RADIO vs TELEVISION 1
RADIO - historical approach The field of radio development attracted many researchers, and bitter arguments over the true "inventor of radio" persist to this day. Many inventions improved the quality of radio in time, and amateurs experimented with uses of radio, thus planting the first seeds of broadcasting. Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Marconi - 1st Marquis of Marconi 1874-1937 Italian inventor and electrical engineer, born in Bologna known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system Nobel Prize for Physics 1909 2
In 1901, Marconi conducted the first successful transatlantic experimental radio communications. In 1907, Marconi established the first commercial transatlantic radio communications service, between Clifden, Ireland and Glace Bay, Newfoundland. Using various patents, the British Marconi company was established in 1897 and began communication between coast radio stations and ships at sea. This company, along with its subsidiaries Canadian Marconi and American Marconi, had a stranglehold on ship to shore communication Harold J. Power On March 8, 1916, Harold Power with his radio company American Radio and Research Company (AMRAD), broadcast the first continuous broadcast in the world from Tufts University under the call sign 1XE (it lasted 3 hours). The company later became the FIRST to broadcast on a daily schedule, and the first to broadcast radio dance programs, university professor lectures, the weather, and bedtime stories 3
The first experimental broadcast stations operated in the United States in the years prior to World War I. They had sporadic schedules of but a few hours a week. The first broadcast in the world was probably done by Reginald Fessenden in 1906 from a transmitter south of Boston, Massachusetts. Dates of first radio stations San Jose, California/San Francisco, California 1909 Albany, New York 1915 Pierre, South Dakota, 1915 New York City, New York 1916 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1916 General Post Office, Dublin, Ireland 1916 Australasia, Sydney, New South Wales 1918 Prague, Czechoslovakia 1919 The Hague, Netherlands 1919 Montreal, Quebec 1919 4
Radio quickly grew to become the primary entertainment and information source for Americans throughout the Great Depression and World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt recognized the potential of radio to reach the American public, and during his four terms (1933-1945), his radio "fireside chats" informed the nation on progress against the Depression and on developments during World War II. After World War II, when television's visual images replaced the audio-only limitation of radio as the predominant entertainment and news vehicle, rather than succumbing, radio adapted to the new situation by replacing entertainment programs with a format of music interspersed with news and features. 5
In the 1950s, automobile manufacturers began offering car radios as standard accessories, and radio received a big boost as most Americans tuned in their car radios as they drove to and from work Broadcasting formats Barely in existence 25 years ago, "talk radio," in which celebrities and experts from various fields answer listener "call-in" questions and offer their advice on various topics, has grown spectacularly in recent years, contributing to the comeback of AM radio. The "call-in" format is the fastest-growing in radio, accounting for nearly 1,000 of the more than 10,000 commercial radio stations in the United States. Both FM and AM radio have become increasingly specialized. Music formats, for instance, comprise a variety of specializations -- the top five in 1991 being "country and western," "adult contemporary," "top 40," "religious" and "oldies." 6
The importance of radio in mass media Radio is the older of the two main forms of electronic media, the other being television. Radio in commercial broadcast form has been around since about l920. The demands are different- sight gags and talking heads are out of the question, but radio has enormous potential for entertainment and enlightenment as well as mere news, weather, traffic and sportive events. Radio can go, where TV simply cannot, and in a sense is far more democratic- there are or were 7 main TV channels in the New York area prior to Digitalization. -There are many times this number of different types of radio stations with widely divergent points of view and personalities Is radio still an important means of communication? (answers.yahoo.com) Absolutely. Apart from police and emergency communications, huge parts of the world can get radio signals where there is no access to internet or even tv. Most of Africa, for instance. Those wind-up radios have taken info and entertainment into the remotest places, so radio is far from finished. In the UK it is less important, but still number 1 for all car drivers - and of course radio 4 is the peak of our culture still. Cheers, Steve. Ask the 95 million Americans who listen to it every day!!! VERY!!! It advises us of traffic, weather, news, etc. There is the Emergency Alert System to warn us of impending danger. During storms/hurricanes, people use battery operated radios to keep the apprised of the current conditions. Yes, it is very important. 7
13 February 2015 WORLD RADIO DAY There are over 2.4 billion radio receivers and over 51,000 radio stations worldwide Even in developing countries, at least 75% of households have access to radio The younger generation around the world seems to be moving from traditional radio to online radio according to sources TELEVISION historical approach In its early stages of development, television employed a combination of optical, mechanical and electronic technologies to capture, transmit and display a visual image. By the late 1920s, however, those employing only optical and electronic technologies were being explored. The first images transmitted electrically were sent by early mechanical fax machines, including the pantelegraph, developed in the late nineteenth century. Scottish inventor John Logie Baird succeeded in demonstrating the transmission of moving silhouette images in London in 1925, and of moving, monochromatic images in 1926. 8
