Project Number: 46-SYS-0101
Talk Radio and Its Impact on Society
An Interactive Qualifying Project Report:
Submitted to the Faculty
of the
WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree of Bachelor of Science
by ______Justin Butterfield
______Nicole Corriveau
______Shaun McGee Date: March 1, 2001
1. Radio 2. Radio Technology 3. Talk Shows Approved:
Professor Satya Shivkumar, Major Advisor
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction pg. 2
Objectives pg. 4
Reasons for listening to talk shows pg. 5
Procedures pg. 6
2. Evolution of Talk Radio pg. 7
Invention of Radio pg. 7
Evolution of Radio pg. 10
Impact of Technology pg. 12
Study of Internet Radio Listening pg. 16
Definition of Talk Radio pg. 24
3. Observed Talk Shows pg. 29
Car Talk Analysis pg. 30
Imus in the Morning pg. 37
The Connection pg. 38
The Big Show pg. 40
Dr. Laura pg. 41
Kim Komando pg. 43
Talk Radio Study pg. 44
4. Conclusion pg. 49
5. Appendix
1 Chapter 1: Introduction
Radio brought the way individuals communicate to a new light. As the Industrial Era grew, mass communication became necessary. Individuals could not receive news fast enough through newspapers, word of mouth, or town meetings. A new approach to how information was relayed to individuals was required. This new means of communication would come to be known as the radio.
The founding fathers of radio were consistent in their views of how radio would change the lives of individuals worldwide. Radio would be broadcast to every household that has a radio box nationwide. The demand for radio boxes grew exponentially as individuals realized the convenience of radio. Due to the availability of news and entertainment in the privacy of their own homes, intrigued individuals wanted more programs and more stations. The need for minimizing static resulted in the development of the FM bandwidth. Prior to the FM dial, AM was all that people knew. AM was capable of broadcasting over a wide area, however the quality was lost and programs were left with static. The static turned many people off to radio, including one of its founding fathers. FM made way for more stations and better quality in broadcasting.
One of the ways radio used to try to change the lives of their listeners was through the use of talk show radio programming. These shows were some of the first programs that provided education and entertainment. Many of the first talk shows were political shows designed to spark the moral or political values in the listeners, as well as to convince them that the way the host thinks is correct. Another form of talk show was entertainment, featuring hosts like Amos and
Andy, whose sole purpose was to entertain the general public. All of these talk shows have played an important part of the social and political development of society, either by providing
2 moral and political support or simply making people laugh about their situations. Talk shows became so important that they have transferred themselves from AM to FM radio over the course of years and through the changes of technology. Also the topics of talk radio shows have emerged in a broad sense to include a plethora of topics, entertainment, and information. The move away from a more conservative point of view has helped more talk radio shows grow to include anything from beer talk to sewing talk.
From this point on, technology would play a major role in the enhancement of radio and its impact on society. Radio stayed popular contrary to predictions of television overpowering radio’s efficacy. The role that technology played had to be significant enough to keep up with advances in other areas of communication technology. Though television, improved means of travel, and the Internet have made communication easier through the years, radio is now and will continue to be a major player in the world of communication as long as its accessibility is just as convenient as any other.
3 Objectives
· To examine the evolution of radio
· To examine the historical development of talk radio
· To develop a definition of “talk radio”
· To examine the evolution of talk radio from a primarily conservative institution to being
accepted by the main stream media
· To examine the potential political and social impact of talk radio
· To examine the content, tone of discussion, and nature of listeners in observed talk shows
· To examine the topics of discussion in national and local talk shows
· To forecast the future of talk radio
· To examine past effects of technology on talk radio
· To forecast future impacts of technology on talk radio
· To examine the role of the internet and its technological impact on talk radio
4 Procedures:
The first step in beginning the Talk Radio and Society IQP was to select the six talk shows to be monitored. The selections were based on interesting listener bases and preconceptions of the current members of the group. A common system of surveying the criteria was developed and used by all of the members. Another process for collecting information was conducting interviews with local members in the radio communities. During the same time data was collected from books, the FCC, the Internet, and other sources as to how radio developed and what impact it had on the American Culture. After collecting all of the data, it was compiled, analyzed and placed into both the paper and the interactive compact disk.
5 The reason for listening to the designated talk shows
· To examine the listener base
· To determine if common preconceptions about talk radio are correct
· To examine the distribution of callers
· To examine the attitude of the shows and determine if it is stable
· To monitor the tone of the shows
· To monitor the content of the shows
· To monitor the nature of listeners in the shows
· To monitor the types of shows that are being broadcast
6 Chapter 2: Evolution of Talk Radio
Invention of Radio The history of radio is a segment of history that is full of magnificent discoveries, as well
as some th
eavesdropper.” Radio was designed to entertain, educate, anger, and delight Americans of every
kind, age, and class. “Radio made America into a land of listeners, entertain
angering and delighting, and joining every age and class into a common culture (Lewis, 2).”
, a PBS Home Video, gives credit to three main developers, Dr. Lee De Forest,
Edward Armstrong, and David Sarnoff for the succe
invented the first spark transmitter with antenna at his home in Bologna, Italy, in December
1894.
Guglielmo Marconi, the true father or radio, brought his spark transmitter to Britain in
r the first British patent on the second of June of the same year. Marconi founded his first Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company in Britain in 1887 at the age of
-three. He then founded the first radio factory a year later. The founding of both establishments led to the founding of The American Marconi Company in 1899, which controlled the patents for the Lodge 1900 tuner and dial, and the Fleming 1904 valve that acted
his many consumers for the spark transmitters was the United States Navy, which used the transmitter for ship to- other point--point communication. These inventions set the basis for the three men that made
ociety in America from the 1920’s to the 1960’s. “Marconi was, it turned out, the first entrant and thereby the first leader—
7 race to control wireless communications. But he knew that the field would not remain his alone for long (Lewis, 37).”
Doctor Lee De Forest, the self-proclaimed father of radio, was given credit for the audion tube in 1906, however he may have stolen the design from Reginald Fessenden of Canada. The patent for the “spade detector” was issued to De Forest in 1906. The “spade detector” was the foundation for the De Forest Wireless Company, which showed and won first place at the St.
Lewis worlds fair for the product. De Forest even used his device to court his first wife, who divorced him soon after.
Edwin Armstrong was the second inventor to make major developments in the history of radio. Armstrong made several key inventions that allowed the radio to become a staple in the
American home. Armstrong was the son of a wealthy printer. He became interested in wireless at the age of thirteen. He attended Columbia University where he was known to question many basic assumptions of his professors. Armstrong was not like his peers in college who partied and played sports; he had a vision to be an inventor, which enveloped his heart, body, and soul.
“Instead he filled his days and nights with the study of wireless and directed his unswerving visions toward his career as an inventor (Lewis, 65).” On September 22, 1912 Armstrong discovered how to use De Forest’s audion tube so that he could increase the power to amplify the radio signal by looping the signal up to 20,000 times per second through a radio tube. He called this phenomenon “regeneration.” Armstrong also found that as he increased regeneration above a certain rate it would oscillate and produce its own radio waves. He had inadvertently invented a new type of transmitter. During World War I Armstrong went on to develop the superheterodyne circuit. The superheterodyne took a high frequency wave and a lower frequency wave and combined them together to form a new wave that would travel over a greater
8 distance. He was awarded a promotion to major in the Army Signal Corps. Armstrong’s last
major invention was Frequency Modulation Radio, or FM, whi
remove the amount of static in AM radio.
