Radio

- Anindita Ganguly (9405)

Mass Media• Mass media is the term used to denote, as a class, that section of

the media specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience (typically at least as large as the whole population of a nation state). It was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks and of mass-circulation newspapers and magazines.

• Mass communicated media saturate the industrialized world. The television in the living room, the newspaper on the doorstep, the radio in the car, the computer at work, and the fliers in the mailbox are just a few of the media channels daily delivering advertisements, news, opinion, music, and other forms of mass communication.

• The media in India represents a confluence of paradoxes: tradition and modernity; anarchy and order; diversity and unity; conflict and cooperation; news and views; feudalism and democracy; the free market and monopoly.

WHAT IS A RADIO?• (1) A device that either receives, transmits or transmits and receives

wireless signals (electromagnetic waves). The term may refer to a stand-alone unit or only to the circuits that perform the transmitting and receiving. The phrase "the device has three radios" means the unit has three transceivers. For example, a modern smartphone can have one radio each for 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

• (2) The transmission of wireless signals (electromagnetic radiation) through the air or through a hollow tube called a "waveguide." Although radio is often thought of as only AM and FM radio or sometimes two-way radio, all transmission systems that propagate signals over the air are "radio," including TV, satellite, portable phones, cellphones and wireless LANs.

RADIO BROADCASTING SETUP

RADIO as a MASS MEDIUM

• The invention of radio at the beginning of the twentieth century further transformed the individual’s relationship to the collective by providing a system for instantaneous communication across great distances.

• During the 1920s, commercial radio broadcasts spread across radio waves providing regular, dependable media experiences that large numbers of individuals could share simultaneously, even while apart.

• Once purchased, radios assembled these individuals into a mass audience regardless of their literacy or social status, creating the first true mass media. Through the addition of the tuning dial, radio listeners gained the effortless experience of surfing for information across different channels.

• Listening to the radio was less a private experience enjoyed by an autonomous individual and more a series of individual or small group experiences in which people saw themselves as part of a regionally dispersed body made up of content producers, transmitters, radio signals, receivers, and other listeners whom they never meet personally.

RADIO as a MASS MEDIUM• Radio has many advantages over other media. These

include cost effectiveness, flexibility, imagery transfer, mobility and captive audience. However, some of the negative aspects of radio caused it to lose its prominence. The negative features include creative constraints, being a fleeting medium, lack of proper audience measurement systems and limited reach. 

Advertising space in radio is bought in three ways: network advertising, spot advertising and local advertising. A network ad is aired across radio stations that are either managed by a single broadcaster or the stations that are affiliated to the broadcaster. Large advertisers whose market is spread across various regions use network buying. Spot buying refers to purchase of advertisement space on individual stations.

History and Emergence• Radio owes its development to two other inventions, the

telegraph and the telephone, all three technologies are closely related. Radio technology began as "wireless telegraphy".

• Wireless telegraphy rapidly came to mean Morse code transmitted with Hertzian waves (electromagnetic waves) decades before it came to be associated with the term radio. It declined in popularity after the invention of radiotelephony, the ability to send sound by radio using amplitude modulation, which was introduced around 1920, sparking the beginning of broadcasting.

• In St. Louis, Missouri, Nikola Tesla made the first public demonstration of radio communication in 1893.

• In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi sent a telegraph message without wires, but he didn't send voice over the airwaves; Reginald Fessenden, in 1900, accomplished that.

One of the very first radio transmission, UK

First play-by-play football broadcast, Texas

History and Emergence• The first benefit seen to radio telegraphy was the ability to

communicate with ships at sea.• Invention of the triode amplifier, generator, and detector enabled

audio radio from 1915 onwards.• Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Scripps' Detroit

News in Detroit, Michigan were the first US broadcasters in the early 1920s.

• Broadcasting was not yet commercially supported; the stations owned by the manufacturers and department stores were established to sell radios and those owned by newspapers to sell newspapers and express the opinions of the owners.

• WEAF (New York, NY) is credited with airing the first commercial spot. The first paid announcement in history was purchased by Hawthorne Court, a real-estate company based in Queens. It lasted ten minutes!

Birth of the Networks• In the 20s, radio stations began linking up and forming broadcasting

chains. KDKA began offering a schedule of daily broadcasts in 1922 and other stations followed. By linking up, one station could simulcast its programming to many different areas. Chain broadcasting, and subsequently, the major broadcast network was born.

• The Radio Corporation of America (RCA), headed by then CEO Sarnoff, established the first major broadcast network in 1926. They named it the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

• Two years after NBC started out, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) launched its network with sixteen stations under the leadership of William S. Paley. CBS was, and still is, credited with having very strong news programming.

