Search Results

Discord, 1932–35

Simon J. Potter

in Broadcasting Empire: The BBC and the British World, 1922-1970

During the early 1930s, governments created more powerful public broadcasting authorities in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, including the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC), the ... More

During the early 1930s, governments created more powerful public broadcasting authorities in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, including the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC), the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), and the New Zealand Broadcasting Board (NZBB). In Canada, the Canadian Radio League (CRL) enlisted the help of the BBC to make the case for public broadcasting. However, the world economic depression hampered plans to develop broadcasting, both on a national basis in these countries, and on an imperial footing. The BBC's underfunded Empire Service did little to link up the British world, despite attempts to use sport and the monarchy to generate interest in its broadcasts. BBC recorded programmes or transcriptions similarly met with a mixed response, and the BBC for its part seemed unenthusiastic about taking reciprocal programmes from the dominions. BBC attempts to operate overseas on a rigorously public-service basis compounded its problemsLess

‘That Living Voice’: Gilbert Murray at the BBC

Mick Morris

in Gilbert Murray Reassessed: Hellenism, Theatre, and International Politics

This chapter explores Murray's long involvement with the medium of radio. His broadcasts ranged from classical drama to current affairs to memories of his youth; from translations to lectures to the ... More

This chapter explores Murray's long involvement with the medium of radio. His broadcasts ranged from classical drama to current affairs to memories of his youth; from translations to lectures to the Brains Trust, a programme which cemented his status as a public intellectual. The chapter includes a comprehensive listings of Murray's broadcasts, and of the subsequent publications in the Radio Times and Listener. His translations were broadcast on the Light and Home Services, and in the late 1940s, the new Third Programme added selections in the original Greek.Less

Attack by Radio

Asa Briggs

in The War of Words: The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom: Volume III

This chapter highlights the role of radio broadcasting in the success of Germany's blitzkrieg attack in western Europe. Many analysts attributed the success of the blitzkrieg to the success of the ... More

This chapter highlights the role of radio broadcasting in the success of Germany's blitzkrieg attack in western Europe. Many analysts attributed the success of the blitzkrieg to the success of the German broadcasting machine and in particular to the skilful tactics employed in the defeat of France. This chapter explains the reasons behind the success of Germany's radio propaganda including the role of radio broadcaster Paul Ferdonnet, called ‘the traitor of Stuttgart’.Less

Alternative Radio and the Internet

Chris Atton

in An Alternative Internet: Radical Media, Politics and Creativity

Radio as a contemporary public medium tends to be considered primarily in terms of its industrial and cultural arrangements. Radio broadcasting may be categorised into five types: public service ... More

Radio as a contemporary public medium tends to be considered primarily in terms of its industrial and cultural arrangements. Radio broadcasting may be categorised into five types: public service broadcasting, commercial radio, state radio, community (or micro) radio and pirate radio. The case study of Resonance FM in this chapter suggests a number of ways in which radical artistic production may be developed through alternative radio. Resonance FM is a UK station broadcasting to central London and began broadcasting in 1998 under the British government's Restricted Service Licence scheme (RSL). Resonance FM, in common with many radio stations (commercial, public service, state and alternative), has begun to employ the Internet to supplement its analogue or digital transmissions. This chapter explores radio on the Internet and the implication of the Internet for an analogue-based station such as Resonance. After discussing the features and characteristics of Internet radio, the chapter asks what happens to radio when it is transmitted through the Internet.Less

A Capitol Idea: Roxy and the Birth of Media Convergence (1922–1925)

Ross Melnick

in American Showman: Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel and the Birth of the Entertainment Industry, 1908-1935

During the postwar period, film exhibition ushered in larger orchestras, more elaborate stage shows, and a growing acceptance of foreign, documentary, and avant-garde films. It was also a period of ... More