Armstrong had a career that was far from perfect. The rejections of his partner and the
constant thievery of his inventions by his competitors were extremely taxing. Dr. Lee De
sued Armstrong in 1915 for patent infringement on the basic regenerative circuit. This became
the longest lawsuit in radio history. However De Forest lost his case in 1921 and his appeal in
regeneration worked. Eventually De
th lawsuit in 1930 due to a technical interpretation
inventor at all.
David Sarnoff was a corporate executive during the 1920’s. Sarnoff was originally an immigrant
entered the country and began delivering newspapers in New York City until he became an
spending his spare time sending telegraphs. One day when Sarnoff was working in the office at the age of sixteen, Marconi e up Marconis’ personal delivery boy. When the Radio Corporation of America, or RCA, purchased American Marconi, Sarnoff became General Manager. According to Sarnoff “The
rought the radio to the front, and me.” This is because the Marconi Radio that was onboard the Titanic allowed the passengers that made it to the lifeboats to be saved by other
-eight
Marconi operator on the Carpathia, which enabled those in lifeboats to be rescued three and a
9 half hours later, saving them from certain death by exposure (Lewis, 105).” Armstrong and
Sarnoff worked together and became somewhat friendly. Sarnoff saw the commercial potential of Armstrong’s superheterodyne, which would become RCA’s biggest success. Sarnoff used the superheterodyne as a way to mass produce “radio music devices” and get them into every
American home, which was his goal as General Manager of RCA.
Evolution of Radio Radio broadcasting was also changing with the technology. In 1920 Pittsburgh station
KDKA began reporting the victory of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. KDKA was one of the first stations to start broadcasting continuously. By 1924 there were 1400 stations and 350 million dollars were spent for radio receivers. Sarnoff, in 1926, saw this time as the perfect opportunity to establish the National Broadcasting Company, or NBC. NBC linked together fifty radio stations in twenty-four states in 1927 to listen to the return of Charles Lindbergh from
Paris. This became the first radio network. “ In the week before Lindbergh’s arrival, stores reported brisk radio sales. There were approximately 6 million sets across the nation. An average of five people would listen to each, so the statisticians figured, for a total audience of 30 million (Lewis, 181).”
In 1930 Sarnoff was promoted to president of RCA and began his newest work:
Television. Working on direction from Sarnoff, Armstrong was then working to develop FM radio as a response to the large amount of static that made AM radio almost unintelligible. After creating FM radio, Sarnoff cut ties with Armstrong because the development would rival
Television. Another contributing factor to the ruined relationship between Armstrong and
Sarnoff was the fact that all of the AM radio receivers would now become obsolete. Armstrong went ahead with putting up his FM towers and even convinced the FCC to require that all of the
10 producers to pay royalties to Armstrong. Sarnoff, however, refused to pay and argued with the
FCC to change the frequency of FM broadcasting. He su thus made all of the transmitters and receivers for Armstrong’s FM radios worthless.
major radio networks. During 1926 the “red” and “blue” networks, of NBC, for the East Coast were established. Among the shows broadcast that year were several orchestras, Ben Bernie,
, and . started on NBC
the “orange” network for the West Coast. The longest
Amos and Andy Sam and Henry moved to NBC in 1928 where it stayed and continued running though the 1960’s. Another major
so established at about this same time. The Columbia Broadcasting System
news in 1955. Some of the original talk shows that could be heard on networks like the
Auction Bridge, Cook's Travelogue. were which began February 23, 1941,
Yours Truly Johnny Dollar nning in 1949, The
Dick Tracy The American School of the Air
1930 on CBS and was the first show to cause pioneers to think that radio could be a “an
ntry." Many of these shows and networks
of the largest television networks, however, their beginnings in radio allowed for the
s that entertained, enlightened, wowed, and amazed the
11 American public for four decades. As well as spinning off a host of characters and shows that are ever present even in the programming of today.
Impact of Technology Radio technology has changed rapidly since its invention by Marconi. For example, the idea of using personal computers to receive data streams across the Internet is a relatively new and creative way to get radio to the listeners. This technology, however, is in its infancy and has not yet had an opportunity to make the same impact as the audion tube, regeneration circuit, and frequency modulation or FM broadcasting.
The first invention to start the series of technological achievements that would lead to radio and television was the spark transmitter, developed in 1894. The idea behind the spark transmitter is that when a spark jumps a gap between two pieces of metal it gives off RF radiation, which can be picked up by a receiver. The key parts to a spark transmitter were an alternator, driven by an electric, gas, or oil motor, a key to apply the alternators output, a step up transformer giving between 10 and 20 kV, a spark gap, a capacitor which was to be discharged across the spark gap, an oscillation transformer that transferred energy to the aerial circuit, a tuning coil, and an aerial. The most prominent use for spark transmitter was a wireless telegraph. Since their invention in the 1890’s the spark transmitter has become illegal to operate in both the United States and the U.K. because a large area of the RF spectrum is eliminated.
The next major invention was that of the “Audion Tube” or triode as it is referred to today. Invented by Lee De Forest in 1906, the Audion tube was a thermionic grid-triode vacuum or electron tube that contained three electrodes. “De Forest’s most valuable resource lay in a small invention that Abraham White and his lawyers had deemed worthless, a new method of detecting wireless waves with a small incandescent electric lamp or tube which he called the
12 be done by the transistor. This invention was said to have made the radio a commercially
feasible product. Later on, the triode would be replaced by t -state transistor, which used
is that to produce 1000 watts of signal 4200 watts of power were required; where as the solid-
ires only 1800 watts of power to produce the same power signal.
One of the next most imported technological developments in the history of radio was the regenerating circuit. The concept of the regenerating circuit is based on looping a
20,000 times per second through the radio tube. This acts to amplify the signal. If the signal is
the tube to create its own radio waves.
Another important technological development, spearheaded by Armstrong in 1918, was
The greatest advantage of the superheterodyne
radio circuit over the Tuned Radio Frequency (TRF) design was the increase in sensitivity.
nd great radio discovery, the superheterodyne, the circuit that makes possible the
precise tuning of virtually every one of today’s radios and televisions (Lewis, 129).” Listeners
ould now hear them
well with even just a short antenna. More stations could be heard and they sounded clearer
superheterodyne was rather novel. Rather than attack the problem by improving tube
before amplifying it. This way, the amplifier could have a much higher gain using fewer tubes,
and without oscillation. It was als
13 kept constant for all received radio stations. The amplifier could then be designed to have the highest gain and work best for a narrow band around that one frequency. This would also allow the tonal quality of the radio to be improved, and remain more consistent in quality across the broadcast band. All of these desirable qualities are accomplished by the superheterodyne design.
This was accomplished by using the superheterodyne circuit to combine two waves of different frequencies, which in turn produces four different waves. Two of the waves are the exact same as the two combined, one which is the sum of the two waves and one that is the difference of the two waves. The latter wave is at a much lower frequency and can be amplified easier with the regenerative circuit. A local oscillator circuit inside the radio generates the other wave that is combined with the carrier wave. The oscillator works because as it is tuned, the frequency changes. Thus the difference between the two frequencies always remains the same.
Frequency modulation was also a major technological change in the history of radio. The development of this technology allowed for several things to occur. Frequency modulation, or
FM, radio was designed to remove the static, produce clearer sound over the full range of sound that can be heard by the human ear, and reduce the power need to broadcast over distances. The sound of Armstrong’s FM radio was distinctly clearer than the existing AM radios. Armstrong completed his first field test on June 9, 1934, sending an organ recital, via both AM and FM, from an RCA tower on top of the Empire State Building to the home of a trusted old friend on
Long Island. The FM organ came through loud and clear. The AM version had "hundreds of thousands times more static." He did other tests, at longer distances, during the "summer static" season. Not only did those experiments work. Armstrong proved that the signal did not fade at the perimeter as AM’s did. FM’s range of sound was three times better than AM. Listeners could reportedly distinguish the on-air differences between the whine of a ripsaw and the huff of
14 a crosscut. Furthermore, FM delivered sounds that spanned the full range of
the deep rumble of a kettledrum to the delicate keening of a flute, spanning a range between 50
and 15,000 cycles. At best, AM delivered 5,000 cycles. “On November 19, before a delegation
nsmitter at the Empire State simultaneously sent
out programs from both NBC’s red and blue networks, a telegraph message, and a facsimile of
New York Times, on a FM carrier wave (Lewis, 259).”
