The international perspective on a radio centenary

Keynotes

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  Prof. Huub Wijfjes

  The Dutch claim to radio centenary fame, an archeology of radio broadcasting

  In several places in the world a century of radio is celebrated between 2006 and 2023, but the original occasions differ. Most of the celebrations relate to technological breakthroughs, some focus on social practices of listening and time structuring, others on cultural norms and identities behind programming, again others are restricted to political and cultural policies on a national or international level. Efforts to determine who was the first is essentially a gimmick, but it raises important questions on the nature of radio and the way we should examine radio histories. One of these is radio archeology, a combination of technological, social, cultural and political historical research. Its aim is to dig out the materiality of radio and radio broadcasting as the result of different technological developments, social (listening and time structuring) practices and cultural (programmatic) norms. Everywhere this eventually resulted in what has become known as politically and culturally regulated radio broadcasting, but it differed according to specific local and national traditions. I will try to focus on the international differences, using the Dutch radio historical experience as an example.

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  Prof. Paddy Scannell

  The schedule and the  longue duree

  My presentation is about time, under three aspects: the times of the schedule, the times of longue duree, and the times of  histoire evenementielle. My topic is broadcasting, the institutional form of radio and television together for most of the last century. The essence of broadcasting is the schedule, as a distinctive order of time, which I propose to consider, borrowing concepts from Fernand Braudel and the Annales School of French historians who, for a while, thought of history as the longue duree on the one hand, and histoire evenementielle on the other. The long time span of the longue duree (for Braudel the time of history itself) and the short term time-span of histoire evenementielle, the times of the history of events, the life and times of the present. By linking the schedule as a temporal structure in the time of longue duree both to the present and the history of events, I hope to show how this ensemble defines broadcasting, both for radio and television.

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  Prof. Kate Lacey

  Routes for Research at the Turn of the Radio Century

  As radio broadcasting arrives at its rolling centenary around the world, what are the prospects for radio research? With a particular focus on the act of listening, this paper will revisit some of the roots of radio research to explore its lasting influence on the field of media and cultural studies, and try to chart some of the current trends and future challenges for radio research in the arts and humanities.

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  Prof. Morten Michelsen

  Changing Policies during a Century of Western European Music Radio

  Hanzo Idzerda’s first broadcast in November 1919 was a three-hour Soirée Musicale. It demonstrates that music was integral to broadcasting from day one. During the last century in Western European public broadcasting we can discern several major crossroads when the combination of radio and music articulated new societal concerns: First, early radio’s juxtaposition of diverse musical genres under one discursive regime in a sort of democratizing and nationally unifying move where different social groups obtained access to the music of other social groups. Second, the sometimes timid support of new genres like post-war avant-garde and rock music when they were introduced to national publics. Third, the acceptance of segmentation of the “unified” audience, first by channels with different profiles and later on by deregulation and music management systems, and then on to digital niche stations. And finally, how public service music radio in a digitized age is becoming reconfigured as a multi-modal, sound-based digital media reaching far beyond the FM band.

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  Prof. Michele Hilmes

  The Persistence of Radio: Throughlines

  Over the last 100 years, the medium we call “radio” established itself as the single most accessible and wide-ranging means of communication worldwide. While continuously changing and assuming new forms, a few key aspects remain that tie radio’s early history to its still-emergent transformation – and illustrate the deep impact that radio has made on world culture.  I invite you to explore with me the idea that radio itself persists and that its essential contributions – its throughlines – remain strong.  They are: 1)  Radio’s unique role as the first truly national medium, or “big radio.” 2)  Radio’s unique service to communities, or  “small radio.” 3)  Radio’s unique system of sonic practice, or soundwork.