CHARACTERISTICS OF RADIO

DISCLAIMER: The Article provided below is a compilation of information from various sources. The references to the sources are provided at the end of the article. The views and/or facts expressed below are in no way related to the compiler. The blogger or the compiler shall not have any responsibility on the credibility of the information provided. This is an effort to help students during COVID-19.

RADIO

Radio is an equipment/gadget which uses the technology of signalling and communicating through radio waves. The prime purpose of the radio is to convey information from one place to another through the intervening media (like air, space) without wires. It is one of the best communication tools that can deliver fresh music and up-to-date news. It might also be argued to be the one medium that benefits everyone as one does not have to be literate to engage with it. Similarly, Radio can add value to many if the right sources are used for information, education and entertainment.

Some of the common terms used in the medium of radio:

• Audience: The group of people whom radio or media reaches for a particular programme.
• Listener/s: A person or a group of people who form the target audience of radio programmes.
• Broadcaster: a person who presents or announces programmes over radio for the public.
• Broadcasting: any communication or transmission of any message or signal to the public through electronic apparatus.
• Tuning into radio: You have to switch on your radio and tune into the station you want to listen to.
• Live broadcast: It means a programme being broadcast directly without any pre-recording or the sounds made at the moment of broadcast.
• Pre-recorded programme: The programme recorded on magnetic tape, phonographic discs or compact disc for broadcasting it later.
• Script : The written copy of the words to be spoken during a radio programme.

1.   Radio makes pictures

Radio is a sightless or a viewless medium. In radio, either the performer or listener cannot see each other. Therefore, it is called blind medium. Since it is a blind or sightless medium, the performer as well as listener has to creatively imagine each other. So that as soon as voice comes out of the loudspeaker, the listener attempts to visualize what he hears and to create in the mind’s eye the owner of the voice.

    Unlike TV, where the pictures are limited by the size of the screen, radio’s picture can be of any size. The artistically integrated creation supported by appropriate sound effect and right music virtually brought any situation to listeners.

    For instance, Remember the example of the running commentary on radio of the Repubic Day Parade in Delhi? As you heard the commentary, you could visualize or ‘see’ in your mind what was being described. You could actively ‘see’ pictures in your mind of the parade even as you listened to the sounds of bands playing patriotic tunes or the sounds of marching and commands. You use your power of imagination as you follow the running commentary.

        2.   The speed of radio/ Medium of Immediacy

Radio is the fastest medium. It can report the event almost instantly, as they are happening. So it is the medium of the “here and now”. As things happen in a studio or outside, messages can be sent or broadcast. These messages can be picked up by anyone who has a radio set or receiver which is tuned into a radio station. If you have a television set and cable or satellite connection you may be using a remote to get your favourite channel. These days if you have a satellite connection, you can also receive radio signals of various AIR stations. Otherwise your normal radio set gives the meter or frequency on which various radio stations operate. You are tuned into that station and listen to news that happened a few minutes earlier. On the other hand, a newspaper gives you the previous days’ news. Of course television can also cover events instantly. But television is a more complex medium where it is more difficult to take the camera immediately to events as they are happening. But the radio is enormously flexible medium and is often at its best in the totally immediate live situation.

        3.   Simplicity of radio

Compared to all other media, radio is simple to use. As mentioned in the previous sections, radio needs very simple technology and  equipment.

For program production, radio is much cheaper and simpler medium. Its basic unit comprises just one person with tape recorder. For the broadcaster radio’s comparative simplicity means a flexibility in its scheduling. Programs can be shifted, dropped even at a short notice.

        4.    Radio is inexpensive and affordable.

As it is simple, it is also a cheaper medium. The cost of production is low and a small radio can be bought for as low a price as say fifty rupees. Thus, it is easily affordable for even the poorest sections of the society and hence has a wide range of usage.

        5.   Radio does not need electric power supply

You can listen to radio using dry battery cells even if you do not have electric power supply or a generator. So in a country like ours, where electricity has not reached everywhere, radio is a great blessing.    

        6.  A radio receiver is portable / Radio is a Mobile Medium

Don’t you move your radio set at home from the living room to the kitchen or as you go out somewhere? You can’t do that very easily with television. This facility of moving an object which is called ‘portability’ gives radio an advantage. These days if you have a car and a radio in it, you can listen to it as you drive or travel. Can you think of watching television, when you are driving?

But you can always have a radio in a car or wherever you want. Radio can accompany and entertain anywhere. One can have it at home, at picnic resort, while driving or at any other occasion.

        7.  Simple language and Reach of Illiterates

Unless you are literate, you can’t read a newspaper or read captions or text on television. But things are not at all same in the case of radio. For listening to radio, you need not be literate at all. You can listen to programmes or news in any language on the radio. Especially in developing countries, with its language being simple, live and direct, radio can have a huge reach among the illiterate and semi-literate people.

        8.  Rural connect: 

        For a majority of Indians in the rural areas, radio is the only source of news and entertainment. Radio news can be heard anywhere using an inexpensive receiver. Even the most economically backward sections can afford to use the medium of radio.

        9  Entertainment: 

   Radio is the best medium of entertainment. It provides healthy entertainment to the listeners.There is plenty of music of different types available to people. The popular types of music are classical, light classical, light, devotional, folk and film music.

    10    Radio speaks to individual/ an intimate medium

Unlike TV, where viewer is observing something coming out of the box over there, the sight and sound of radio are created within us, and can have greater impact and involvement. To the listener, it seems that as if the broadcaster is broadcasting for each listener individually.

11   Radio speaks to millions/ A Mass Medium

It is a much cheaper and easily available medium. It cost much less to set up a radio station as compared to a TV station. The very term broadcasting indicates a wide scattering of the output covering every home, village, town, city and country within the range of transmitter. Also it is totally free to air.

12  The Transient nature of radio

Broadcasting imposes a strict discipline of having to be there at the right time. The transitory nature also mean, besides hearing, listener also understand it at the time of broadcast.

13  Radio has no boundaries

Radio signals has no territorial limits. Its signal can clear mountain barriers and may cross ocean deeps. No geographical features can be an obstacle for the transmission of radio signal.

14  Radio as background

Radio is less demanding medium in that it permits to do other things also at the same time. Thus, radio runs in background and aids one in performing multitasking.

15  Radio is selective

Radio is a linear medium. The selection process takes place in the studio and the listener is presented with a single thread of material.

16  Radio lacks space

Radio has boundation of time and lack of space. It can allow less space to advertisement and personal announcements than paper.

17   The personality of radio

The great advantage of aural medium over print lies in the sound of human voice. A voice is capable of conveying much more than reporter’s speech.

18 Radio teaches

As a medium of education it excels with concept as well as facts. However, it lacks the ability to demonstrate and show (charts & graphs), but proved helpful for villagers.

19  Radio has music

The range of wide variety of music relaxes and stimulates including pleasure, excitement, or curiosity.

REFERENCES

1.      National Institute of Open Schooling

2.     Indian Media Studies

3.     https://www.slideshare.net/arzoosahni/ec-radio-characteristics-of-radio

4.    https://www.indianmediastudies.com/characteristics-of-radio/

5. https://www.mediaupdate.co.za/media/58602/3-characteristics-of-good-radio

6.  https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/engineering/electrical/radio/uses-of-radio-waves