Radio is Your Grandaddy

By Jashel Negron
Blog Content Contributor

When you hear the word radio, you probably think of that thing that plays the same music on repeat for about a month, and has annoying breaks in between them with commercials that have the worst jingles ever. But if you ask someone older, they will probably say that the radio is how they got all of their news, and that us millennials now get on social media or TV. Ever since the dawn of time (1895), radio has been used as a source of communication, and before music took over the radio, AM was used quite frequently for this purpose.

Most people do not realize that radio was the start of a huge innovation of communication between mass media and the people. Radio brought family together in their living rooms to listen to the latest news, or to their favorite team win an amazing game. It brought people together and kept them on the edge of their seat. Without radio, we wouldn’t have even thought about making television! Radio inspired the direct line of information between the media and people, which sparked the innovation of television that allowed us to watch live broadcastings of news.

It is important to remember that radio still plays a vital role in communication, especially in areas of low-income and high illiteracy rates. Radio is an affordable way to get news out to people that don’t have access to the privileges that most of us do.

Radio is an incredibly important part of our history, which lately has been diminishing thanks to apps like Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music, which let you listen to the music you want to listen to without ads. I know listening to your own music is definitely what most people would rather listen to, but next time you get in your car maybe tune into your local radio station (KTSW 89.9 for the San Marcos area people) and listen to different music and your local news. You might be surprised at what you hear!

Featured image by Asia Daggs.