Radio as a Medium of Communication and Information Spread

Radio is sound communication by radio waves, transmitted through cables and received by an audience through a device commonly know as the Radio. At first radio was perceived as a toy without any beneficial applications, this view was quickly overturned after a few years of the populace interacting with the radio. Radio is a unique medium that engages the mind of the listener to use their imagination to come up with a mental pictures and feelings in accordance to the message that is been broadcast.

It is a medium that can reach a large number of people and is relatively inexpensive to obtain. Radio was first used for official matters such as news but over time music, and sports were integrated into the medium. Radio can employ a plethora of music to entertain listeners as they go about their day. Music is a powerful tool that not only seeks to entertain but also to educate others on the culture of the composer. Music is spread throughout the world through radio. The composer is able to share his or her culture with the world. In return the audience is able to experience and appreciate a wide variety of cultures.

Governments in every country are in charge of regulating radio content. In some countries such as Britain, the government in the early 1950s, heavily censored radio broadcasting companies. They restricted music to the jazz genre and imposed penalties if companies or individuals transgressed. This caused a state of unease amongst the public. They were cultures that were allowed to be expressed and others that were shut down by the governments various laws. This lead to the rise of pirate radios. Pirate radios were radio stations such as Radio Carolina that operated illegally so as to fulfil a need that the public had. They were mainly found offshore in international waters so as to avoid capture by the government.

In the United Kingdom, the pirate radio station Dread Broadcasting Corporation operated illegally for many years. They broadcasted music such as jazz and hip hop that was illegal on main stream radio stations. Leroy Anderson, the founder of Dread Broadcasting Corporation, started the radio station as a way of creating awareness and spreading of black culture. Leroy Anderson viewed himself as the voice of the black community and ensured that they were heard. By pursuing this illegal activity of pirate radio stations, individuals who have been oppressed by government and had their right to expression infringed upon, can finally have a voice. Radio is a medium that has the power to bring people together by exchanging experiences, culture and dreams. People are able to live different lives through the music that they hear and to take this away would be to infringe upon their rights.

In a totalitarian regime propaganda is one of the most effective way of controlling a mass population and ushering them towards a cause that they do not fully comprehend. This propaganda must have a medium that can reach a large population simultaneously. It was for this very reason that radio played an important role in the rise of Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi) Radio was an important media in the rise and fall of dictatorship in Germany. The dawn of radio technology in Germany begun in the early 1920s, during this period, radio programs primarily focused on educational and cultural programs.

The Nazis and the communists were denied airtime by the ruling government, unlike other political parties. this increased the popularity of other political parties relative to the Nazis. News analyzing programs always took a prodemocratic and anti-extremist perspective. This took a heavy toll on Nazi support during the elections that followed. The Nazi party received higher votes in regions of the country with no radio signal, but in areas where radio was readily available and in use, they received much lower votes. The rise in Nazi popularity begun to grow rapidly when radio content shifted from pro-Weimar to pro-Nazi. In the successive elections, Nazi votes increased in areas with radio signal as a result. The Nazi’s used radio to broadcast anti Semitic messages among other radical Nazi beliefs.

The use of radio as a medium to disseminate propaganda is a two sided coin. When broadcasting channels reached areas of a more anti-Semitic population, Nazi support grew. However, when broadcasting in a region that had a large Jewish community, the messages were taken as hate speech and Nazi support diminished in that area. This was very dangerous for Hitler as he rose to power because these same communities viewed the Nazis anti-Semitic messages as falsehoods, and that made them less susceptible to other forms of persuasion by the Nazi. Hitler elected Joseph Goebbels as the Minister of Propaganda, as a way of controlling the media in Germany. Goebbels believed that a good government had to have propaganda and without it, it would certain degenerate into chaos. Goebbels concluded that propaganda should target the uneducated masses and not the intellectuals, it should appeal to emotions not reason and simple themes should be repeated over and over. He regarded the masses as weak and malleable and attracted by strong certainties. Napoleon spoke of the press as the seventh great power, Goebbels interpreted this and applied it to his situation and dubbed radio as the eighth great power.

