Radio's Second Century

Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

Edited by John Allen Hendricks; Foreword by Michael Brown

Rutgers University Press

Winner of the 2022 Broadcast Education Association Book Award

One of the first books to examine the status of broadcasting on its one hundredth anniversary, Radio’s Second Century investigates both vanguard and perennial topics relevant to radio’s past, present, and future. As the radio industry enters its second century of existence, it continues to be a dominant mass medium with almost total listenership saturation despite rapid technological advancements that provide alternatives for consumers. Lasting influences such as on-air personalities, audience behavior, fan relationships, and localism are analyzed as well as contemporary issues including social and digital media. Other essays examine the regulatory concerns that continue to exist for public radio, commercial radio, and community radio, and discuss the hindrances and challenges posed by government regulation with an emphasis on both American and international perspectives. Radio’s impact on cultural hegemony through creative programming content in the areas of religion, ethnic inclusivity, and gender parity is also explored. Taken together, this volume compromises a meaningful insight into the broadcast industry’s continuing power to inform and entertain listeners around the world via its oldest mass medium--radio.

At a time when radio’s fortunes and future are being impacted by new audio technologies, it’s fitting to remind people of its continuing relevance and value in society. As radio enters its second century of public service, this volume provides readers with a full-on assessment of all aspects of the eldest electronic mass medium through a series of astutely and incisively written essays.’ Michael C. Keith, Boston College

How NPR can take cues from other broadcasters in its quest to broaden audience' by John Mark Dempsey
Current

Named a Radio Book of the Year: 'A very stimulating and thought provoking collection of 15 essays by US and Canadian academics on various aspects of radio....Excellent.' Communication Journal

Very readable, well-researched...I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in broadcasting. Radio User Magazine

An excellent read for a college student pursuing a degree in communications or journalism and needing insight into the radio industry. It’s also suitable for those who like to think hard about the roles that radio and audio play in our culture and how people interact with them. Radio World

One outstanding feature of the chapters is the variety of research methods used. Journal of Radio & Audio Media

This volume expands our understanding of radio as classic broadcasting and offers a diversity of themes relevant to its evolution. The chapters vary not only in their topics but also in their length, style, and theoretical and methodological approaches. This eclecticism may be especially useful for junior college students or new radio industry professionals in mapping the current trends and themes in radio research. Radio is entering its second century—it is already demonstrating and will undoubtedly demonstrate many more diverse paths of development. Technology and Culture

John Allen Hendricks is department chair and professor of mass communication at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He is the author or editor of eleven books, including The Radio Station: Broadcasting, Podcasting, and Streaming and The Palgrave Handbook of Global Radio.

Contents
Foreword by Michael Brown
Preface

Part I    Contemporary Radio: Social and Digital Media
1          Digital Radio: Audio Listening from AM to FM to XM…and Beyond
John Allen Hendricks and Bruce Mims
2          Audience Research and Web Features of Radio Stations in a Time of Uncertainty
Lu Wu and Daniel Riffe 
3          The Parasocial Nature of the Podcast
Laith Zuraikat 
4          Social Media Analytics, Radio Advertising, and Strategic Partnerships
Joseph R. Blaney 

Part II Programming Matters: Localism, Personalities, and Audiences
5          The Shrinking Electronic Town Square: Localism in American Talk Radio
David Crider
6          The Fandom of Howard Stern and Its Relationship to His Success: The “King of All Media” and a Dynamic Audience 
Rachel Sussman-Wander Kaplan
7          The “War of the Worlds” Broadcast: Fake News or Engaging Storytelling?
John F. Barber
8          Unpredictable Programming: A Freeform Approach to Building Audiences
Emily W. Easton

Part III Social Issues: Contemporary Overtones
9          Air to the Kingdom: Religion and the Soul of Radio
Mark Ward, Sr.
10        “A More Inclusive Public Service”: Can NPR Serve All of America?
John Mark Dempsey
11        The Sound of Yellow Rain: Resisting Podcasting’s Sonic Whiteness
Anjuli Joshi Brekke

Part IV International Perspectives: Modern Paradigms
12        Canadian Community/Campus Radio: Struggling and Coping on the Cusp of Change
Anne F. MacLennan
13        Revenge of the Nerds: How Public Radio Dominated Podcasting and Transformed Listening to Audio
Brad Clark and Archie McLean
14        Reproducing Analog Pathologies in the Digital Radio Landscape: The Case of Greece
Michael Nevradakis
15        Almost 100 Years of Women in Radio: Where Are We Now?
Simon Order
Acknowledgments
Notes on Contributors
Index

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