Some of the newest technology that is being used in the radio industry today is modern
towers. The newest way of transmitting is via line of sight microwave transmitter dishes to the
transmitters
broadcasting of radio programs. WTKK in Boston, Massachusetts uses digital computer techn broadcast from the station. WTKK uses IDSN Internet feeds from remote locations as well as to send broadcasts from their studios to other locations. The old remote setups with a telescopic mast are seldom used. They have been replaced with IDSN lines instead.
Another major piece of technology that is used by WTKK is the “AudioVault” which is a series
vertisements as well as numerous sound clips in digital format. In addition, all of the station’s shows are digitally archived in the “AudioVaults”.
burned by a standard personal computer. One area of new technology that WTKK is not
pursued this technology aggressively. Through partnerships with Microsoft and other Internet
service providers WOON is able to broadcast almost live. One interesting point about WOON is how the technology from the 1970’s works together in perfect unison with modern computers and Internet technology.
The future of radio technology does not look as bleak as some may believe. Television and the Internet have not, in fact, destroyed the listener base of this medium. It seems as though the future is bright for radio because of the plethora of new technological advancements.
Personal data devices such as cellular phones and PDA’s are all possible platforms for a new way to bring radio, and specifically talk radio, to today’s generation. In fact some of the technologies that will make using these devices practical for this purpose are already being developed. While the technology has been evolving constantly since the early 1900’s it is still continuing to improve and make radio a better experience for all those that listen.
Study of Internet Radio Listening
The Internet has brought to life various ways in which individuals can now communicate.
The impact that the Internet has on the lives of individuals solely is still not easily understood; however, the challenges and impact that the Internet poses on other means of mass communication have been widely studied. The Internet offers a convenience that other means of mass communication have yet to beat. Internet services are now able to combine, through the use of digital satellites, all means of mass communication, including the phone, television, radio, etc. Radio conveniences and the effects of the Internet on radio, are growing concerns for broadcasting stations. The stations need to take into consideration the needs and wants of the people in order to stay prominent competitors to the Internet’s threat of Internet radio broadcasting. The usage of Internet radio broadcasting may be the way for radio broadcasting stations to go due to the current challenges that they are faced with because of the Internet.
16 The Arbitron Internet Listening Study identifies the key challenges that radio is faced
brought to the surface. First, individuals who spend time on the Internet are spending less time listening to t -third of the American population is an on line Internet user and the number is growing significantly. “One fifth of those on-
Advancements in technology and programming will lead to more on- rship (The
Arbitron Internet Listening Study, Challenges for Radio, 1).”
Fig 1: Percentage of on-line Internet users
Fig 2: Percentage of Radio listeners who are On-line and not on-line
(Fig 1 and Fig 2 part of Arbitron Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media World, 1-2)
17 Of those who are on-line, thirteen percent admit to not listening to the radio as often because of the Internet. The Internet is not only taking away from people listening to the radio, it is also taking away from other activities such as watching television, spending time with family, reading, sleeping, and going out.
Fig 3: Activities that are lacking due to Internet usage (Fig 3 part of Arbitron Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media World, 3)
Another important factor to look at with (talk) radio and the Internet is that as the day progresses,
Internet usage increases, whereas radio listenership is most prominent during the morning to early afternoon hours. A benefit to listening to radio in the morning and surfing on-line later in the afternoon and evening, is that individuals will be prone to visit a radio station web site.
“Nearly 60% of Americans have heard radio stations talking about their web sites (The Arbitron
Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media World, 4).” About one out of four Internet users will actually go to a radio station’s web site when it is advertised over the radio. Most individuals go to look for products or services that may have been mentioned during the show as well as to find out the local community events being hosted. Otherwise, individuals may go to find out more on the hosts, guests, or show itself, to find out schedules on programming, to listen to the station, to enter a contest, etc.
18
Fig 4: On-line users that visit Radio Station Web Sites
Fig 5: Radio Listeners visit Web Sites for…. (Fig 4 and Fig 5 part o f Arbitron Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media, 3-5)
19
The second challenge that radio faces with the increasing use of Internet is that
Americans are drawn to the concept of digital satellite radio. One out of four Americans has expressed the interest in digital satellite radio. “Twenty-six percent of all Americans are very interested in direct-to-car digital satellite radio. When explained the concept of digital satellite radio, 26% say they are very interested and 30% say that they are somewhat interested (The
Arbitron Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media World, 12).” Digital satellite radio provides commercial free radio for a small price. Most individuals feel that the fee is a small price to pay in order to have radio free of the annoyance of commercials. Digital programming will allow for more specialized stations and programs to emerge. Also digital satellite program allows more room for variety because of the amazing availability of space. More programming can be fit on digital than can be fit on today’s radio waves.
Fig 6: Interest in Satellite-to-Car Digital Radio (Fig 6 part of Arbitron Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media World, 12)
20
The third challenge that radio is faced with is that of bandwidth limitations. Individuals are becoming less satisfied with local radio stations’ selections and programming. “Seventeen percent of Americans say that their local radio options do not serve radio their music tastes. A similar number say radio does not serve their news and information needs (The Arbitron Internet
Listening Study, Challenges for Radio, 1).” With the options of digital-satellite radio and
Internet broadcasting individuals will be able to pick and choose what they want to listen to, leaving a higher impact on regular broadcasting stations to either go to Internet broadcasting or go digital. More individuals are enjoying tuning in to a station on-line and the crowd is of the middle age and younger generation. The middle age generation is expanding and therefore usage of the Internet is likely to expand. “Fifty-seven percent of on-line users are aware that you can listen to radio stations on-line. Nineteen percent of on-line users have actually listened to radio on-line. This means that 6% of all Americans have listened to radio on-line (The Arbitron
Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media World, 9).”
Fig 7: Local Radio does not serve news and information needs for all
21
Fig 8: Internet Listeners are Enjoying the Experience
Fig 9: Age of Internet Listeners (Fig 8 and Fig 9 part of Arbitron Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media World, 5-14)
22
The fourth and final challenge that radio faces with upcoming Internet broadcasting is the limit of local radio stations. As in the third challenge, individuals are unsatisfied with the news and information that is being provided by their local stations and would prefer to listen to out-of- town stations or shows, syndicated shows. If given the choice, one-third of Americans would listen to the out-of-town radio market and Internet radio. Also, Internet radio is easier for individuals to listen to at work. Due to the difficulty of tuning in to a station from a work place, the option of Internet radio listening has started to grow. “Not surprisingly, 70% of all at-work
Internet listening is occurring by those people who are in an office with the availability of computers and Internet connections. While 41% of all employed Americans work in an office, seven out of 10 working Internet listeners are in the office (The Arbitron Internet Listening
Study, Radio New Media World, 13).”
Fig 10: Local Stations are becoming less popular (Fig 10 part of Arbitron Internet Listening Study, Radio New Media World, 11)
23
The previous challenges do provide opportunities for radio stations since the Internet is a
booming and prosperous form of communication. Radio stations need to start taking advantage
of the opportunity to web-broadcast, or webcast. Web casting allows for individuals to reach
your station no matter where they are located. “Web casting offers clear and static-free signals.