During the postwar period, film exhibition ushered in larger orchestras, more elaborate stage shows, and a growing acceptance of foreign, documentary, and avant-garde films. It was also a period of great technological advancement—of new synchronous sound formats developed by Lee DeForest and Western Electric, and, through the use of some of those same patents, the development of sound amplification and wireless transmission. This chapter describes how Roxy harnessed his growing political and cultural might and a host of new technologies to become not only the most famous film exhibitor in the United States but one of the most famous entertainers in North America. Roxy, for instance, integrated radio at the Capitol in November 1922 by broadcasting the musical portions of the show that preceded or accompanied the short and feature films he exhibited. These broadcasts were considered “radio's first genuine hit,” and Roxy's initial shows were heard across the United States, well into Canada and Cuba, and on ships at sea that picked up the broadcast.Less

Near Defeat: Jazz Toward the “Final Victory” September 1942 to May 1945

Michael H. Kater

in Different Drummers: Jazz in the Culture of Nazi Germany

After the summer of 1942, the tide began to turn against the Nazi Reich. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was losing out in the North African war arena and, in Russia, the Wehrmacht suffered more ... More

After the summer of 1942, the tide began to turn against the Nazi Reich. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was losing out in the North African war arena and, in Russia, the Wehrmacht suffered more opprobrium. By May 1945, the denouement had been marked by three or four altogether disastrous developments. First, on February 3, 1943, Adolf Hitler had to concede defeat at Stalingrad. The Allied armies then landed on the Normandy coast during D-Day, the sixth of June. The Red Army entered Berlin in the last week of April 1945. On the eighth of May, a mere eight days after Hitler and Joseph Goebbels committed suicides, the government capitulated unconditionally. To a large extent, the fate of German jazz was tied up with these events. The most immediate phenomenon that increasingly affected jazz and dance music, as well as its resilient subculture, was the recurrent bombing raids, especially when they targeted Berlin.Less

Place and Music: Local Opera in Shanghai, 1912–49

Jonathan P. J. Stock

in Huju: Traditional Opera in Modern Shanghai

This chapter develops the historical consideration of Shanghai opera begun in Chapter 1, looking now at huju in mid-20th-century Shanghai. Other than the appearance of female performers, in the ... More

This chapter develops the historical consideration of Shanghai opera begun in Chapter 1, looking now at huju in mid-20th-century Shanghai. Other than the appearance of female performers, in the period from approximately 1920 to 1949, there was an expansion of troupes with a concomitant increase in specialization; the rise of new performance venues and media, most obviously recorded sound and radio broadcasting; the influence of other artistic forms, such as the spoken drama and film; and changing modes of musical learning. Distinctive schools of performance were created, several of which remain significant in terms of musical style today. Discussion of these factors is enclosed within an examination of musical place.Less

Broadcasting a nation: the BBC and national identity in Scotland

Thomas Hajkowski

in The BBC and National Identity in Britain, 1922-53

This chapter develops the arguments in the context of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, respectively. Scottish broadcasting was most self-confident and mature. From its inception, large number ... More

This chapter develops the arguments in the context of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, respectively. Scottish broadcasting was most self-confident and mature. From its inception, large number Scots staffed BBC Scotland. By comparison with the other regions, Scottish broadcasting was well funded and effectively led from the mid-1930s by its dynamic Programme Director, Andrew Stewart. Scottish broadcasting also strove to be effectively Scottish in content; it reflected politics, society and Scottish life, and in short, the culture of Scotland. One of the challenges of discussing the history of BBC Scotland and its role in constructing and reinforcing Scottishness is the paucity of historical work on radio broadcasting in Scotland. Moreover, periodic conflict with London highlights the history of Scottish broadcasting. Although in many ways the most accomplished of the BBC regions, Scottish broadcasters were also quick to take offense at perceived slights. A common complaint was the use of ‘English’ when ‘British’ would have been a more accurate adjective.Less

Live from Hitler’s Reich: Transmitting the Games and the Listener’s Experience

Michael J. Socolow

in Six Minutes in Berlin: Broadcast Spectacle and Rowing Gold at the Nazi Olympics

