-History of the Radio: Understanding how Internet, Podcasting, and other Audio Media will Develop-

Radio has a very deep and intricate history-Marconi and other early inventors were standardizing the technologies during World War I, running concurrently with the US Navy accelerating its advances of radio for their use.  The US government opposed foreign control of such crucial technology for their military purposes, and the Navy held control of radio until after the war, and it was then where radio was returned to the public.  By 1920, Frank Conrad began the first regularly scheduled radio broadcasts, drawing interest and national coverage.  As radio became more and more popular, more businesses and institutions even latched onto it: retail stores used radio to promote their goods, newspapers posted headlines, and even schools and churches saw the educational and informational possibilities by utilizing the radio.  Eventually, advertisers were charged a fee for broadcasting their content, which was based upon the amount of air time spent.  The radio spanned from entertainment (music, variety shows, sports, etc) to news, promotions, and much more, including political broadcasts. 

Based off this, was can infer a great deal on how internet radio, podcasting, and other audio media are going to develop, and in some cases have ALREADY developed.  Due to the type of society we’ve grown and are accustomed to living in, these types of audio medias have already had Commercial Forms woven into them.  There are constant ads all around us in our consumer driven society, which means that you will certainly find ads in the media: picture ads on internet radio sites, pre-recorded advertisements and sponsors during pauses in a podcast-all aimed at trying to get a product out to the listening audience. 

The same can be said of these audio medias developing in both Political and Artistic Forms.  Since radio is a great tool to get one’s ‘voice heard’ so to speak, radio media can easily be used to express, influence, and spread the political views and beliefs of those broadcasting.  It’s most definitely being used in both podcasts and internet radio, especially when a political news group such as Fox utilizes the technology of the radio medias.

As for the Artistic Forms, they would most obviously correlate to the entertainment that everyone is accustomed to ever since the rise of radio broadcasts, for what we’ve had or even currently have on radio will typically make the leap onto internet radio and the like.  Radio broadcasts on New York hit radio station Z-100 are also broadcasted online for those unfortunate enough to not be near a radio: They play the music we love in addition to providing entertainment in the forms of interviews with popular celebrities, and even the hilarious ‘Phone Tap’ prank calls are online.  Also, popular shows (both on TV and internet web-isodes alike) have since become podcasts, and can be downloaded onto a person’s iPod via iTunes so that the person may view and listen to the show during a time of their leisure, even if they are out and about.