As Internet penetration in the workplace increases, so can at-work listenership (The Arbitron
Internet Listening Study, Challenges for Radio, 1).” Individuals have a favorite radio station and
they want to be able to listen to it, if that station is not broadcasting over the Internet they are
losing out on that time listeners are tuning in. With the world becoming more Internet savvy and
individuals demanding more conveniences, the possibilities for Webcasting are unending. Not
only will Webcasting bring more listeners to your station; it will also make your listeners a lot
happier and more appreciative of what your station has to offer (The Arbitron Internet Listening
Study).
Definition of Talk Radio
The birth of radio brought a whole new meaning to the lives of many people nationwide as well as globally. Individuals were better able to communicate with one another without the use of a telephone and without needing to be in the same room. Radio brought a new meaning to the term “mass communication”. The 1920’s brought the birth of commercial radio, as the world would come to know it. Talk shows were some of the first shows that were broadcast over the new commercial radios. These talk shows consisted mostly of round table discussions about politics, economics, agriculture, home care, and religion. The use of radio was becoming an every day event for those who had a radio box and for those who did not have one it was becoming a necessity.
24 The necessity for radio grew into a large demand and with that demand came the “golden age” of radio from the 1930’s to the 1950’s. Radio programs also grew with the demand and entertainment over the radio developed. Live news and comedy were widespread over the broadcasting stations as a family favorite. Broadcast news event coverage, commentary, and radio theatre, were also among the favorites that emerged due to the high demand for entertainment. Also, during this time period is when Franklin Delano Roosevelt would give his
“fireside talks”. These talks were addressed to the people of the United States; FDR wanted to talk to every citizen in the comfort of their own homes and radio allowed this. “Aside from the musical content of the programs (much of which was for atmosphere), most of what was heard on the radio was the spoken word (The Talk Radio Research Project, 6).” Talk shows at this stage were still only one-way, only those on the show were able to put in their views any additional views had to be either mailed in to the show or live guests.
With the invention of the seven-second delay, individuals were able to call into talk shows to voice their opinions. The delay allowed for a confidence factor in which individuals did not feel nervous because their response would not be broadcast until seven seconds after they had voiced their views. The opportunity of being able to put live callers on the air gave talk radio a whole different meaning. The listening audience would now become a participating audience bringing growth to the development of talk radio shows.
From 1960 to around 1987 talk radio was stagnant because of a high growth for music radio listenership. The same information was relayed to the same audiences listening to talk radio. A heritage of AM talk stations developed, however, all the stations were basically discussing the same topics with a devoted audience to the moderator of the show. Within this time period music radio began to flourish on the FM dial. “In 1978, FM music radio listenership
25 surpasses AM music radio leaving the AM dial in trouble and in need of something new (The
Talk Radio Research Project, 6).” The 80’s brought along newer technology such as the development of satellites and the digital telephone. The newer technology brought enhanced communication and opportunities began to grow for talk radio. The year 1986 brought the emanation of a new family of entrepreneurial talk radio shows. These talk shows were more conservative in their views, which led to much controversy because of laws prohibiting controversial subjects from being broadcast over radio. However in 1987, controversial issues were open to discussion with the revocation of the Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine did not allow controversial issues to be discussed over mass media communications; with the revocation of the doctrine doors were opened to opinionated controversial talk.
The variety of topics that could now be discussed opened the doors for more talk radio shows. Rush Limbaugh burst on the scene in 1988, bringing with him conservative, opinionated, and extremely controversial views. Some call Rush the patriarch of talk radio, as we know it now. The birth of this new form of talk radio revolved around controversial, conservative issues.
Most of the talk focused on political acts that could be highly criticized. Talk show hosts would collaborate on issues that seemed ridiculous such as the congressional pay raise that took place in
1989. Talk show hosts at this time staged a “tea bag” rebellion against this raise and from this rebellion the National Association of Talk Show Hosts was formed. Talk show hosts would now be able to meet and discuss the content they delivered, the tone of their shows, their listener base, and most importantly they could now fight back against government regulations.
Talk shows become more popular in 1990 after Rush has established himself and newer more daring talk shows emerged. Magazines, articles, and books were being printed to organize the thoughts of talk show hosts and document their views. In 1992 the nation was due for
26 another presidential election and talk radio was used as a major political force. At this time talk radio shows and hosts favored the conservative side giving the advantage to the Republican
Party. From this point on talk radio shows began to grow at an ever-increasing rate and in 1994 the President invited radio hosts to the White House to unveil health care plans (The Talk Radio
Research Project, 7).
Up until this time talk radio was only seen on the AM dial, however, in 1995 talk radio shows begin to integrate into the FM dial to include all audiences. Between 1995 and 1998 more controversial and eclectic talk show hosts emerge, such as Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Howard
Stern. The Telecommunications Bill helped promote the rise of more eclectic talk shows due to the Bill’s statement of allowing anyone to enter into the communications business. There could now be more potential for talk show hosts to bring out opinions and entertain the public. The
Bill brought much diversity to the talk radio show stage and more growth. With any subject open for the public to discuss, the Clinton sex scandal fired up the buzz around talk radio. Every host was adding their own opinion and views to the situation, which also allowed for the public to establish their own views and voice them over the air. This issue ignited the growth and impact of cable talk television and opened the doors for rumors backed by what was heard or discussed.
Talk radio has since come to a common ground where any topic can be discussed if the proper show is found. There are many shows out there that talk of a variety of subjects, where every day is something new. There are other shows out there that talk about the same topic day after day. All shows are based on some fact however each show is mostly ignited by opinion.
The diversity of talk radio is what will allow the shows to grow because with a changing
27 environment individuals want variety and an entertaining way to discuss the ways of the world.
Talk radio has displayed this in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
The variety of shows has grown throughout the years to include topics such as gardening, pets, computers, philosophy, cars, business, love, health, science, and even teeth. These are among a few of the hundreds of talk shows that are out there and available to the public on local, national, and on-line basis. The growth of stations also continues to rise as more individuals find their niche and share it with the public. Since talk radio’s boom in 1980, where there were merely seventy-five stations, there are now over one thousand three hundred and fifty stations nationwide.
Growth of Talk Radio Stations
1350 1400 1250 1200 1000 1000 800 750 500 600 350 400 125 200 200 75 100 0 1980 1985 1987 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1997 1998
Fig 11: Growth of Talk Radio Stations (Fig 11 part of The Talker Magazine Talk Radio Research Project, 5)
28 Chapter 3: Observed Talk Shows
In addition to investigating and researching talk radio, the members of this IQP closely followed six talk radio shows. The six talk radio shows: Car Talk, Imus in the Morning, The
Connection, The Big Show, Dr. Laura, and Kim Kamando, were evaluated on a daily or weekly basis depending on the show. Each member filled out the same evaluation form titled
Documentation for Talk Radio (see Appendix 1). The evaluation forms helped the members to track the general content, the distribution of callers, and the attitude of the shows (see Appendix
2). This information allowed the members to evaluate whether or not their preconception of the shows were correct, the general age of listeners based on who was calling in, and the stability of the shows based on the tone of the day. The information collected through the evaluation forms was then taken and compared with a study performed by Talkers Magazine, which polled the talk radio show listeners of the nation.
The shows that were monitored by the individuals of this IQP all had on-line access and web pages. The information from the shows could be found either through the web site of the show directly, through the web site of the broadcasting station, or through web sites made by listeners who document the show information. To get more specific about the shows the stability, attitude, and content of each show will be assessed. Car Talk offered the most information in regards to data analysis other than the evaluation forms. The main focus of the observed shows will turn to Car Talk’s radio program due to the wealth of information.