• In the early 1940s, broadcasting rules were implemented which prevented one company from owning and operating two distinct networks. RCA decided to retain the larger Red network and sell off the smaller Blue network. Edward J. Noble purchased NBC's Blue network and thus established the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).

THE INDIAN BACKGROUND

• Broadcasting began in India with the formation of a private radio service in Madras in 1924. In the same year, the British colonial government granted a license to a private company, the Indian Broadcasting Company, to open Radio stations in Bombay and Calcutta.

• The company went bankrupt in 1930 but the colonial government took over the two transmitters and the Department of Labor and Industries started operating them as the Indian State Broadcasting Corporation.

• In 1936, the Corporation was renamed All India Radio (AIR) and placed under the Department of Communications. When India became independent in 1947, AIR was made a separate Department under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

• Broadcasting was harnessed for the task of political nation building. National integration and the development of a "national consciousness" were among the early objectives of All India Radio.

THE INDIAN BACKGROUND

• Commercial Radio services in India, which were inaugurated in 1967, are provided by Vividh Bharati Service, headquartered in Bombay. Vividh Bharati, which accepts advertisements, broadcasts from thirty-one AM and FM stations since the mid-1990s.

• India has an extensive network of medium wave and short wave stations.

• In 1994 there were eighty-five FM stations and seventy-three shortwave stations that covered the entire country.

WORLD WAR I• By 1914, radio communications, or wireless telegraphy as these

communications were then known, were used by the world's military and naval forces.

• In 1914 British radio operators organized as the basis of the Royal Navy radio intercept service, feeding traffic to Admiralty Room 40 for cryptanalysis and providing the foundation for the World War One success of British Intelligence.

• Wireless radio became very popular during WWI as a source of news and entertainment. The invention of the wireless radio and newer smaller radios that were less expensive allowed more middle class families to own what was on a luxury item reserved for the wealthy.

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WORLD WAR II• During the World War II time period, 90 percent of American

families owned a radio, and it was a part of daily life. So it was an obvious means of spreading war propaganda.

• Advertising and broadcasting on the airwaves was a major step in bringing war propaganda to a level where people could be easily touched nationally. Broadcasting around the clock was being offered everywhere.

• The radio made it possible for stories and news to be delivered to everyone in plain simple language.

• A very successful radio propaganda tactic used by the government was the “you-technique.” They would add a sense of drama to their shows by directly involving the listener.

• Radio was used in World War II to entertain troops, keep the home front informed, and raise money for the war.

Naval commanders using the radio to send messages

A radio-base at Atlanta, USA

AM BROADCASTING• AM was the dominant method of broadcasting during the first eighty

years of the 20th century and remains widely used into the 21st.• AM radio began with the first, experimental broadcast in 1906 by

Reginald Fessenden, and was used for small-scale voice and music broadcasts up until World War I.

• AM radio technology is simpler than FM radio and DAB. An AM receiver detects amplitude variations in the radio waves at a particular frequency. It then amplifies changes in the signal voltage to drive a loudspeaker or earphones.

• AM radio is broadcast on several frequency bands: Long wave, Medium wave, Short wave.

• Because of its susceptibility to atmospheric and electrical interference and the generally lower sound fidelity of super-heterodyne receivers, AM broadcasting has attracted mostly talk radio and news programming, while music radio and public radio mostly shifted to FM broadcasting.

AM BROADCASTING• Medium wave and short wave radio signals act differently during

daytime and night-time. During the day, AM signals travel by groundwave, diffracting around the curve of the earth over a distance up to a few hundred miles from the signal transmitter. However, after sunset, changes in the ionosphere cause AM signals to travel by skywave, enabling AM radio stations to be heard much farther from their point of origin than is normal during the day.

• While FM radio can also be received by cable, AM radio generally cannot, although an AM station can be converted into an FM cable signal.

• From only six stations at the time of independence, All India Radio's network had expanded by the mid-1990s to 146 AM stations plus a National Channel, the Integrated North-East Service (aimed at tribal groups in northeast India), and the External Service. There are five regional headquarters for All India Radio: the North Zone in New Delhi; the North-East Zone in Guwahati, Assam; the East Zone in Calcutta; the West Zone in Bombay; and the South Zone in Madras.

