Radio still relevant despite rise of internet media

The Retriever Weekly: The University of Maryland Student Newspaper By Imani Spence Assistant Technology Editor Updated: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 12:03 Radio has been in the American conscience for years. It has been used to receive important information and provide entertainment since about 1920, when the first licensed radio station was established in Pittsburgh. Radio was once an event within itself; people often gathered around a speaker. The original soap operas were only broadcasted through the radio before being televised. Today, traditional radios are not commonly used outside of the car; even inside a car, people may prefer to use their mp3 players or a CD for music. Radio has evolved from an important event to an alternate option. Yet, radio is still a strong medium. Most radio show hosts still connect to their audience in a different fashion: podcasts. Podcasts are files, either video or audio, that are meant to be downloaded to a portable device. Podcasts can include anything and are very easy to create. People “subscribe” to podcasts using iTunes or an RSS feed so they will be notified every time a new podcast is published. The joy of a podcast is that it can be heard by anyone with an internet connection, whereas traditional broadcasting was limited to whoever was in that particular region and was free at that particular time. Shows that are syndicated through National Public Radio can often be found in podcast form. This American Life, a show that focuses on average stories about the average American, posts a new podcast every week based on the show that was broadcast. The show is hosted by Ira Glass, who claims to have found a new fanbase because of his podcast. Young people have more access to portable devices than traditional AM/FM radios, and National Public Radio has utilized podcasts to expand to a younger audience. While some podcasts are based on radio shows, a lot of podcasts feature original content. More people are faithful to podcasts to which they choose to subscribe. The introduction of original content has created a broader scope than radio. Podcasts can be educational while also being entertaining. Many highly ranked universities post popular lectures in iTunes as podcasts. The ability for one person to create new content without the need for a public broadcast marks a shift in radio and the way media is consumed. Most “music-based” shows utilize streaming capabilities to reach a wider audience. Streaming allows listeners to listen at their own leisure if they are away from a radio. Most streaming services are able to host a fully functional station. UMBC's radio station, WMBC is an online-only station. To listen to a show, one must log onto the website or download the stream to their music manager. Utilizing an online stream has allowed the station to reach a wider community. Listeners do not have to be in the vicinity of UMBC to listen; they can listen from anywhere. The use of online media allows music hosts to even stream music that was played through streaming services like Spotify or even 8tracks. These capture the broadcast while still allowing the listener flexibility to listen whenever is best for them. Radio is an evolving medium. In a fast-paced world, flexibility and the popularity of podcasts and streaming services proves that radio as a medium is still relevant.