Posted on 28 August 2014

In a review of the fantastic Radiotopia podcast network, Bill McKibbon points out the (rather odd) absence of radio from virtually all media attention:

“[I]t annoys me how little attention gets paid these programs. The Times reviews almost every movie that comes out (I enjoy reading their reviews of part 6 of some slasher series) and even though I’ve never seen Breaking Bad I can tell you pretty much everything about it because of the number of stories I’ve read. Radio not so much—the people who make it do so without much public feedback about what’s working and what isn’t.”

It’s a good point. I’m not saying play-by-play announcements every day about what happened on-air, but aside from losing funding, it’s as if CBC- let alone any other radio stations- don’t even exist in the physical and digital pages of this country’s papers (and most of the coverage there is about what should or shouldn’t be done about the television side of things, with only a line or two acknowledging radio).
A few years ago, I remember reading that one of the British newspapers was coming under fire for combining its radio and TV sections into one, and my mind was blown that radio got any coverage at all, let alone had its own section. Even now, the Guardian actually has a radio section online (the Telegraph has TV & Radio, but it’s mostly TV, so maybe it was them).
Anyways, it’s an interesting thought. Despite popular belief, people listen to radio in this country- in big numbers- and it’s curious that we’ll get coverage of virtually all other forms of media (concert reviews, amateur play previews, video game breakdowns, and yes, slasher films) while the thing thousands of people across the country start their day with goes by unnoticed.

Filed under: links, radio