Radio as a Mass Medium

BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus
 Agenda

• Introduction
• Radio in India- Major Developments
• Radio Formats and Genres
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Writing for radio

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Introduction

Technically:
• 1823: Samuel Morse invented Telegraph, called Morse Code.
• Marconi experimented with Wireless Communication, invented RADIO.
• 1906: First broadcast in Canada by Dr Forest on 31st Dec 1906
Shift in the usage-
Wireless telegraphy- telecommunication- broadcasting system
First radio stations- in Pittsburg, New York and Chicago -1920
NBC formed in 1926
CBS- 1927
BBC- 1920

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Radio in India

• Amateur radio clubs in Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Lahore started

broadcasting in India- IBC in 1927
• Government run broadcasting set-up ISBS turned into AIR in 1936
• Underground Congress radio
• By 1947, it had 6 stations – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai & Lucknow-
commercial channels- Vividh Bharti and Yuvvani
• AIR transferred to the department of information and broadcasting 1946-
Prasar Bharti -1997
• 1977- FM (Frequency Modulation) was introduced
• FM (Frequency Modulation) revolution started in early 1990

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Radio Formats and Genres

Entertainment, Information, Commercials, Instruction/ education, Public

Service Announcements
Radio programmes are classified into-
• Spoken word programmes
• Music programmes
News bulletins
Newsreels
Documentaries/ Radio features
Radio plays
Radio talks
Music Programmes
Movie trailors
Quizzes

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Advantages

• A universal medium.
• It has greater audience reach.
• Least inflated medium.
• Radio needs relatively low infrastructure and overhead costs.
• News, programmes and advertising for radio need little
preparation.

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Disadvantages

• Creative limitation (absence of visual image)

• Fragmentation – due to large number of stations
• Limited listener attention

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Writing for Radio

• Be concise
• Play on the listener’s imagination
• Be written to read out aloud
• Be simple, clear and unambiguous
• Use linear style
• No. of words far fewer than print media
• Avoid sequence of words which are difficult to say
• Avoid cluttered sentences
• Use a personal one to one approach
• Maintain a rigid time-frame
• Adjust your writing to the mood of the day

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

THANK YOU

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus