Radio and the People

The 1920’s and 1930’s were molded by radio as we are by internet today. People craved this new and exciting alternative reality they got to experience several times a day. The reason the radio was so popular was due to the demand for it. When the audience you are trying to please is crawling at your feet begging you for more the last thing you want to do is disappoint. Regardless of technology or sponsors, without an audience demand, the radio, or anything for that matter, would crumble. Therefore, let’s dive into how and why the American public became zombies struck by the wave of the Radio Age.
As more and more of the public began to become “in tune” with the new means for entertainment, households started to demand more radio boxes and programs because so many family members and friends wanted to be a part of the action. The radio broadcasters realized they would have to appeal to all people based on gender, age, class, etc. This was also a great way for broadcasters to improve their ratings. More shows began to develop for different types of societies. So, when mom had her soap operas and Tiny Timmy had his superhero shows and dad listened to the news conflict began and people wanted more radio boxes and more shows. If the demand is increasing the supply must follow.
The demand, therefore, led to the evolution of more shows branching from just the wireless music. Also, as more people began to watch new technology had to be developed to keep up with the increasingly large numbers of listeners. As we saw in the film Radio Days, the entire family had programs they were interested in and followed daily. When many people were tuning in to action segments they realized adding more action segments would generate more money and please the majority as well. Now instead of one superhero you had a plethora to choose from and mimic his dangerous stunts.
The radio captivated the audiences all over the U.S. but more importantly to audience captivated the radio shows and made its success. Without consumers, in this case the listeners, if you are a supplier you will not make it. Therefore, I believe it is safe to say the audience demand is the most influential part of the Radio Era.