EXAMPLES

• 666 100kW AIR Radio Delhi A - Delhi (Delhi) IN• 819 200kW AIR Radio Delhi B - Delhi (Delhi) IN• 1368 10kW AIR Radio Delhi C - Delhi (Delhi) IN• 1341 kHz Indonesia Indonesian RRI Radio Republik

Indonesia (RRI Tanjung Pinang Pro-1, Bintan Island)

• KAAA 1230 AM Kingman, Arizona• KACI 1300 AM The Dalles, Oregon

FM BROADCASTING• FM broadcasting is a broadcast technology invented by Edwin Howard

Armstrong that uses frequency modulation (FM) to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio.

• Throughout the world, the broadcast band is 87.5 to 108.0 MHz (i.e. in the VHF range). The frequency of an FM broadcast station (more strictly its assigned nominal centre frequency) is usually an exact multiple of 100 kHz.

• For FM stereo, the maximum distance covered is significantly reduced. This is due to the presence of the 38 kHz subcarrier modulation. Vigorous audio processing improves the coverage area of an FM stereo station.

• Despite having been developed in 1933, FM broadcasting took a long time to be adopted by the majority of radio listeners.

• The first FM broadcasting stations were in the United States, but initially they were primarily used to broadcast classical music to an upmarket listenership in urban areas and for educational programming. By the late 1960s FM had been adopted by fans of "alternative rock" music, but it wasn't until 1978 (the first year that listenership to FM stations exceeded that of AM stations) that FM became mainstream.

FM BROADCASTING• Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and particularly West

Germany were among the first countries to adopt FM on a widespread scale.

• . FM radio businesses were granted their first licenses in 2001.

• News in not permitted on private FM, although the Federal Minister for Information-Broadcasting (I. and B. Ministry, Govt. of India) says this may be reconsidered in two to three years.

• India's new private FM channels could also change the advertising scenario. Traditionally, radio accounts for 7% to 8% of advertiser expenditures around the world. In India, it is less than 2% at present.

EXAMPLES• Fever 104 (104 MHz)• Radio Mirchi FM (98.3 MHz)• BBC Radio 1 (97.6 - 99.8 FM• Smooth Radio UK (102.2 FM)• KARM (89.7 FM)• KRDG (105.3 FM)• 87.6 MHz Raw FM• 104.7 MHz 104.7 - Austereo/ARN

DIGITAL AUDIO BROADCASTING

• Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a digital radio technology used in several countries for broadcasting radio stations. Particularly used in Europe, the DAB standard was initiated as a European research project and was launched by BBC in 1995.

• DAB technology offers more radio programs when compared to analogue FM radio. It is more effective with regard to noise and multipath fading for mobile listening.

• Digital audio broadcasting offers several benefits over analogue systems that include improved end-user features, lower cost, more stations, better reception quality, less pirate interference and variable bandwidth.

• All India Radio (AIR), the public broadcaster, started trial DAB broadcasts in New Delhi in late 1997, but was unable to progress to permanent broadcasts due to regulatory issues until 2009.

DAB

Different types of radio broadcasting

• There are many different types of radio broadcasting, and making a radio station which attracts listeners (which is, after all, the object of the exercise) is no different from marketing any other business. Very few people will find your radio station by accident, they need telling where to go.

• The target audience of the radio station should be clearly identified, as the content, style of music and theme of the radio show will be definitely aimed at a specific sector. The methods used to gain listeners are largely dictated by the size of the transmission area and the type of technology which is being used.

Different types of radio broadcasting

• Some of the Different Types of Radio Broadcasting• * National Radio – This serves the whole country (that’s why it’s called

national!).• * Regional Radio Stations – These are regional, but can still cover a

pretty wide region or area.• * Local Radio – With a small local transmission area, a bit like a local

newspaper coverage.• * Community Radio – Even smaller than local radio, these are not for

profit radio stations and are very often funded by listener contributions• * DAB stations which only transmit via a digital network.• * Internet, cable and satellite stations.• * Hospital, student or university campus radio.• * Pirate radio stations, which operate illegally and unlicensed.

ALL INDIA RADIO (AIR)• A national service planned, developed and operated by the Prasar

Bharati Broadcasting Corporation of India.• All India Radio, since Independence, has become one the largest

broadcasting networks in the world. At the time of independence there were six radio stations and 18 transmitters, which covered 11% population and 2.5 % area of the country. Till December, 2007 the network comprises of 231 stations & 373 transmitters which provide radio coverage to 99.14% of the population and reaches 91.79% area of the country.

• The News Services Divisions plans and presents the news and current affairs programmes. But the National Programmes of music, plays, features and talks are planned by the Director General and produced at regional centres.

EXTERNAL SERVICES• All India Radio entered the realm of external broadcasting

shortly after the outbreak of II World War on 1st October, 1939-when it started a service in Pushtu for listeners across- what was then the country's North West Frontier.

