People Love Radio!

I believe that audience demand was probably the most influential in shaping the radio industry in the 1920’s. If a new product comes out and no one is interested in it, it's demolished soon after. Radio was a universal interest in the 1920's. If it wasn't for its popularity with the people, radio would not have been as successful as it is today.

There are new technological inventions begin created all the time. The radio helps the public stay up to date. Whether people are listening to news, music, or soap operas, they are still listening. In order for any product to be successful the public has to enjoy it. The radio played a crucial role in saving passengers and reporting news on the titanic disaster. This incident immediately attracted attention to the growing forms of technology, so much that the Radio Act of 1912 was created. According to our textbook Media Now, the Radio Act of 1912 began the regulation of airwaves and was the first licensed radio transmitters.

We have learned in previous chapters that media companies compete with each other to attract and capture their audiences.  Radio offered advertisers direct access to the homes of the public. As displayed in Radio Days, the family tunes in to the radio all day every day to listen to their favorite ads, shows, music, and news. To increase the size of the audience, advertisers now tend to turn stations toward entertaining programs. In the 1920’s advertisers were worried there was too much news and not enough entertainment taking place on the air, but because the radio was so new and popular with the people, they were enthusiastic about anything the radio industry aired.

This video gives a little more background on the history of radio. It gives evidence of the audience’s effects on radio by sharing that the first commercial radio station was not open until 1920, and 3 million radio sets were already purchased in America by 1922.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VroOv5FHwlk