The need for radio theory in the digital age
Jo Tacchi
International Journal of Cultural Studies 2000 3: 289
DOI: 10.1177/136787790000300217
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Abstract
This article makes an argument for connecting old and new technologies in our efforts to create a coherent field that we might call 'radio studies'.
The lack of academic work to date on radio - the 'secondary medium' (Lewis, this issue) - has left us with a void in media and cultural studies.
Radio's pervasive nature in everyday lives is less apparent in precisely those settings (the developed world in particular) where it has become a part of the everyday fabric of life.
Currently there is a revival of interest in radio studies, which coincides (perhaps not accidentally) with the growth of new digital media technologies. The 'Radiocracy' conference at Cardiff demonstrated not only the resurgence of interest in academic studies of radio, but also the many and innovative ways in which radio is used (and sometimes abused) globally.
In each location the medium is used differently, demonstrating not only that a global definition of the meanings and uses of 'radio' cannot be assigned, but also that new evolutions of 'radiogenic' technologies should not be dismissed as being different from 'radio' and therefore not a part of the remit of 'radio studies'.
Many net.radio initiatives seek to circumvent governmental restrictions on analogue radio broadcasting by incorporating and developing new 'radiogenic' technologies. Examples are given to illustrate the arguments in this article; a small-scale net.radio operation in London is contrasted with a large commercial net.radio company located in the USA, and a development initiative in India is also considered. ·
Introduction
The role of radio in our media future is unclear; however, it seems likely to remain - in one form or another (or, more likely, in myriad forms) - central to the everyday lives of most people in their leisure pursuits, as a soundscape to their domestic and work lives, or in developmental enterprises and the promotion of democracy.
Jo Tacchi
International Journal of Cultural Studies 2000 3: 289
DOI: 10.1177/136787790000300217
Abstract
This article makes an argument for connecting old and new technologies in our efforts to create a coherent field that we might call 'radio studies'.
The lack of academic work to date on radio - the 'secondary medium' (Lewis, this issue) - has left us with a void in media and cultural studies.
Radio's pervasive nature in everyday lives is less apparent in precisely those settings (the developed world in particular) where it has become a part of the everyday fabric of life.
Currently there is a revival of interest in radio studies, which coincides (perhaps not accidentally) with the growth of new digital media technologies. The 'Radiocracy' conference at Cardiff demonstrated not only the resurgence of interest in academic studies of radio, but also the many and innovative ways in which radio is used (and sometimes abused) globally.
In each location the medium is used differently, demonstrating not only that a global definition of the meanings and uses of 'radio' cannot be assigned, but also that new evolutions of 'radiogenic' technologies should not be dismissed as being different from 'radio' and therefore not a part of the remit of 'radio studies'.
Many net.radio initiatives seek to circumvent governmental restrictions on analogue radio broadcasting by incorporating and developing new 'radiogenic' technologies. Examples are given to illustrate the arguments in this article; a small-scale net.radio operation in London is contrasted with a large commercial net.radio company located in the USA, and a development initiative in India is also considered. ·
Introduction
The role of radio in our media future is unclear; however, it seems likely to remain - in one form or another (or, more likely, in myriad forms) - central to the everyday lives of most people in their leisure pursuits, as a soundscape to their domestic and work lives, or in developmental enterprises and the promotion of democracy.
This article calls attention to:
- the lack of radio research and theory and the need for post-disciplinary approaches to the development of a coherent field of radio studies;
- radio and 'radiogenic' developments and how they relate to radio's past and their implications for radio's future; and
- the innovative ways in which old and new technologies are converging and connecting and how these are being used by traditionally marginalized groups.
Why is radio theory needed?
- Radio is ubiquitous, but quietly so; it is invisible (Lewis and Booth, 1989).
- Radio is cheap to produce and has been around for a long time - it is the oldest of the time-based media in the home.
- Radio has become naturalized - so much so that it is difficult to establish its significance.1
Just as new technologies break down or redefine barriers of space, time and the consumption/production divide, the study of radio and soundcast-ing should challenge disciplinary and methodological boundaries.
- I found that radio sound has the ability to engage with people's emotions.
- Radio is used to maintain or alter mood - it is emotionally evocative and reassuring.
- It is a part of domestic soundscapes and through its study contemporary domestic life can be glimpsed.
Technology: is net.radio radio?
But the move from broadcasting to the net raises the question of whether net.radio is radio.