This chapter details the radio broadcasting of the Berlin Olympic Games. The opening ceremony broadcasts primed global audiences for two weeks of Olympic experience. For U.S. network radio ... More

This chapter details the radio broadcasting of the Berlin Olympic Games. The opening ceremony broadcasts primed global audiences for two weeks of Olympic experience. For U.S. network radio broadcasters, the opening of the games inaugurated a grueling work schedule. For two weeks, radio commentators covered live events daily while summarizing results nightly in résumé programs. The Olympic summaries served two functions: they provided results, and they promoted upcoming broadcasts. Radio manufacturers, retailers, CBS and NBC executives, and others in the industry hoped additional sports and global news programming in 1936 might enlarge the cumulative U.S. broadcast audience. NBC ultimately increased sports programming airtime by 34 percent in 1936 over 1935, with the Olympics and Olympic-themed programming the largest contribution to the increase. In turn, these programs created indelible memories in the minds of millions of U.S. listeners and listeners around the world.Less

‘The Power of Radio’: Radio and Social Change

Charlotte Bedford

in Making Waves Behind Bars: The Prison Radio Association

This chapter utilizes the Prison Radio Association's (PRA) core statement regarding ‘the power of radio’ as a starting point from which to explore the key ideas around radio as a socially and ... More

This chapter utilizes the Prison Radio Association's (PRA) core statement regarding ‘the power of radio’ as a starting point from which to explore the key ideas around radio as a socially and individually transformative medium in order to inform the understanding of how it came to be used in prison. The chapter outlines the shifting relationship between radio broadcasting and social change and argues that the evolution and establishment of radio within prisons is indicative of new opportunities for media activism, demonstrating the enduring social relevance and impact of radio. The chapter also places the development of National Prison Radio within a wider debate on the history and future of noncommercial broadcasting, based on the balance between governmental regulation and control on the one hand, and the countercultural opportunities it produces on the other.Less

Finding the Huayno People: Music Radio, DJ Talk, and the Shape of the Andean Public

Joshua Tucker

in Gentleman Troubadours and Andean Pop Stars: Huayno Music, Media Work, and Ethnic Imaginaries in Urban Peru

This chapter focuses on the radio, the main channel through which musical sound can be accessed and the key medium in promoting contemporary Ayacuchano huayno. It describes the role of radio ... More

This chapter focuses on the radio, the main channel through which musical sound can be accessed and the key medium in promoting contemporary Ayacuchano huayno. It describes the role of radio broadcasting in shaping the public image and listenership of Ayacuchano huayno, and examines the ways in which the radio DJ’s on-air performances, musical ideologies, and broadcasting patterns shape huayno’s public meanings.Less

Advertisers and Consumers, 1890–1930

Charles F. McGovern

in Sold American: Consumption and Citizenship, 1890-1945

Advertising is a thoroughly integrated tool of industrial capitalism, encouraging people to purchase a plethora of products to meet the material needs of their everyday lives. This chapter examines ... More

Advertising is a thoroughly integrated tool of industrial capitalism, encouraging people to purchase a plethora of products to meet the material needs of their everyday lives. This chapter examines advertising's role in inventing the modern consumer in crucial episodes. It describes their strategies in portraying women as consumers and their conquest of broadcast radio as an advertising medium.Less

Flying Solo: The Charms of the Radio Body

David Jene Mann

in Broadcasting Modernism

In Current of Music, his long-unpublished volume on radio broadcasting, Theodor Adorno describes the uncanny, animist power of the radio voice that terrifyingly infiltrates the listener's private ... More