In 1927, Philo Farnsworth made the world's first working television system. WRGB claims to be the world's oldest television station, tracing its roots to an experimental station founded on 13 January 1928, broadcasting from the General Electric factory in Schenectady, NY, under the call letters W2XB. It was popularly known as "WGY Television" after its sister radio station. Later in 1928, General Electric started a second facility, this one in New York City, which had the call letters W2XBS, and which today is known as WNBC. On 2 November 1936 the BBC began transmitting the world's first public regular high-definition service from the Victorian Alexandra Palace in north London. It therefore claims to be the birthplace of television broadcasting as we know it today EVOLUTION The first community antenna television (CATV, now usually called cable) systems began operation in the Rocky Mountains and in the Appalachians, where small towns could not get signals from distant markets and were too small to support stations on their own. Only a tiny proportion of Americans were "on cable" until well into the 1970s. 9
EVOLUTION In 1975 came two separate developments that would show the way to a more competitive future in electronic media: 1975 Sony placed the first Betamax VCRs on sale 10
Home Box Office, a pay-cable service, announced plans to begin use of a domestic communications satellite (domsat) transponder to deliver its signal across the nation. Situation of Television Stations in the world today http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/worl dstats/cia-television-broadcaststations.html 11
In the USA There are four major television broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox Each owns a few stations in large markets (called O&Os, for owned-and-operated) and is affiliated by contract with about 200 other stations across the country. ABC 12
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Entertainment Entertainment is perhaps TVs most important function. Watching our favorite shows, movies, and sports teams is one of the greatest ways to distract yourself from your worries and the problems of life. Gaining Information While now new technology feeds us up-to-date and endless information, TV has been the main source of information for people for decades. People still rely on TV for local and world news, the weather, sporting events, or even informational programms. The Importance of Television Connecting People Television has for years been a great way to connect people to each other. Whether it is discussing a show with co-workers at the water-cooler, watching a program during family time, or sharing your thoughts with people from across the world on message boards or social media. As a matter of fact, a 2014 survey in Australia found that 36% called or texted family and friends and 41% posted on Facebook while watching TV. 14
What Role Does Television Play in Your Life? A new study about children under the age of 20 states that television may be harmful to the children s development. <<Since returning from a month-long trip to Europe in June of this year, I have not watched TV save for a few sporting events. What I found is I seem to have more clarity of mind, am more calm and focused, and I am also eating, really snacking, a whole lot less. Tv s a brainwasher and a propoganda machine, time to remove it from your life you ll be better off. >> Mike G <<Television is not a problem. I can tune it out in the background. Infants shouldn t watch it? I say they should because it can teach them things earlier. My family rarely watches television, but it doesn t even affect us when we do. So I believe television plays a big role nowadays and as long as you don t watch it 24/7 than it is a good thing.>> Alec <<Let s be completely honest. The World has it s problems. Television is not a problem, it s the people that do not know how to use luxuries correctly and treat them as such. My family has no problems with television, only watching the games at dinner and Sunday night or whenever I Tivo something. The problem is not with the electronics, but with the people who use them, after all, people over eat and people drive distracted all the time, but that doesn t make it the car manufacturers fault or the broadcasting company s. Citizens need to learn that proper use is a necessity, and that the things that they own will soon own them. >> Ethan 15
Radio versus TV: which comes out on top? Which is the best, radio or TV? It s an intriguing question, simply because of what each medium brings to the table. There is no easy answer either. Gostner: You need to understand that each medium has its own history. Radio and Tv should not even be seen as competing. They have fundamentally different approaches to how they interact with their audiences as well as to how they deliver their message Immediacy If you want to spread information now rather than later, radio has the jump on television RADIO Ability to have instant interaction and reaction on any topic or issue. Is one of the most persuasive mediums available. It merges compelling images with audio and you have an end product that informs, educates and entertains from two distinct angles. TELEVISION While television has only been available commercially since the 1920s, it has fast grown to become one of the most popular. TV is a true mass media, having the ability to reach millions of people in a short span of time. 16
Both media, while working towards the same goals, are fundamentally different. Radio and TV as media are driven by different histories. They are making use of different methods and strategies. Demolishing one of the modern media myths we can say that neither will disappear soon, but might change the degree of importance in peoples lives References Radio http://transition.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/documents/short_history.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/history_of_radio http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100205035019aagzvcf http://wiki.answers.com/q/what_is_the_importance_of_radio_in_mass_media Television http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/what-role-does-television-play-in-yourlife-and-the-life-of-your-family/ http://www.britannica.com/ebchecked/topic/1513870/television-in-the-united-states http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/television http://amog.com/lifestyle/153689-importance-television/ http://www.rab.co.za/radio-versus-tv-which-comes-out-on-top/ 17