29 Car Talk Analysis Car Talk is a national talk show that answers caller’s questions on how to fix a problem
with their car. The show is extremely educational, but will periodically joke around. On the
evaluation forms all three members found Car Talk to be educational assigning the attitude of the
show a one (see Appendix for evaluation forms and chart) on a scale of one to five, where one is
purely educational and five is purely instigational. The distribution of callers was evaluated to
be approximately forty-eight percent female and fifty-two percent male. The show is very stable
in their attitude as well as tone. Most questions asked dealt with major automobile parts such as
the motor, radiator, and transmission. The show is light and airy, with often joking around,
however the callers’ questions are always addressed and answered to the best of the hosts’
abilities.
Car Talk Attitude of Show
2/18/01
2/11/01
2/4/01
1/28/01
1/21/01
Date 1/14/01
1/7/01
12/31/00
12/24/00
12/17/00
1 2 3 4 5
Educational Instigational
Fig 11: Car Talk Attitude of Show
30 Car Talk Distribution of Callers
2/18/01
2/11/01
2/4/01
1/28/01
1/21/01
Date 1/14/01
1/7/01
12/31/00
12/24/00
12/17/00
1 2 3 4 5 Mostly Male Mostly Female
Fig 12: Car Talk Distribution of Callers
The Car Talk radio program has been classified as one of the best talk programs for
National Public Radio since its premiere in the fall of 1987. Car Talk is a humorous, fast-paced
call-in radio program that deals with the topic of auto repair. Over the course of one week, three
million listeners hear Car Talk on over five hundred National Public Radio Stations and over
three hundred thousand listen over the Internet. The large audience is a major slice of the United
States population, which makes the analysis of demographics and psychographics very
important. The producers of Car Talk felt it was crucial to analyze various statistics about their
listener base including age, income, education, values and lifestyles, and public opinion.
In order to understand the listener base, statistical studies must be performed. The
information from each study is then used to target the market of listeners. The average age of the
callers, as evaluated through listening to Car Talk, was approximately forty years old. The
31 evaluated information agrees with Car Talk’s assessments, showing that most of their callers range from the age of forty-five to fifty-four. The average age of Car Talk listeners draws a connection to illustrate that most listeners are in the prime working period of their life. This data suggests that Car Talk appeals to mature adults in their peak productive years. Through comparing the Car Talk listeners to the U.S. adult population, it is found that eighteen to thirty- four years old listeners form sixteen percent of the listener base out of the thirty-five percent that forms the U.S. adult population. Next, listeners age thirty-five to forty-four years old form twenty-three percent of the listener base out of the twenty-two percent that forms the U.S. adult population. The greatest age of listeners is forty-five to fifty-four years old. These individuals form twenty-seven percent of the Car Talk listener base out of the sixteen percent that forms the
U.S. adult population. The listener base ages fifty-five to sixty-four makes up sixteen percent, out of the eleven percent that make up the U.S adult population. Listeners sixty-five years of age and older compose eighteen percent of the Car Talk listener base, drawn out of the sixteen percent of that age bracket of the U.S. adult population.
Demographics
100%
90% 16 18 65+ 80% 11 16 70% 55-64 16 60% 27 45-54 50% 22 40% 35-44
30% 23 18-34 20% 35 10% 16 0% USA Adults Car Talk Audience
Fig 13: Age Comparison between Car Talk Audience and Adults in the USA
32 Another appropriate factor to consider is the listener base educational level. The results of the analysis conducted by Car Talk exemplify that intelligent, highly educated professionals tune in to Car Talk. Those with advanced degrees comprise seven percent of the U.S. adult population and thirty-two percent of the Car Talk audience. Those with college degrees comprise fifteen percent of the U.S. adult population and thirty-six percent of the Car Talk audience.
Individuals with some college background comprise twenty-six percent of the U.S. adult population and twenty-two percent of the Car Talk audience. About fifty-two percent of the U.S. population has a grade school or high school education level where as only ten percent of the Car
Talk audience has a similar education level.
Educational Achievement
100% 7 90% 15 32 80% Advanced Degree
70% 26 College Degree 60% 50% 36 Some College 40%
30% Grade/High School 52 20% 22
10% 10 0% USA Adults Car Talk Audience
Fig 14: Education Level Comparison Between the Car Talk Audience and Adults in the USA
33
The income of the listeners is also an important aspect of determining who is listening to
Car Talk. The highest percentage of listeners, making up thirty-six percent of the listener base, is households making fifty to ninety nine thousand dollars a year. The second largest group of listeners comes from households making thirty to forty nine thousand dollars a year, at twenty- five percent of the listener base. Next are households making over one hundred thousand dollars a year, at nineteen percent of the listener base. Following behind are households making twenty to twenty nine thousand a year, at eleven percent, and households making less than twenty thousand a year, at nine percent.
Household Income
100% 8 90% 19 > $100k 80% 28 70% $50-99k 36 60% $30-49k 50% 25
40% $20-29k
30% 15 25 < $20k 20% 11 10% 24 9 0% USA Adults Car Talk Audience
Fig 15: Average Income Comparison Between Car Talk Audience and Adults in the USA The values and lifestyles of the people listening to Car Talk are also considered to be highly important. To study this information the producers of Car Talk use the VALS™ 2 developed by SRI. The VALS consumer segmentation system was built on the following three basic premises, first that a general segmentation is more effective than a product-specific
34 segmentation when analyzing a wide range of consumer products, media and activities. Second,
Demographics alone are practically and conceptually insufficient to model consumer behavior.
Third, Psychographics are powerful because they reveal the key attitudes that motivate behavior.
The VALS system makes explicit the link between psychological attributes and consumer choices, using two dimensions self-orientation and resources. The results indicate that Car Talk appeals to elite psychographics segments. Car Talk efficiently delivers, according to VALS(tm)
2, for Actualizes and Fulfilleds. Actualizers make up twelve percent of U.S. adults and forty-six of the Car Talk audience. Fulfilleds make up eleven percent of U.S. adults and thirty-two percent of the Car Talk audience. Believers make up seventeen percent of U.S. adults and three percent of the Car Talk audience. Achievers are fifteen percent of U.S. adults and seven percent of the Car Talk audience. Strivers are twelve percent of U.S. adults and five percent of the Car
Talk audience. Experiencers are thirteen percent of U.S. adults but only two percent of the Car
Talk audience. Makers are twelve percent of U.S. adults and four percent of the Car Talk audience. Strugglers are ten percent of U.S. adults and one percent of the Car Talk audience.
"Actualizers" are successful, sophisticated, active, take-charge people. Their purchases often reflect cultivated tastes for relatively upscale niche-oriented products. They are highly educated and earn the highest incomes of any segment. "Fulfilleds" are mature, satisfied, comfortable and reflective. They favor durability, functionality and value in products. Most are well educated and in or recently retired from professional occupations.
35 Values and Lifestyles
100% 12 90% Actualizer 80% 11 46 Fulfilled 70% 17 Believer
60% Achiever 15 50% Striver
Experiencer 40% 12 32 Maker 30% 13 Struggler 20% 3 12 7 10% 25 10 14 0% USA Adults Car Talk Audience
Fig 16: Difference in Behavior Styles Between USA Adults and the Car Talk Audience The analyzed data tells Car Talk exactly who is listening and why they listen to the show. The other important part of the analysis is reinforcing or destroying any preconceptions that are built from either listening or knowing about the topic of the show. The preconceptions that were first introduced were that the callers would be predominantly male as well as of a lower class in economic status and education level. The analysis evaluated from the evaluation forms and the Car Talk data has proven those preconceptions false. The caller base had significantly more female callers than expected. Also, an integral finding shows that most of the listeners to Car Talk are extremely well educated and in the upper to upper-middle class
America. Car Talk and shows like it are one of the main reasons that talk shows have continued to do well in society through a combination of humor, wit, and good advice.
