RADIO AS A

MASS MEDIUM
Mass Medium

 Radio is the transmission of signals by modulation

of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below
those of visible light. In electronics, modulation is
the process of varying one or more properties of
high frequency periodic waveform, called the
carrier signal, with respect to a modulating signal.
Mass Medium

 Radiois an attractive medium among the various

mass communication media because of its special
characteristics.
Characteristics of Radio

From its first tentative experiments and the early days of

wireless, radio has expanded in to an almost universal
medium of communication. It brings that world to those
who cannot read and helps maintain a contact for those
who cannot see.
Characteristics of Radio

 Radio makes pictures : It is a blind medium but one which

can stimulate the imagination so that as soon as a voice
comes out of the loudspeaker, the listener attempts to
visualize the source of the sound and to create in the
mind’s eye the owner of the voice.
Characteristics of Radio

 Radio speaks to millions: Radio is one of the mass

media. It covers every home, village, town, city and
country within the range of the transmitter.
 Radio speaks to the individual: Radio is much more a
personal thing; coming direct to the listener hence the
broadcaster must talk directly to the individual
maintaining personnel touch.
Characteristics of Radio

 The speed of radio: The medium is enormously flexible

and is often at its best in the totally immediate live
situation .No waiting for the press or the physical
distribution of newspapers or magazines.
 Radio has no boundaries: Books and magazines can be
stopped at national frontiers but radio is no territorial
limits. Radio can bring together those separated by
geography and nationality.
Characteristics of Radio

 Radio on demand: Radio on the internet has the great

advantage of not only being available live and now, but of
extending the life of previous programmes, news, and features
so they can be recalled on demand.
 The transient nature of radio: The transitory nature of the
medium means that the listener must not only hear the
programme at the time of broadcast, but must also understand it
then. The producer must present the ideas in clearly understood
language.
Characteristics of Radio

 Radio as a background: Radio is most often used as a

background. We perform different tasks eat etc with
music on, so it frequently results in a low level of
commitment on the part of the listener.
 Radio is selective: It is a linear medium, the selection
process takes place in the studio and the listener is
presented with a single thread of material.
Characteristics of Radio

 Radio lacks space: A newspaper may carry 30 or 40 columns of

news copy and a 10 minute radio bulletin is equivalent to a
mere column and a half.
 The simplicity of radio: The basic unit comprises of one
person with a microphone and recorder .This encourages
greater mobility and also makes it easier for the non-
professional to take part.
 Radio is a low cost medium: Relative to other media both its
capital cost and its running expenses are small.
Characteristics of Radio

 Radio for all : Because of its low cost and it doesn’t require the
education level literacy, radio is well suited to meet the needs of
the poor and disadvantaged.
 Radio teaches: Radio works particularly well in the world of
ideas, as a medium of education it excels with concepts as well
as facts.
 Radio has music: Radio plays a wider range of music. It gives
the listener a chance to discover new or unfamiliar forms of
music.
Characteristics of Radio
 Radio can surprise: Music and speech on radio is chosen for us,
it always presents something new, enjoyable and unexpected to
hold us.
 Radio can suffer from interference: While a newspaper or
magazine is normally received in exactly the form in which it is
published, radio has no such automatic guarantee.
 The personality of radio: A great advantage of aural medium
over print lies in the sound of the human voice; the warmth, the
compassion, the anger, the pain and the laughter.
Main advantages

 Radio technology available in all countries and can reach

mass audience cheaply.
 Receiversare inexpensive and available in the remotest
communities.
 Messages can be repeated at low cost.
 Easy to reach illiterate audience.
 Can be used to support other channels of communication.
Main advantages

 Efficientto announce events and development activities, and,

if properly used, can mobilize audience to participate in public
events and projects of value to the community.
 Itis flexible, and style can include drama, lectures folklore
songs, interviews and variety shows.
 Excellent in regular teaching and out-of-school
correspondence courses.
 Radio is effective in creating awareness and setting agenda of
priorities for people's attention.
Main disadvantages

 Radio is one –way channel.

 Complicated technical issues, difficult to illustrate.
 Audience reaction, participation or interest in messages
delivered, difficult to assess.
 Requires special skills and continuous training of radio
personnel