How Radios Became Popular and Their Effects on Society

   Radio had a very big effect on both society and journalism.  With the creation of radio, people had something to listen to and to do with their free time. Radio hosts could tell stories, talk about sports, or spread music. It also affected Journalism because now citizens could listen to events as they happened. This made a whole new section of journalism: broadcasting.

  In 1892, the radio was first made. Like any new invention, at first it was a luxury and not many people owned it. However, by 1923, radios were an item even boy scouts could make. Radios were so popular because people enjoyed listening to radio hosts telling stories and reporting on  news. Since radios were live, people were at the edge of their seats listening to it. One event in which live journalism was important was when there was a blimp about to land but instead it crashed. Radio allowed for there to be a live broadcast of the event.

  Another thing which was discussed was that since there are only so many frequencies that we can put radios on, companies have to compete to get themselves on the radio. Due to this finite resource, companies need to be approved by various organizations before they can officially be a station. However, the approval process is often very competitive, as there are other organizations who also want that spot.    

   In hindsight the invention of the radio was a benefit for society, not only economically but also socially. It helped with the spread of music and culture and also gave people news and current events to talk about. I feel like without radio we wouldn’t be as opinionated as we are because we would be stuck hearing the opinions of those closest to us. With radio, we could listen to a talk show and hear the host’s opinions. This could open our eyes to new views we hadn’t even thought of.
   In today's age, I feel like more people listen to radio for the music than the news. However, now that we have television and the internet as a news source, this isn't really as much of a problem.