The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

159 stations increased by very small amounts and only with aid of election advertisements (Mitchell Journalism.org ). Consider this: if radio needed help to improve earnings from election advertisements, it could be a problem for continued earnings in the future when elections are not taking place; which means losing buying power for new technology and improvement. The FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, created a task force in 2003 to explore the possibility that bigger network stations and satellite radio companies were encroaching on local radio stations and their ability to compete in a crowded market (Sauls and Greer 37). This is an issue because local radio plays an important role in communities. Aside from just giving the weather and traffic for local areas, the listenership does make connections with particular radio voices, which has shown positive and powerful impacts (Karpf 62). However, with network stations buying many smaller stations and radio frequencies and satellite radio drawing more listeners, local radio stations begin to lose their ability to make connections and lose the audience (Sauls and Greer 37). The hope is the FCC will provide some protection for radio and localism, but as of now is arguably failing to do so adequately. “With the FCC showing no indication of revisiting localism in any substantial form, it could very well be up to the radio industry itself to the take the lead” (Sauls and Greer 48). There is some danger for the radio industry, which must be considered when examining whether its relevancy as an industry is valid. There is always potential for growth in radio because radio was created through technology. Technology is connected to communication and they are bounded by science (Barboutis 156). The largest increases for radio have been in online and satellite radio (Mitchell Journalism.org ). Social media has become a factor in increasing radio presence, but radio stations could provide more outlets for social media use. “They need to push the envelope quite a bit more by letting listeners and fans of the station become an active partner in the conversation and in the content creation process whether on-air and especially on the web” (Rosales 256). The fact there is room for improvement should be testament for potential growth. This essay sought to explore the relevancy of radio in the modern media market by examining historical aspects that brought