titanic.  But this form of wireless communication had never been used for a method of communicating news.

The Marconi Company established the wireless news service in 1904 and from that point on it took off with the communication of news.  Stories of murder and current events immediately began to spread the world through means of the wireless radio.  Shortly after that, the telephone was used for public broadcasting in 1876. This form of communication was known as telephonic journalism which immediately spread to parts of world including Budapest where an engineer received as many as 6,000 news subscribers.

The world of news and communication was rapidly changing before our eyes and with inventions taking place across the world, people began growing more and more connected.  Modern journalism was taking a step in a new direction and many people were growing satisfied.  Paul Claudel was accurate with his words when he admitted that newspapers give us a sense of “the present in its totality.”

 

Radio’s Changes in the World of Television

Radio in the television was a huge adjustment for the future of radio.  People questioned whether or not radio was going to survive and if television had the capability of putting radio out of business.  “Television had given radio a chill and a bad case of the shakes –but there never was any stoppage of vital signs.” (Pg. 214.)  Radio in the television age reminds me a lot of newspapers in the present age of the innovations in the Internet.  People questioned whether radio could survive with the invention of television just like people question the survival of newspapers with all of the access to news on the Internet.  Hopefully newspapers follow in the same footsteps of the radio in order to continue to thrive as a form of media.

The key for radio’s survival in the age of television was to create change.  Radios used to be permitted from playing music that was “not licensed for radio broadcast.” By the 1940’s radio companies fought against this and finally the court ruled that radio stations could play any records that they purchased.

Another change among radio stations was the format of music that they played.  Radio stations developed the theme of “top 40” hits.  Then, stations began to develop their own personalities by focusing on specific genres of music that they would gear to a specific audience.  The idea behind Formula Radio was to have a recognizable trait that listeners would identify, whether or not they could specifically recognize the deejay.

As technology advanced, radio only continued to improve with the benefits of editing and recording equipment.  On top of that, radio stations improved their methods of reaching out to audiences. “…because blacks had a lower median income than whites and purchased fewer televisions in the early 1950’s, they were a natural target for radio.” (pg. 217.)  Radio stations targeted blacks with black interest radio shows such as “Negro Radio.”

“Change” was clearly beneficial for the world of radio and the primary thing that caused the number of listeners to skyrocket was the invention of portable radios!

The Hunt for a Brighter Future

The world of media is constantly changing and is important for society to recognize these changes and adjust to the new changes to come.  I personally agree with Shirky’s article more because I believe that he has a more realistic grasp on the future outcome of success for the world of reporting.

In Starkman’s article, I was so distracted by his negative views of Shirky, Jarvis, Gillmor, Patton, and McClure that I had a difficult time focusing on Starkman’s actual opinions.  Shirky’s response had a better delivery because he focuses on his support for Plan B instead of emphasizing why Starkman’s views are flawed.  In a society of change, I think Plan B is a more realistic subject to pay attention to.  A “digitial public sphere” is a reasonable way to view the world of media and reporting.  This idea supports the fact that there is no longer a focal point for finding information. After the invention of the printing press, newspapers were at the peak of their career, standing as the primary source for information.  With the Internet, sources like Wikipedia, blogs, Twitter and all other websites allows the public to receive information in infinite amount of ways.  Newspapers are no longer the primary source for news and now these newspaper companies are forced to change their methods of production.

Besides attacking other reporter’s opinions, Starkman puts too much emphasis on the importance of sticking to Plan A.  He argues that newspapers are still the focus of public interest journalism and that this rough patch that they are facing will soon pass.  It is very difficult to accept when an industry is failing, especially if your job is focused around that industry.  But instead of being in denial about the failures, it is important to act upon these failures and accept the changes ahead.  In order to allow the newspaper industry to triumph over their struggles, Starkman needs to examine Plan B and recognize that it may be our only hope to find a brighter future for newspapers.

From rocks to stamps

How is it possible to determine who invented both paper and block printing? I found it fascinating that there are so many different forms of block print and paper that were discovered over thousands of years in different places.  China and Japan are known for their use of silk and bamboo as tools of writing and paper, but it was interesting that the Arabs of Samarkand and the Chinese Turkestan all used different forms of paper.  The Arabs of Turkestan produced paper that was made purely of rags, which was unique for its time because the Turkestans used paper that was made up of a blend of rags and other materials.

If anyone were interested in arts and crafts, then you would be shocked to hear that stamps have been around since the T’ang Dynasty (618-906.)  What was the first stamp of?  Well, stamps were not used as a decorative art of flowers and hearts, but it was actually used for religious purposes.   The first stamp figure was of Buddha.  Printed textiles, seals and seal impressions, and stencils are just a few things the Chinese dynasties created.  At Tun-huang, there are many different animal designs, which include deer and ducks.  Even these early centuries were extending the form of art away from religious subjects to all subjects.

Stamps and different designs have drastically evolved over the centuries.  From simple stamps made out of rubbing inscriptions in stones to the modern day rubber stamps with intricate designs, art has always been an important presence in the form of communication.  Normally when you think of communicating with people, you never think of the form of art, yet art is the only thing that allowed communication for some Ancient civilizations like the quipu of the Incas.  Without art, all civilizations would be lost due to a lack of communication.  Traces of writing on bamboo and wood, cave paintings and ink on oriental cotton paper are all forms of art and communication.  Civilizations were creative with their form of paper and over time, they were finally able to master the invention of paper.

Granting speech more time

With a lack of technology, life with primary orality was a much different world than modern society with secondary orality.  Primary and secondary orality are extremely different from each other.  Although they share the same concept of spreading the word and creating a sense of communication in society, they consist of very different methods of communication.

I personally like Heyer’s example of the differences in presidential debates with primary versus secondary orality.  When I think of modern day presidential debates, it appears to be very staged with many intermissions and shorter, yet well-prepared speeches that are often written by someone else.  Secondary orality is more deliberate and allows people to prepare or thoroughly support what they are saying.  Primary orality, on the other hand, consisted of presidential speeches where candidates had to talk for about an hour and half straight with no breaks.  This would cause the speakers to be repetitive, yet they would speak from their minds and honest opinions.  Although the benefits of technology have improved communication in society, secondary orality has significantly changed the way communications flows.

Secondary orality does not make speech less genuine, but it does offer people the chance to edit their speech.  For example, television news is full of editing before it airs.  If someone says something that is inappropriate or a mistake, television news editors immediately edit the content before it airs.  Primary orality never had the opportunity to edit speech because once someone said something, there was no erasing it.  Live television has changed this a bit to grow more similar to primary speech.  A lot of viewers enjoy watching live television for the specific reason of listening to mistakes speech, language or opinions.  But even live television is not always live and can be edited in seconds before airing the content.

Secondary orality combines communication with technology which creates a very different sense of communication.  Primary orality was an effective and basic way to communicate with the public, yet it is also a method that society will never return to.  As technology continues to advance, orality will continue to change.