Radical Radio

Industry was the driving force behind the rapid expansion and formation of radio in the 1920's, because it provided both a monetary and ideological incentive for the growth of the medium.

A technology can only go as far as men are willing to take it, and the best way to motivate an individual to pursue a new paradigm is through money. Industry provided the proverbial carrot that those individuals needed in order to foster and maintain the growth of the burgeoning new medium. The idea to create a new "mass audience radio" wherein a company or band could reach thousands of new listeners every day represented a new step in the evolution of media. The government realized the potential of placing radio into private hands, which is why control reverted to the private sector following World War I. Radio allowed for individuals living in rural areas or cramped urban quarters to be exposed to and learn about the surrounding world, be it the music of a different part of the country such as Mississippi Blues, or the way another group of people live such as the couple "Roger and Irene" in Radio Days.

Radio in the 20's provided a unique opportunity to advertisers; a war-weary country was desperately seeking for an escape from the horrors that it had just undergone. And so it came to be that various companies would go to advertising companies and create various series that were meant to both entertain and sell product. Radio Days provides another example, wherein the show "The Masked Avenger" fills the title character with such desire for a "Masked Avenger" ring that he steals from his Rabbi for the opportunity to acquire one. In addition to integrated advertising, radio shows would also tell listeners that a program was "provided by" a specific company or product, thus helping to ensure that their name was brought up as often as possible. Eventually, radio became so large that entire companies were created around the medium itself, such as CBS and NBC. These new companies would garner their money through the selling of ad space, akin to certain newspapers which allowed them to reach hundreds of thousands of listeners and accrue even more money in the process.