In order to investigate this it is necessary to consider what radio as such might be.
Radio can be said to have certain characteristics, but the evidence suggests that radio is what history says it is: it has no essence since it has already taken, and continues to take, different forms.
Radio is what it is at a given time, in a given context of use and meaningfulness.
During the current period, radio is migrating to the net, where its context, use and meaning will change compared with broadcast or two-way radio. It is therefore important to follow what is happening in net.radio. The future is unclear, but the changes need to be charted as they unfold.
Conclusion
In this new audio and technological environment, how might one set up a radio station?
Whether it is in the most remote or the poorest areas of the world, or in urban centres in the West, the use of new technologies, combined with existing radio technologies or techniques, appears to hold great potential. This is especially the case if there is an element of community development involved or if regulatory powers prevent more traditional terrestrial broadcasting.
In partnership with established net.radio stations, Future Radio intends to carry out an experiment. Given that the appeal of city-based radio stations to a global audience seems to be precisely their location, a station webcasting from Bristol should hold global appeal because it is broadcasting the 'Bristol sound'. Conversely, a terrestrial station that broadcasts only to Bristol can use the Internet to bring global sounds to a local population. The Internet allows this two-way cross-fertilization. It presents interesting and curious possibilities for rethinking the concept of a local radio station. Future Radio - the net station - would offer local sounds to a global audience. Future Radio - the terrestrial station - would offer global sounds to a local audience. This is an exciting and interesting prospect; the main obstacle to its enactment remain the regulations on terrestrial broadcasting which would make local broadcasts illegal.
Many other people are, like me, looking to the Internet as a space where they might be able to legitimately set up the kind of radio service that otherwise seems impossible. These attempts, failures and successes need to be charted and studied. One of the things that surprised me about the response to the call for papers for the 'Radiocracy' conference was that the people who were proposing to talk about the Internet came mainly from developing countries. There are projects under way that are using the Internet and other new technologies to bring radio to the poorest and most remote communities in the world.
In the UK we tend to talk about the restrictions rather than the possibilities of new technologies. One of the problems with the Internet that is often cited in the the UK is its inaccessibility. Despite the problems of access, which should not be ignored, it can be argued that access problems will be overcome and that in terms of radio, or at least radiobility, the Internet is enabling.
Conclusion
In this new audio and technological environment, how might one set up a radio station?
Whether it is in the most remote or the poorest areas of the world, or in urban centres in the West, the use of new technologies, combined with existing radio technologies or techniques, appears to hold great potential. This is especially the case if there is an element of community development involved or if regulatory powers prevent more traditional terrestrial broadcasting.
In partnership with established net.radio stations, Future Radio intends to carry out an experiment. Given that the appeal of city-based radio stations to a global audience seems to be precisely their location, a station webcasting from Bristol should hold global appeal because it is broadcasting the 'Bristol sound'. Conversely, a terrestrial station that broadcasts only to Bristol can use the Internet to bring global sounds to a local population. The Internet allows this two-way cross-fertilization. It presents interesting and curious possibilities for rethinking the concept of a local radio station. Future Radio - the net station - would offer local sounds to a global audience. Future Radio - the terrestrial station - would offer global sounds to a local audience. This is an exciting and interesting prospect; the main obstacle to its enactment remain the regulations on terrestrial broadcasting which would make local broadcasts illegal.
Many other people are, like me, looking to the Internet as a space where they might be able to legitimately set up the kind of radio service that otherwise seems impossible. These attempts, failures and successes need to be charted and studied. One of the things that surprised me about the response to the call for papers for the 'Radiocracy' conference was that the people who were proposing to talk about the Internet came mainly from developing countries. There are projects under way that are using the Internet and other new technologies to bring radio to the poorest and most remote communities in the world.
In the UK we tend to talk about the restrictions rather than the possibilities of new technologies. One of the problems with the Internet that is often cited in the the UK is its inaccessibility. Despite the problems of access, which should not be ignored, it can be argued that access problems will be overcome and that in terms of radio, or at least radiobility, the Internet is enabling.
Currently net.radio has the prefix 'net' to distinguish it from 'real' radio. But when radio researchers and practitioners from around the world talk to each other it becomes clear that 'real' radio itself is different in different places and at different times - to a large extent it is context-specific. The network of researchers and practitioners that met at 'Radiocracy' is ideally placed to chart, examine and theorize about the future of radio as it evolves.
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