We the Audience Command the Radio!--Explaining Audience Demand

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Ever since the navy handed the radio over for public use after the war, it (radio) has been in constant flux. The radio went from being a naval communications system, to a news broadcaster, to advertising mogul, to what it is today: a medley of music, advertisement, news, and talk shows. So, why the change? Why did radio go from war communicator to colorful, boisterous entertainer?--Because audiences demanded it. In my opinion, audience demand is the leading force that shaped, and continues to shape, public radio and its content ever since its inception in 1920 because listeners become faithful audiences only when radio broadcasts content which is relevant or of interest to listeners' lives. In other words, tells people exactly what they want to hear.

Audience Demand is what people expect from, in this case, a media outlet of their choice. It reflects society's ever-changing interests and needs, and how they expect those to be met. For example, Austinites, in general, have a reputation for liking non-commercial music. As a consequence, local radio stations play music from different genres found outside the "mainstream". As a result, a large majority of Austinites are content with local radio stations because A) they play music that the Austin underground music scene demands/needs, and B) because the radio stations reflect Austin's indie/underground music community. Contrastingly, if Austin radio stations played ONLY mainstream pop music 24/7, the radio here would probably A) have significantly less listeners, less identification with the radio, and less audience loyalty, and B) there would be a large discrepancy between the radio content being played, and actual indie Austinite culture. In short, audience demand speaks of how media content is shaped by audience needs and interests, and how a media medium's success depends on whether and how well the media meets listeners' expectations.

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The book (Media Now. Straubhaar, LaRose, Davenport) mentions the development of radio and its impact on the 1920's. Surely, we've all heard of the "Roaring Twenties" but what made them so, well, roaring? According to www.1920-30.com, the 20's was "a boisterous period characterized by rapidly changing lifestyles, financial excess, and the fast pace of technological process". Precisely. Changing lifestyles, financial excess, and technological process are what determined the radio and its development in the following ways (examples based on Media Now book):




1. Rapidly Changing Lifestyles:

•  People were starting to grow more aware of worldly news through newspapers and such. Radio provided them with a better, faster, more direct way to attain information.
• The loss and devastation of WWI strengthened family bonding. Radio presented them with a recreational activity perfect for the whole family.
• Also in response to the war's sorrow, people turned to radio for escapism and all sorts of entertainment. 

2. Financial Excess:

• Financial excess meant that audiences could actually afford to spend money on the products advertised on radio. As people had more money, the radio provided and increasing amount of products for sale for every need.
• Financial excess also meant that people could afford to buy their own radios. That meant that the radio industry saw a significant increase in radio sales, thus and increase in audience loyalty.
• Financial excess allowed stores to buy more advertising time, thus creating a larger consumer audience and more income. 

3.  Fast Pace of Technological Process:

• The advancement of technology allowed radio to be transmitted directly to listeners' homes through consoles.
• After a few years, music could be recorded and thus played repeatedly on the radio, creating more musical "hits"
• Radio clarity increased with the introduction of FM radio.

There are a variety of other examples pertaining to each of these groups, other than those mentioned above. Through these examples we see how audiences in the 1920's shaped both the radio industry and its content. This Audience Demand influence continues today as times and cultures change. With these cultural and social changes come changes in interests and needs as well. In the 1920's there was a demand for Big Band music; today there is demand for Hip-Hop. The radio will continue to change as its content continues to adjust to address each time's specific expectations.