36 Imus in the Morning Imus in the Morning is a national talk show that discusses current political issues. Most
of the talk is “junk” and tries to instigate the public into agreeing with the show’s opinion as well
as tone toward political issues. On the evaluation forms, each member found Imus in the
Morning to be extremely instigational in its attitude. The tone of the show was not very stable
either; the tone will change within each hour or topic change. Each member evaluated the show
and found it to be mostly a four or five (see Appendix for evaluation forms and chart), leaving
the show to be instigational. Secondly, Imus would choose the guests that would appear on each
show, so for the distribution of callers, Imus mostly picked males to give guest reviews. The
distribution of callers in this case would lean more towards mostly male on the evaluation form.
Imus in the Morning is humorous for individuals who enjoy politics and offer a conservative
point of view.
Imus in the Morning Attitude of Show
2/16/01 2/14/01 2/12/01 2/8/01 2/6/01 2/2/01 1/31/01 1/29/01 1/25/01 1/23/01 1/19/01 Date 1/17/01 1/15/01 1/11/01 1/9/01 1/5/01 1/3/01 12/22/00 12/20/00 12/18/00 1 2 3 4 5 Educational Instigational
Fig 17: Imus in the Morning Attitude of Show
37 Imus in the Morning Distribution of Callers
2/16/01 2/14/01 2/12/01 2/8/01 2/6/01 2/2/01 1/31/01 1/29/01 1/25/01 1/23/01 1/19/01 Date 1/17/01 1/15/01 1/11/01 1/9/01 1/5/01 1/3/01 12/22/00 12/20/00 12/18/00 1 2 3 4 5
Mostly Male Mostly Female
Fig 18: Imus in the Morning Distribution of Callers
The Connection
The Connection is a national talk show that discusses a variety of topics from politics to
book reviews, to jazz. The show is discussional and liberal in its views. On the evaluation forms
the members found that The Connection overall lies between educational and instigational (see
Appendix for evaluation forms and chart). Due to the opinionated talk and the discussional
atmosphere, it was difficult to distinguish the show as either educational or instigational.
Secondly, the members evaluated the distribution of callers to be a fifty-fifty split. Males and
females called in to discuss the topics as well as the topics dealt with both males and females.
The show is interesting because it offers an eclectic array of topics.
38 The Connection Attitude of Show
2/15/01 2/13/01 2/9/01 2/7/01 2/5/01 2/1/01 1/30/01 1/26/01 1/24/01
Date 1/22/01 1/18/01 1/16/01 1/12/01 1/10/01 1/8/01 12/22/00 12/20/00 12/18/00 1 2 3 4 5 Educational Instigational
Fig 19: The Connection Attitude of Show
The Connection Distribution of Listeners
2/15/01 2/13/01 2/9/01 2/7/01 2/5/01 2/1/01 1/30/01 1/26/01 1/24/01
Date 1/22/01 1/18/01 1/16/01 1/12/01 1/10/01 1/8/01 12/22/00 12/20/00 12/18/00 1 2 3 4 Mostly Male Mostly Female
Fig 20: The Connection Distribution of Callers
39 The Big Show The Big Show is a local talk show that discusses the local sports teams and their
successes and follies. The main focus is Boston sports and New England sports teams. The
show is mostly educational, giving sports tips, hints, and talking about the major sporting events
of the week. The members evaluated the show as a one to two (see Appendix for evaluation
forms and chart). Secondly, the distribution of callers was more male than female however the
split was not overwhelmingly male callers. There was a good distribution of topics discussed on
the various sporting events and team members. The tone was also humorous and light, leaving
the show to be entertaining and enjoyable to listen to.
The Big Show Attitude of Show
2/16/01 2/14/01 2/12/01 2/8/01 2/6/01 2/2/01 1/31/01 1/29/01 1/25/01 1/23/01 1/19/01 Date 1/17/01 1/15/01 1/11/01 1/9/01 1/5/01 1/3/01 12/22/00 12/20/00 12/18/00 1 2 3 4 Educational Instigational
Fig 210: The Big Show Attitude of Show
40
The Big Show Distribution of Callers
2/14/01
2/9/01
2/6/01
2/1/01
1/29/01
1/24/01
1/19/01 Date
1/16/01
1/11/01
1/8/01
1/3/01
12/21/00
12/18/00 1 2 3 4 5
Mostly Male Mostly Female
Fig 22: The Big Show Distribution of Callers
Dr. Laura
Dr. Laura is a national talk show that answers callers’ questions on personal issues
surrounding them or someone close to them. On the evaluation forms, the members found this
show to be more toward the instigational side of attitude, assigning the show mostly fours and
fives (see Appendix for evaluation forms and charts). The tone is hostile at times when the topic
gets heated on a subject that Dr. Laura does not agree with. Also, the show is highly opinionated
and the tone often changes depending on the caller and topic addressed. Secondly, the
distribution of callers is even between females and males overall.
41 Dr. Laura Attitude of Show
2/16/01 2/14/01 2/12/01 2/8/01 2/6/01 2/2/01 1/31/01 1/29/01 1/25/01 1/23/01 1/19/01 Date 1/17/01 1/15/01 1/11/01 1/9/01 1/5/01 1/3/01 12/22/00 12/20/00 12/18/00 1 2 3 4 5 Educational Instigational Fig 23: Dr. Laura Attitude of Show
Dr. Laura Distribution of Callers
2/16/01 2/14/01 2/12/01 2/8/01 2/6/01 2/2/01 1/31/01 1/29/01 1/25/01 1/23/01 1/19/01 Date 1/17/01 1/15/01 1/11/01 1/9/01 1/5/01 1/3/01 12/22/00 12/20/00 12/18/00 1 2 3 4 5 Mostly Male Mostly Female
Fig 24: Dr. Laura Distribution of Callers
42 Kim Kamando Kim Kamando is a national talk show that answers callers’ questions of various computer
problems or gives advice to callers in need. The attitude assigned to this show was that of
educational or a one on the scale of one to five (see Appendix for evaluation forms and chart).
The tone was stable and always informative. There is an occasional joke or lightness added into
the show to give it an airy tone. Secondly, the distribution of callers tended to lie around a fifty-
fifty split between males and females. Questions usually involved a problem with memory or the
CPU and were easily answered.
Kim Kamando Attitude of Show
2/17/01
2/10/01
2/3/01
1/27/01
1/20/01
Date 1/13/01
1/6/01
12/30/00
12/23/00
12/16/00
1 2 3 4 5 Educational Instigational
Fig 25: Kim Kamando Attitude of Show
43
Kim Kamando Distribution of Callers
2/17/01
2/10/01
2/3/01
1/27/01
1/20/01
Date 1/13/01
1/6/01
12/30/00
12/23/00
12/16/00
1 2 3 4 5 Mostly Male Mostly Female
Fig 26: Kim Kamando Distribution of Callers
Talk Radio Study
The evaluation of the observed shows proved that most talk radio callers (and/or
listeners) are middle aged and from a diversified background of education, social stature, and
political party. Though talk radio began its journey with more of a conservative point of view,
the mainstream media has accepted talk radio’s format and the result was a burgeoning of many
diversified shows. These many diversified shows brought about a mixture in the listener base
due to the availability of many different show topics.
44
Talkers Magazine completed a study of the talk radio audience through the years 1998,
1999, and 2000. The study observed the talk radio callers and listeners to find out the sex, age,
ethnicity, education, political party, and income, among many other topics. To validate the
findings of the observed talk show analysis, some of the key findings of the Talkers Magazine
study will be demonstrated.
