(Source: CNN)
There are few more important inventions in the history of the world than the radio.
While in recent years it may have become less popular than television or the internet, it could be argued that the radio was the first electronic gadget to play a prominent part in people’s lives.
Radio is where the world first heard Britain declare war on Germany, where Orson Welles accidentally fooled the public into believing a real alien invasion was under way in his “War Of The Worlds” serial and where young people first heard Billy Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock,” spreading popular music around the world.
But it is not just an aural medium. Like all important pieces of technology, design has had an essential part to play in its evolution.[…]
Here in Australia, I would argue the radio IS more popular than the internet and even TV. Due to Australia’s large landmass and poor mobile connectivity being the norm rather than the exception, a lot of people driving in cars listen to radio. Add to that people listening at sports stadiums, and while out doing other things, as well as people listening at home, you have a lot of listeners.
AM radio in particular is still very popular in Australia, with almost all talk back occurring on AM in our major cities. We don’t have FM translators, we wish. For people in city buildings and apartments, DAB+ or online is better, but AM is still heavily used here.
Public transport is probably one of the key places where the internet is more popular, due to less mobile phones having FM radio chips enabled as well as reception issues. Here too though, poor reception/data can be a problem.
We have a lot of natural disasters in Australia, and between floods, bushfires and cyclones, radio is the only thing that works when you are in the thick of it. It is low powered and reliable.
When I was a kid in the sixties, we heard a lot about the Flying Doctor Service and School of the Air in Australia, both of which used shortwave. So yes, shortwave must have helped in the Outback.
Michael