Few would argue that television, with its dual audio and visual components, is the most capable form of media compared to radio, which only offers the former of these, except perhaps those who had no choice between the two during the years. early years. mid 20th century.
But as old-fashioned as it may sound today, radio itself was considered a technological advance back then. Until now, forced to obtain information and entertainment from printed materials such as books, newspapers and magazines, those who were introduced to the new device felt that it was the ultimate achievement. With the turn of a knob, they were able to connect with the world, bring it into their living rooms, and listen to, rather than read, whatever current programming was on offer, from sports to music to special events.
Although television later usurped the radio’s capabilities with pictures and sound, it initially offered poor quality and only served to enhance its artificial representation. The radio, on the other hand, hooked the listener, transforming him into an active part of the process.
Because it only offered sound and therefore did not provide visual cues, the listener needed to heighten his experience with imagination, which, paradoxically, was more vivid and authentic to him than the actual images could have been. Unable to enjoy a show if he remained in a passive mode, he was forced to engage in it, concentrating on conversation and music to imagine the people and events in his mind.
Initially more realistic than those received by primitive televisions, whose screens were tiny relative to the huge cabinets that housed their actual picture tubes, radio programs were considered more realistic and dramatic, providing what was called “theater of the mind. “.
Because television was still in its early stages of development during the 1950s and 1960s, and generally reflected stage sets, their creativity was limited, but radio writers faced few of these restrictions with their scripts, which it allowed them to happen anytime and anywhere. thing. Together with one or more narrators and the appropriate background music, those scripts guided the listener through the story and its events exactly the way they were intended, allowing them to imagine them unfolding in their mind, which, in essence, it became his own “personal television.” screen. “Consequently, this human-radio interface also earned this form of media the title” art of the imagination. “
Above all, radio allowed the person to connect with others and with numerous parts of the world, as if serving as a form of sensory travel. Although newspapers and periodicals brought the reader stories and events that had already occurred, radio provided this link as they occurred, transforming him from a passive participant to a virtually active participant.
When the reporter urgently said, “Here we are at the corner of Preston and Elliot streets across from Third National Bank, where the robbery is unfolding before our eyes,” the listener believed he was.
There was no limitation to the range of the air waves, whether they spread across the city or across the Atlantic. When Winston Churchill gave a speech at Buckingham Palace, for example, the listener often felt as if they were standing there with him and imagined Big Ben’s golden clock ringing behind his shoulder.
Radio, as perhaps the intermediate link between the printed page and the television screen, also demonstrated that there is a correlation between media technology and reader / listener / viewer participation. In fact, the more the former offered, the less active it became.
Deprived of any technology, newspapers and magazines only offered printed words and two-dimensional images, requiring the full participation of the participants to be effective. Through voices, sound and music, the radio subsequently allowed him to dispense with reading, but he intensified his need to listen, connecting him with the world and honing his mind’s ability to imagine and create. Finally, television, which offers both sound and pictures, replaced some of its sensory enhancement requirements, but reduced it to a largely passive viewer. Additional television advancements, such as those with three-dimensional and four-dimensional capabilities, further reduced his need to tap into his mind’s potential and created a virtual reality in which he was almost at the center of the experience.
While the answers as to which media can be considered superior vary by generation and the degree of technology to which they were introduced, those who had lived through the first half of the 20th century would surely vote for radio.
