Hello Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea.

The radio; a seemingly simple machine could be found in just about every home in America over the last 9 decades.  One would not think a radio could have such a profound effect up on a nation, I’m mean it’s just a box that makes noise, right?  In a sense yes, yes it is, and while it may have started out small with a few simple bible verses sent over the airwaves soon it would be a force that would tie communities and a nation together.

Back before the days of radio families would entertain themselves through books, games, or songs played on the piano, if one was lucky enough to have one. Maybe one would go into town to see a play or hear new music, but what of those who didn’t live near a big city? The radio was the item that brought culture into their homes.  A family could listen to dramatic or comedic broadcasts with the house band providing musical breaks and commercials were aired to tell the people what they needed to buy.  The programs were aired at certain times so you could assume everyone in your community was listening at the same time you were; there was a sense of belonging.  The entire nation was notified at once when news stories broke about what was going on in the war or if there was a speech from the president; you were tied to your fellow man through this shared modem of communication.

When TV entered into the mainstream many of the variety shows that aired had their basis in a formula used in the radio shows: the host introduced the stars, a skit was performed, a musical group was brought on and most certainly commercials were aired, usually by one show sponsor; Chock Full o’ Nuts anyone?  This formula is stilled used today for many of the nighttime programs like “The Tonight Show.”  

TV is a powerful competitor for radio, but radio continues to survive by providing non-stop entertainment, news, sports broadcasts and as mentioned in the article, “Radio Sports Talk and the Fantasies of Sports” it continues to tie a community together and give it a shared voice, a feeling of being part of something bigger.