Radio is the world’s oldest broadcast medium. It’s had a major impact on our politics: without it, the New Deal might not have happened. It’s still the world’s most-used mass communications medium. But, if you go by headlines, it’s been on the brink of death . . . for about 60 years. We speak to Matthew Lasar about the tenacious history of radio, and what the explosion of online audio platforms means for that medium, and for our politics.
Guests:
- Matthew Lasar, social historian who teaches at UC Santa Cruz, writes about media and politics for many venues, including Radio Survivor, and has authored two histories of KPFA. His new book is Radio 2.0: uploading the first broadcast system
Brian — I have a piece on the history of the “public interest” in radio regulation I’d like to send you a PDF of. I’m not on FB — can you post yr email or email me at ninethousandflowers AT hotmail dot com?