2. What were the biggest threats to the radio towards the end of the twentieth century
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Answer:The radio survived in the era of television. Will it be in a position to take on the internet?
YES | N. RAMAKRISHNAN
Radio has absorbed new technologies and emerged stronger over the decades
Enamoured of television, media-watchers in the 1940s and ’50s confidently prophesied the imminent death of radio. The medium, they said, couldn’t match the thrill of seeing moving pictures in the comfort of the living room.
The advent of rock-and-roll, embodying the rebellion of an entire generation of youth against the conservatism of the preceding decades, left a bigger following for radio than before and proved the predictions of the doomsayers wrong.
In the decades since, radio has emerged as the ultimate survivor, adapting itself to the tastes of the newer generations of listeners and absorbing newer technologies. In the 1980s and ’90s, it saw off threats posed by personal video recorders and digital compact discs through a greater emphasis on listener-driven programmes. By the late ‘90s and early 2000s, radio stations were reinventing themselves to cater to niche audiences: There were stations dedicated to specific genres of content — talk radio, punk rock stations, even stations that played music by a single band 24 hours a day — anticipating the emergence of Spotify and iTunes by a decade or more.
Hence, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of radio’s death are greatly exaggerated.
Broadcast radio today reaches a staggering 99% of the Indian population. Rural India relies on it overwhelmingly for information. It also remains the most inexpensive and portable medium: A radio set can be purchased at ₹50, which makes it cheaper than a mobile phone or a television.
Audio programmes easily surmount barriers linked to literacy — allowing even the unlettered to comprehend and absorb news and information. The cost of content production is lower than that incurred on producing visuals — typically one-fifth to one-tenth of the latter. This allows cheaper broadcasting in a bewildering variety of languages, dialects and creative forms.
The technology, having existed for more than 100 years, is not rocket science either. It is now, in fact, possible for even laypersons to design and manufacture broadcast transmitters and receivers. It is not without reason that radio has been the medium of choice for activists and people’s movements. Further, listening to the morning news on radio remains one of most widely reported habits across the globe. The accessibility of radio and the economy of the medium have led to a proliferation of local radio stations that can cater to niche populations in limited geographies.
Community radio
Today, there are more than 180 community radio stations across India, broadcasting in languages like Bundelkhandi, Garhwali, Awadhi and Santhali — tongues that typically find little or no space on television.
Radio has also been the last man standing in times of calamity and disaster. During situations like the 2004 tsunami, and the 2013 Uttarakhand floods, radio played a stellar role in conveying information on relief work, aid and recovery efforts when other mediums became inaccessible.
Most importantly, radio personalises the experience of listeners, driving them to use their imagination while deciphering what’s unfolding.
“TV gives everyone an image, but radio gives birth to a million images in a million brains,” wrote the American author Margaret ‘Peggy’ Noonan. In an era that prioritises customised content, her lines provide the perfect summation of the immense flexibility and the continued relevance of the medium.
N. Ramakrishnan is a radio producer. He is the founder and director of Ideosync Media Combine, a not-for-profit organisation
NO | EKALAVYA BHATTACHARYA
Radio is dying. We are seeing the final run of the medium, catering to an ageing generation
Internet will, in the near future, replace the ancient technology of radio and all content forms associated with it. Radio does not even bear comparison with the enhanced interactive potential of the Internet.
Streaming platforms allow people to set up their own channels worldwide. The music battle has already been won by the Internet through apps such as Apple Music, Gaana and Saavn.