The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

157 described as the consoling power a radio voice has over the fears and frustrations of a listener. The voice can’t be seen, only heard. It is this fact that Karpf believes connects us so powerfully to radio, because it is similar to hearing our mother’s voice while in the womb (Karpf 63). As our bad feelings could be controlled by our mother at an early age, so can the radio voice contain our bad feelings as a listener. Though this power of radio can and has been misused, the listener does enjoy this connection and returns to it to hear more. Radio’s draw does come from content as well. Programs like sports, music, talk shows and news broadcasts are defining features of radio. Karpf suggests that even beyond the general connections like listening as a family or following a sports team the listener develops a sense of homeliness when accustomed to a particular radio voice. Other attractions for radio is the use of modern technology to promote connections to listeners. Modern radio is including mobile technology to encourage participation in programming, providing unique ways for listeners to connect with radio. A case study performed by Rey G. Rosales, which examined the way two different radio stations used mobile technology to encourage audience participation, showcases some ways that radio stations and listeners are connecting using various technology. Three distinct areas of participation were discovered by Rosales; social interaction, entertainment, and social contact and surveillance of the environment (255). Uses such as text alerts, social media, traditional call-ins, and website use were ways that audience members used mobile technology to participate in one or more of the three areas of participation (Rosales 255). Not only does a listener have an emotional connection with radio, but a continually growing physical connection through technology as well. This essay has explored some historical aspects of radio and certain emotional and technological connections radio has with its audience. The understanding of how a listenership develops and then stays with radio is necessary for exploring the relevancy of radio today. Since this has been accomplished, it is now appropriate to explore the question at hand: Is radio dead? “The percentage of people who listen to the AM/FM radio each week remained essentially unchanged in 2012, compared with figures from a decade earlier. In 2012, 92% of Americans age 15 or older listened to the radio at least weekly, essentially the same as it