Along with television, it has been the most important mass media of the last century, achieving impressive power in terms of communicative influence; Millions of people around the world spent hours and hours next to their radio receivers to know the local and international news, or to entertain themselves with a musical program.
A close medium that informs and entertains large audiences
In the second decade of the 20th century, radio established itself as a mass medium, especially exploiting social communication, a situation that was simple and possible due to its intrinsic characteristics of being able to make accurate contact with large social groups.
From the beginning, it was proposed to communicate and bring large portions of the public to life throughout an endless territorial space, while the fact that they do not need high technology to transmit on their simple frequencies, such as being AM, is that It is a medium that does not demand a significant monetary investment, such as television, for example.
Exploit creativity and impose a halo of magic on broadcasts
This conjuncture demanded that this medium become especially creative through voices, music, and the creation of various climates, rather intimate, where listener and announcer establish a very close relationship despite not being face to face , but the magic of the radio achieves it as if they were.
Although there is no inventor of radio, the contributions of some scientists that led the way to its appearance are highlighted: Maxwell and his theory on electromagnetic waves, the discovery of radio waves by the German Hertz, and Nikola Tesla making the first radio transmission.
The challenge of staying current: how to do it
Although its presence and influence is still in force today, it cannot be ignored that compared to other new – and not so new – media that grew exponentially in this new century, such as television or digital media, the use of the radio decreased considerably.
The great challenge that it faces today has to do with not losing its presence in entertainment and information in the face of new digital media, and this will only be possible from the incorporation of new technologies and communication formats into its content. .
Make your way on the web through online transmissions that carry the radio with the possibility of incorporating image, which although it breaks a bit with the magic of yesteryear, it is still attractive for listeners to see their preferred presenters and broadcasters live .
On the other hand, venturing through mobile applications in everyday devices such as cell phones, tablets, and also proposing their own space in social networks , is something that many channels have done and do, allowing them to approach younger sectors that see radio as a medium of the last century.