The talk radio audience is found to be composed of a fair mix of males and females.
Talkers Magazine, for the years 1998, 1999, and 2000, found the male listener percentages to be
fifty-three, fifty-four, and fifty-two respectively, and the female listener percentages to be forty-
seven, forty-six, and forty-eight respectively. The same was the finding for the observed shows.
Sex of Listeners
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
Percentage 50% Female Male 40%
30%
20%
10%
0% 1998 1999 2000 Year
Fig 27: Sex of Talk Radio Listeners (Fig 27 part of the Talkers Magazine Talk Radio Research Project, Abridged)
45 The age of listeners is predominately middle-aged individuals lying between the age of forty-five to fifty-four. The same age was found to be the highest percentage in the Car Talk analysis. Through monitoring callers of the observed shows, the rough age of listeners was found to be forty to fifty years old. The year 2000 findings for Talkers Magazine study found forty-five to fifty-four to be the largest percentage at twenty-six percent, followed closely by thirty-five to forty-four at twenty-four percent and fifty-five to sixty-four at twenty-one percent.
Falling shortly after, individuals eighteen to thirty-four ring in at seventeen percent, twelve to seventeen and sixty-five or older at six percent.
2000 Age of Listeners 12--17 65+ 6% 55-64 6% 12--17 18-34 21% 18-34 17% 35-44 45-54 35-44 45-54 55-64 24% 26% 65+
Fig 28: Age of Talk Radio Listeners (Fig 28 part of the Talkers Magazine Talk Radio Research Project, Abridged)
Other important factors to look at include the ethnicity, education, political party, and income of the listeners. The highest percentages from these categories were: ethnicity—white at sixty-four percent, education—high school graduate at twenty-five percent, political party— independent at fifty percent, and income—fifty to sixty thousand dollars a year at nineteen percent.
46 2000 Ethnicity of Listeners
Asian Other White Hispanic 4% 4% Black 7% Hispanic Asian Other
Black 21% White 64%
Fig 29: Ethnicity of Talk Radio Listeners
2000 Education (18+)
Didn't finish H.S. 15% 4% 25% H.S. Grad 1 Yr. College 2 Yr. College 20% 3 Yr. College College Grad 9% 10% 17% Some Grad. School
Fig 30: Education of Talk Radio Listeners
47 2000 Political Party
Republican 3% 4% 19% Democrat Libertarian 14% Independent 50% 10% Other Reform
Fig 31: Political Party of Talk Radio Listeners
2000 Annual Household Income Under 20G 20-30G 30-40G 6% 5% 4% 4% 8% 40-50G 11% 16% 50-60G 60-70G 70-80G 14% 13% 80-90G 19% 90-100G 100G+
Fig 32: Annual Household Income of Talk Radio Listeners (Fig 29, Fig 30, Fig 31, and Fig 32 part of Talkers Magazine Talk Radio Research Project, Abridged)
48 Chapter 4: Conclusion
Radio, specifically talk radio, has played a major role in the development of the opinions of the American people. The advent of commercial radio and the beginnings of talk radio created a dramatic way of passing on the views of few to the ears of many. The release of federal control over the content of talk shows created the ability to talk about any controversial or interesting topic one wanted. It was widely feared that the birth of television meant the death of radio. However, radio, especially talk radio has managed to survive, and even thrive throughout the television era. Today’s radio talk shows continue to speak out about controversial issues and topics of interest. The radio talk shows observed in this project demonstrate that Americans in the prime of their lives enjoy and continue to listen to radio talk shows. The challenge for the next generation is to provide an easier way to get programs to the listeners. Some speculation on new technologies has provided theories on how this may be possible. Some of these include the use of cell telephones, personal digital assistants such as a
Palm Pilot, and other devices designed to allow the listener complete control over what they listen to and where. Talk radio is and has always been an integral part of American society. The form and content may change over the years but talk radio will always be with us.
49
Appendix
50 Documentation For Talk Radio
SURVEYOR Nicole• Shaun• Justin•
DATE ___/___/___
SHOW TIME ___:___ AM/PM
SHOW INFORMATION ______
GENERAL CONTENT (THEME): Educational/How to• Politics•
Home Care• Self-Help• Religion•
Other•______
DISTRIBUTION OF CALLERS: Mostly Male ••••• Mostly Female
ATTITUDE OF SHOW: Educational ••••• Instigational
CALL POINTS OF ORIGINATION: Local• National•
NOTES:
51 The following page is blank in the original document
IQP/MQP SCANNING PROJECT
George C. Gordon Library WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Car Talk
Date Show Time Surveyor General Content Distribution Attitude of Call Points of of Callers Show Origination 12/17/00 2:00 PM Justin Educational/How 3 1 National to 12/24/00 2:00 PM Justin Educational/How 3 1 National to 12/31/00 2:00 PM Justin Educational/How 2 1 National to 1/7/01 2:00 PM Justin Educational/How 3 1 National to 1/14/01 2:00 PM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 National to 1/21/01 2:00 PM Nicole Educational/How 3 1 National to 1/28/01 2:00 PM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 National to 2/4/01 2:00 PM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 National to 2/11/01 2:00 PM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 National to 2/18/01 2:00 PM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 National to
Imus in the Morning
12/18/00 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 12/19/00 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 12/20/00 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 3 5 National 12/21/00 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 12/22/00 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 1 4 National 1/2/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 3 5 National 1/3/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 1 5 National 1/4/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 1/5/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 4 National 1/8/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 1 4 National 1/9/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 4 National 1/10/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 1/11/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 1/12/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 1/15/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 1/16/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 1 4 National 1/17/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 1 4 National
53 1/18/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 2 5 National 1/19/01 6:30 AM Nicole Politics 3 4 National 1/22/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 2 4 National 1/23/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 3 5 National 1/24/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 3 4 National 1/25/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 3 5 National 1/26/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 3 5 National 1/29/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 3 5 National 1/30/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 3 5 National 1/31/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 3 5 National 2/1/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 1 5 National 2/2/01 6:30 AM Shaun Politics 2 5 National 2/5/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 2 5 National 2/6/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 2 4 National 2/7/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 1 4 National 2/8/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 1 4 National 2/9/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 2 4 National 2/12/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 2 5 National 2/13/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 2 4 National 2/14/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 1 4 National 2/15/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 2 4 National 2/16/01 6:30 AM Justin Politics 3 4 National
Dr. Laura
12/18/00 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 3 3 National 12/19/00 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 2 4 National 12/20/00 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 5 4 National 12/21/00 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 1 4 National 12/22/00 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 5 4 National 1/2/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 4 4 National 1/3/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 3 5 National 1/4/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 3 2 National 1/5/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 5 4 National 1/8/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 2 3 National 1/9/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 3 3 National 1/10/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 3 4 National 1/11/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 4 3 National 1/12/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 4 4 National 1/15/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 4 5 National 1/16/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 4 5 National 1/17/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 4 4 National 1/18/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 5 3 National 1/19/01 3:00 PM Shaun Self-Help 2 4 National