In Current of Music, his long-unpublished volume on radio broadcasting, Theodor Adorno describes the uncanny, animist power of the radio voice that terrifyingly infiltrates the listener's private space. Writing sometime between 1938 and 1941, while serving as musical director for the Princeton Radio Research Project (PRRP), Adorno attributes to the radio broadcast the power not only to take over the body of the listener but also to give life to the material objects of the bourgeois home. This chapter also examines Charles Sheeler's “Self-Portrait” in the background when considering some of Adorno's responses to radio broadcasting. Adorno recognized the potentials and pitfalls of the broadcast medium in much the same way that Sheeler imagined the telephone.Less

Prospect and Retrospect

Asa Briggs

in The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom, Volume I: The Birth of Broadcasting

This chapter describes the key changes in the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1926. After the governors of the new corporation were announced, artists and speakers were advised to use the ... More

This chapter describes the key changes in the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1926. After the governors of the new corporation were announced, artists and speakers were advised to use the abbreviation BBC over the air to avoid mistakenly use the term company instead of corporation. J.W.C. Reith was appointed Director-General. This chapter highlights the accomplishments of BBC from 1922 to 1926 and its contribution to the development of radio broadcasting in Great Britain.Less

Gertrude Stein and the Radio

Sarah Wilson

in Broadcasting Modernism

Gertrude Stein returned to the United States in 1934, a year of fierce debate over the Federal Communications Act and the regulation of American radio. Her relationship with American newspapers ... More

Gertrude Stein returned to the United States in 1934, a year of fierce debate over the Federal Communications Act and the regulation of American radio. Her relationship with American newspapers predated her late romance with the radio. However, the radio in particular acted as a powerful formal model for Stein's late writing. Radio's influence can be traced in Stein's political and aesthetic strategies during her American tour, and it emerges as a dominant note in her World War II texts. Meanwhile, discussion programs of the 1930s were particularly provocative in their approach to audience participation. Not unlike Stein's writing, these programs attempted to reorient audience enjoyment away from the certainty of conventional knowing. Surprisingly, the marketing strategies of the major discussion programs trumpeted their cultivation of intellectual complication, something that most often associated with Stein's avant-gardism.Less

Radio

in Los Angeles in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City of Angels

This chapter describes the history of radio broadcasting in Los Angeles. Radio broadcasts are as popular in Los Angeles as elsewhere, perhaps more so. Most homes have radio sets, and the proportion ... More

This chapter describes the history of radio broadcasting in Los Angeles. Radio broadcasts are as popular in Los Angeles as elsewhere, perhaps more so. Most homes have radio sets, and the proportion of automobiles equipped with radios is also high. Radio's early history in Los Angeles was one of hit-and-miss, of trial and error—the identical experience of radio throughout the United States in the days of crystal sets and earphones. Radio broadcasting began in Los Angeles in 1922, when four stations were established. Three of them—KNX, KFI, and KHJ—dominated local broadcasting from the beginning and continue to do so today, each representing a major national chain.Less

Imagining an Affective Community in Asia: Japan’s Wartime Broadcasting and Voices of Inclusion

Ji Hee Jung

in The Affect of Difference: Representations of Race in East Asian Empire

This essay explores the role of radio broadcasting at the height of Japanese imperial expansion during the last phase of the Asia Pacific War. In an era when the growing demands of the war effort ... More

This essay explores the role of radio broadcasting at the height of Japanese imperial expansion during the last phase of the Asia Pacific War. In an era when the growing demands of the war effort forced the empire to make inclusionary gestures to its colonial subjects and the various ethnic groups in newly occupied territories, how did the technology and cultural practice of radio succeed or fail to evoke a sense of community? Wartime Japanese broadcasters knew that the awareness of simultaneous co-listeners did not automatically turn listeners into a community, which required the establishment of strong emotional ties. An analysis of radio scripts, broadcasting policy, NHK’s publications, listeners’ letters, memoirs, and newspaper articles reveals the various strategies adopted to evoke affective ties through radio: an intimate style of address, a passionate tone of announcement, and around-the-empire reports of events that invited reactions to wartime broadcasts from the multi-ethnic audiences.Less