Abstract

Since the rise of television, much radio consists of 'capsule' news and music formats which are heard as background to other activities. However the medium offers a great deal more. This collection of essays shows how in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and the South Pacific, radio continues to provide distinctive forms of content for the individual listener, yet also enables ethnic and cultural groups to maintain their sense of identity. Ranging from radio among the primordial communities to digital broadcasting and the internet, these essays suggest that the benefits and gratifications which radio confers remain unique and irreplaceable in this multi-media age.

Andrew Crisell is Professor of Broadcasting Studies at the University of Sunderland. He is the author of Understanding Radio (2nd edition 1994) and An Introductory History of British Broadcasting (2nd edition 2002).

“The editor freely admits the book is a snapshot, a ‘spread of impressions’, but the range of approaches and insights are its strength…these rich, varied and reflective, if not obviously connected, articles add to fascinating discussion of how we listen, what we got out of it and just what it is that makes radio, radio.” - The Radio Journal