Goebbels in a speech at the 10th German Radio Exhibition, said, “We want a radio that reaches the people, a radio that works for the people, a radio that is an intermediary between the government and the nation, a radio that also reaches across our borders to give the world a picture of our character, our life, and our work.” He followed this up, by spearheading the mass production of radios that were affordable for the public. Shortly after, the Nazi party came up with the slogan “A radio in every German house.” Loud speakers were erected in various public locations and soldiers were posted at regular intervals to ensure that people were listening to the Nazis messages. They used radio to indoctrinate and create a streamline of pro-Nazi thought amongst the Germans.

Hitler and his government were well aware of the power that radio had as a medium. They took precautions to ensure that the immediate connection between the government and the citizens went undisturbed by third parties. They placed bans on certain types of music that were deemed unsuitable for the public. Steep penalties such as death were enforced to ensure that the citizens conformed to the laws and to safe guard the impressionable minds of the German citizens against any rebellious parties. In addition to that, All radios that were mass produced had a limited range so as to ensure that the owners were not receiving any foreign broadcasting signals.

The Germans expanded their application of radio to countries like Britain and America. A British traitor by the name William Joyce aided the Germans by broadcasting Nazism to the British for the entire period of World War Two. Mildred Gillars was an American who went by the alias “Axis Sally.” She broadcasted for the Germans to the Americans during World War Two, primarily to American troops. German propaganda that was intended for the British and other enemies of Germany were mainly in forms of songs. These songs contained anti Semitic messages along with subliminal messages that were designed to lower the morale of the troops. Furthermore, the Germans used radio to communicate with the soldiers in the field. They relayed information to the soldiers concerning enemy movements and tactical advancements. This played a key role in World War Two as this served as the only reliable form of communication.

After Hitler rose to power and the Nazis had absolute control over Germany, radio propaganda was used to ensure that the public continued to support the regime. It aided in enrolment of new troops for the army and encourage the denouncing of Jews that ultimately lead to their capture and deportation to various concentration camps.

Mass media such as newspapers have been around for years before the existence of radio. Radio technology emerged when newspapers were the primary mass media.

In fact, radio was initially considered a kind of disembodied newspaper. This idea of radio as an integrated version of the newspaper, greatly limited its applications. Newspapers would reach a relatively small fraction of the population as one had to be literate to engage with them. Radio on the other had reached both literate and illiterate people. This unique advantage that radio had over other forms of mass media turned radio into a tool of social cohesion. It brought together people from different economic backgrounds and environments by providing the both of them with a uniform experience. Radio was more than a medium for communication, it was a way for the listeners to share in various experiences that they themselves had not witnessed. When tragic events such as floods occur, the victims are able to voice out their experiences to the world and the listeners are able to identify with the pain that the victims are going through.

By the early 1950s radios were abundant in households all over America. Radio technology begun playing its part in the capitalist society by catalyzing the age of consumerism. Large money making enterprises and business were in competition with each other and constantly looked for ways to increase their profit and dominate the market. They turned to advertising to do this. They started by putting advertisements in the newspaper and their sales increased.

However, newspaper was not the ideal medium for advertising as it was limited to the literate and it was tied to a cost that the consumer had to pay everyday so as to view their products. When the companies started experimenting with radio, advertisers found radio to be a powerful tool for luring potential customers. They begun approaching radio stations and paying them to air their advertisements. The advertisements were received by an infatuated public that was eager to believe what they heard. This created demand for their products and by doing so, increased profits for their businesses and reinforced in the audience a culture of consumerism.

The power that radio holds as a medium was recognized by Canadian Philosopher Marshall McLuhan. He argues that the medium is more important than the actual message. This is not to discredit the power of an idea. An idea in itself is powerful and timeless, it can be equated to erosion, slow and steady but over time can cause significant changes to the landscape. Media however, is like an earthquake, quick, powerful and dramatically alters the landscape. In Germany, the Nazis utilized the radio and radically changed Germany and plunged the world into a world war. This is the true power of radio as a medium.

In conclusion, Radio as a mass media can play a role in the fall or preservation of an immature democracy. In particular, the restrictions of extremist speech are an important element helping mass media serve as a safeguard of democracy. Without such restrictions, mass media can become a catalyst for the establishment of a dictatorial rule and loss of freedom of the people. Radio is used as the bridge between idea and man, but these ideas must not go unchecked or else we may degenerate into chaos.