RADIO
OPENER: The class did a crossword puzzle based on the Radio chapter of the textbook, then we checked answers
SHOW & TELL: I passed around a telegraph key, a copy of the Morse Code alphabet, a set to build a Crystal radio, an old tube radio, an old transistor radio, “Radio News” magazines from the 1930s, “Quiz Kids” radio game show items, and a radio script from “Amos ‘n Andy.”
LECTURETTE: I talked about the telegraph as the beginning of the electronic age of communications, and the impact that the invention of instantaneous over-a-distance communication had on society. We discussed the reasons radio was able to survive the widespread use of TV, since TV took radio’s programming and audience: (1) transistors (allowing for portability), (2) FM (allowing for higher quality sound) and (3) format radio (a consistent programming formula)
VIDEO: I talked about two controversial radio programs: “War of the Worlds” and later, “Amos ‘n Andy,” which featured white actors in “blackface,” and showed a video of a kinescope introducing the new black actors the show hired when it moved to TV.
DISCUSSION: We talked about the difference between shock radio and hate radio, and saw examples of radio programs in these categories featuring Pat Robertson/Al Moehler, Michael Savage, and JV & Elvis, followed by a clip of a protest over JV & Elvis’ show.
OVERHEAD: I showed ads for media-related items from a 1987 Sears Catalog, including stereoscopes, old cylinder record players, magic lanterns (slide projectors) and cameras.
IMPACT OF IMAGES
MOMENT OF IMPACT: We watched the first two segments from “Moment of Impact” (along with the WB questions on p. 34), a series about Pulitzer Prize winning photos and the impact the photos had on society. The segments we saw were:
- The Boston Fire (1976): A photojournalist captures the fall of a woman and child from a burning building. He speaks about his experience that day and how he felt about the picture he had taken. The publication of the photo inspired tighter fire laws.
- Johnny Bright (1951): In a football game between integrated Drake University and the segregated Oklahoma Aggies, Drake’s Johnny Bright was one of a few black men playing at a university that didn’t allow blacks to enroll. Two photojournalists captured the moment when an opposing football player deliberately and repeatedly punched Bright — an action most in the audience didn’t see because they were watching the ball. The published photos changed the rules of collegiate football, requiring players to wear face masks and suspending players involved in unfair game play.
QUIZ: Radio