54 1/22/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 3 4 National 1/23/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 3 4 National 1/24/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 4 4 National 1/25/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 3 5 National 1/26/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 1 4 National 1/29/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 5 4 National 1/30/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 5 3 National 1/31/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 5 4 National 2/1/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 5 4 National 2/2/01 3:00 PM Justin Self-Help 4 4 National 2/5/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 3 5 National 2/6/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 2 4 National 2/7/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 4 2 National 2/8/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 5 3 National 2/9/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 2 3 National 2/12/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 1 3 National 2/13/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 5 2 National 2/14/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 4 5 National 2/15/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 3 3 National 2/16/01 3:00 PM Nicole Self-Help 2 4 National
Kim Kamando
12/16/00 10:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 National to 12/23/00 10:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 5 1 National to 12/30/00 10:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 2 1 National to 1/6/01 10:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 National to 1/13/01 10:00 AM Justin Educational/How 4 1 National to 1/20/01 10:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 1 National to 1/27/01 10:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 1 National to 2/3/01 10:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 National to 2/10/01 10:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 National to 2/17/01 10:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 4 1 National to
55
The Connection
12/18/00 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 2 4 National 12/19/00 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 3 3 National 12/20/00 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 5 3 National 12/21/00 10:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 National to 12/22/00 10:00 AM Nicole Other 2 2 National 1/5/01 10:00 AM Nicole Other 3 3 National 1/8/01 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 2 3 National 1/9/01 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 5 2 National 1/10/01 10:00 AM Nicole Other 1 3 National 1/11/01 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 1 4 National 1/12/01 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 5 4 National 1/15/01 10:00 AM Nicole Other 4 1 National 1/16/01 10:00 AM Nicole Other 2 2 National 1/17/01 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 3 3 National 1/18/01 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 5 4 National 1/19/01 10:00 AM Nicole Politics 2 4 National 1/22/01 10:00 AM Shaun Politics 1 2 National 1/23/01 10:00 AM Shaun Other 4 3 National 1/24/01 10:00 AM Shaun Politics 2 3 National 1/25/01 10:00 AM Shaun Other 3 1 National 1/26/01 10:00 AM Shaun Other 3 1 National 1/29/01 10:00 AM Shaun Politics 2 5 National 1/30/01 10:00 AM Shaun Other 3 2 National 1/31/01 10:00 AM Shaun Politics 5 4 National 2/1/01 10:00 AM Shaun Religion 4 2 National 2/2/01 10:00 AM Shaun Other 4 3 National 2/5/01 10:00 AM Justin Other 1 1 National 2/6/01 10:00 AM Justin Other 4 3 National 2/7/01 10:00 AM Justin Other 3 2 National 2/8/01 10:00 AM Justin Other 2 3 National 2/9/01 10:00 AM Justin Other 3 2 National 2/12/01 10:00 AM Justin Politics 3 4 National 2/13/01 10:00 AM Justin Other 2 3 National 2/14/01 10:00 AM Justin Other 5 2 National 2/15/01 10:00 AM Justin Other 1 3 National 2/16/01 10:00 AM Justin Religion 1 2 National
The Big Show
56 12/18/00 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 3 2 Local to 12/19/00 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 2 Local to 12/20/00 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 2 Local to 12/21/00 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 2 Local to 12/22/00 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 1 2 Local to 1/2/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 3 2 Local to 1/3/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 1 2 Local to 1/4/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 2 Local to 1/5/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 2 Local to 1/8/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 3 1 Local to 1/9/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 1 2 Local to 1/10/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/11/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 2 Local to 1/12/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/15/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/16/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/17/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/18/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 2 2 Local to 1/19/01 6:00 AM Justin Educational/How 1 2 Local to 1/22/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/23/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/24/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 1 1 Local to 1/25/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 1 2 Local to
57 1/26/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 3 1 Local to 1/29/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/30/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 Local to 1/31/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 1 2 Local to 2/1/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 Local to 2/2/01 6:00 AM Nicole Educational/How 2 1 Local to 2/5/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 2 1 Local to 2/6/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 Local to 2/7/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 1 1 Local to 2/8/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 1 1 Local to 2/9/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 2 1 Local to 2/12/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 2 1 Local to 2/13/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 Local to 2/14/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 Local to 2/15/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 3 1 Local to 2/16/01 6:00 AM Shaun Educational/How 1 1 Local to
58 Bibliography
Articles
1. Alter, Jonathan. “Toxic Speech.” Newsweek. May 8, 1995.
2. Cohen, Warren. “Radio Plays New Tricks.” U.S. News. January 17, 2000.
3. Crittenden, John. “Democratic Functions of the Open-Mike Radio Forum.” Public Opinion
Quarterly. Summer 1971: 200-202.
4. Fineman, Howard. “The Power of Talk.” Newsweek. February 8, 1993: 24-28.
5. Gantenbein, Douglas. “Movers and Shakers.” Business Week. December 22, 1999.
6. Moskowitz, Lisa. “Host radio talk shows on the Net.” January 12, 1999.
http://cgi.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9901/12/talkradio.idg/index.html.
7. Thibodeau, Patrick. “Masses won’t soon stream to PCs to watch TV.” July 29,1998.
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9807/29/pctv.idg/index.html.
8. Thompson, Maryann Jones. “Listeners are tuning in to Internet radio.” October 28, 1998.
http://cgi.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9810/28/netradio.idg/index.html.
9. Travers, Peter. “Talk Radio.” People. January 9, 1989.
10. Unknown. “Late Night Unplugged.” Newsweek. January 23, 1995.
Book References
1. Hutchby, Ian. Confrontation Talk: Arguments, Asymmetries, and Power on Talk Radio
(Everyday Communication). Lawrence Erlbaum, 1996.
2. Hutchings, William Gates. Radio on the Road…the Traveler’s Companion. Arrowhead
Publishers, 1998.
59 3. Lewis, Tom. Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio: The Men Who Made Radio.
HarperCollins Publishers, 1991.
4. Whitaker, Jerry C. Radio Frequency Transmission Systems: design and Operation. New
York: Intertext Publications. McGraw-Hill, 1991.
Studies
1. The Arbitron Internet Listening Study.
http://www.arbitron.com/studies/InternetListening.htm.
2. The Talk Radio Research Project (1999). Talkers Magazine.
http://www.talkers.com/talkaud/html.
Web Resources http://www.ipass.net/~whiteho/index.html http://www.old-time.com/golden_age/index.html http://www.rod.beavon.clara.net/spark.htm http://ishmael.nmh.northfield.ma.us/lee/deforest.html http://www.cinemedia.net/SFCV-RMIT-Annex/rnaughton/DE_FOREST_BIO.html http://www.exlink.com/~crash/parks/netbasic.html http://www.arbitron.com/studies/InternetListening.htm http://cgi.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9901/12/talkradio.idg/index.html http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9807/29/pctv.idg/index/html http://cgi.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9810/28/netradio.idg/index.html
60 http://www.radio.about.com/tvradio/radio/ http://www.backgroundbriefing.com/radio.html http://www.beertalkradio.com/ http://www.brian-wilson.com/stuff.html http://www.oldradio.com/current/bc_1sts.htm http://www.compbeat.com/othershows.htm http://www.radiospace.com/cool.htm http://www.wired.com/news/topstories/0,1287,2836,00.html http://radioshow.exis.net/ http://www.radioschool.com.au/web6e.htm http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/biology/lewis/crosby/bilboard.htm http://www.talkshowtshirt.com/images/mikeleft.jpg http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/radio/radio.html http://museum.media.org/radio/ http://www.talkers.com http://www.annenberg.nwu.edu/pubs/tabloids/default.htm http://www.radiotalk.org/misclinks.html http://www.radiotalk.org/ http://www.radiotalk.org/hutchings.html http://www.radiotalk.org/rendall.html http://www.radiotalk.org/history.html http://www.radiotalk.org/movies.html http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1988/12/330258.html
61 http://www.talkshows.about.com/tvradio/talkshows/library/weekly/topicsubhistory.htm http://www.albany.edu/talkinghistory/arch99july-december.html http://users.hfx.eastlink.ca/~amstereo/index.htm http://cartalk.cars.com/About/history.html http://www.ipass.net/~whitetho/ http://www.talkradionews.com/ http://www.wxyt.com/tips.html
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