• The service was designated to counter radio propoganda from Germany, directed to Afghanistan, Iran and Arab countries.

• Today, The External Services Division of All India Radio ranks high amongst the External Radio networks of the world, both in reach and range, daily in 55 transmissions with almost 72 hours covering over 100 countries in 27 languages, out of which 16 are foreign and 11 are Indian.

• Purpose and Target Areas

VIVIDH BHARATI• The popular Vividh Bharati Service of All India Radio was conceptualized to

combat 'Radio Ceylon' in 1957.• The service provides entertainment for nearly 15 to 17 hours a day. It

presents a mix of film music, skits, short plays and interactive programmes.

• All the programmes like 'BISCOPE KE BATEIN', 'SARGAM KE SITARE', 'CELLULOID KE SITARE', 'SEHATNAMA', &' HELLO FARMAISH', are produced centrally at Vividh Bharati Service,Borivili, Mumbai and up-linked to the satellite.

• In 1999 Vividh Bharati Service proved its success connecting Indian Soliders posted on remote border areas to their family members through a special programme entitled "Hello Kargil", through which not only the family members of the soliders , but even a layman including young and old conveyed their best wishes to the soliders to keep up their morale.

• Eminent actors, play back singers, renowned writers, lyricists, directors and music directors have found way to express their experience and opinion through the Vividh Bharati Platform .

RADIO FORMATS AND GENRES

• Music radio formats constantly evolve and each format can often be sub-divided into many speciality formats and they are available only regionally or through specialized venues such as satellite radio or Internet radio.

• Egs. Rock, Blues, Comedy, Contemporary, Classical, Educational, Dance, Tropical, Variety

• Radio drama (or audio play, radio play, radio theater) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story.

• Egs. Hawa Mahal, The Archers, Silver Street, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

• A radio documentary or feature is a purely acoustic performance devoted to covering a particular topic in some depth, usually with a mixture of commentary and sound pictures. It is non–fiction in subject matter.

• Egs. Ira Glass (and This American Life), Glenn Gould (The Solitude Trilogy)

Poster on radio plays

Orson Welles narrating “War of the Worlds”

INTERNET RADIO• Internet radio is essentially the same as regularly broadcast

radio, with a few distinguishing characteristics.• Internet radio is streamed, and so does not involve

downloading. You simply log on to the particular site and in it comes.

• Several formats are on offer, but the MP3 and ACC formats are currently the most frequently used.

• Egs. www.livme365.com, www.radiotower.com, MyOpusRadio.com, RadioJoyAlukkas.com

HAM RADIO• Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in

which participants, called "hams", use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public services, recreation and self-training.

• Unlike the broadcast radio stations (to whom we usually tune our radio receivers to listen to), ham radio is a two-way communication system.

• A ham radio operator can carry on experiments with various communication equipment and systems going deeper into the science of electronics (Learning by Doing) and at the same time provide great service to the people in general worldwide by way of organizing on-the-air emergency medical traffic, establishing emergency communication network during natural calamities like flood, cyclone, storm, earthquake or any other disaster.

• Eg. In September 1979, during the flash floods at Morvi due to the Machhu dam burst in Gujarat, more than a dozen amateur radio stations of western India activated emergency radio stations to pro-relief agencies, government officials and victims of the disaster in the cities of Rajkot, Baroda, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

A ham radio setup

Working of a ham radio

ETHICS OF BROADCASTING• The responsibility of radio and television journalists is to

gather and report information of importance and interest to the public accurately, honestly, and impartially.

• Strive to present the source or nature of broadcast news material in a way that is balanced, accurate, and fair. They will evaluate information solely on its merits as news, rejecting sensationalism or misleading emphasis in any form.

• They will guard against using audio or video material in any way that deceives the audience.

• They will not mislead the public by presenting as spontaneous news any material which is staged or rehearsed.

• They will identify people by race, creed, nationality or prior status only when it is relevant.

ETHICS OF BROADCASTING

• They will clearly label opinion and commentary. • They will promptly acknowledge and correct errors. • Strive to conduct themselves in a manner that protects

them from conflicts of interest, real or perceived. They will decline gifts or favors which would influence or appear to influence their judgment. Respect the dignity, privacy and well-being of people with whom they deal. Recognize the need to protect confidential sources. They will promise confidentiality only with the intention of keeping that promise. Respect evryone's right to a fair trial. Broadcast the private transmissions of other broadcasters only with permission. Actively encourage observance of this Code by all journalists, whether members of the Radio-Television News Directors Association or not.

THANK YOU!