Lab 2 Instructions: Early Radio Shows

In Lab this week, we are going to sample a range of programs from the "golden era of network radio," including children's programs, adventure series, comedies, detective shows, and science fiction/horror series. A list of the programs we will hear will follow. As you listen to each selection, you should be trying to identify the salient features of radio as a storytelling medium. Here are some questions you might consider as you listen:

The opening of each program has to set the tone, establish the atmosphere, and introduce us to the characters and situations. Compare and contrast how different programs achieve these goals.

The basic building blocks of radio drama are the spoken voice, sound effects, and music. Consider the functions served by each of these materials in the selections you hear.

Each program establish some balance between telling and showing/performing the narrative action. What functions do narration and performance play in the selections?

One of the major challenges of radio drama is meaningfully defining the different characters so that we do not confuse them. The medium demands strong differentiation of voice and speech patterns. How do the various series respond to this challenge?

Radio must use sound to compensate for things we can not see. Look for moments in the broadcasts where our sense of sight is required. How do the broadcasters work around these problems? How do the series exploit the fact that we can't see? What compensates for our loss of sight?

Many of these broadcasts make reference to other media, especially film. How do they position themselves in relation to the Hollywood entertainment industry? How does radio represent its social role within the drama?

Many of these series are self-reflexive, that is, they acknowledge the fact that we are listening to a fictional broadcast. What are some of the devices they use to do so? Are some radio genres more self-reflexive than others? Is radio more or less self-reflexive than television?

Advertising enjoys a different relationship to the series in radio than has emerged in network television. Pay especial attention to commercials, where they are provided, and their relationship to the series they sponsor. To what degree do commitment to advertisers shape the fiction?

Old radio programs can be understood as documents which record the social history of bygone eras. What kinds of insights into genre relations or American politics emerge from the chosen episodes? Be attentive to the time frame when each is produced. How might these popular entertainments be seen as responding to the depression, the war, or other major turning points of the mid-20th century?

Radio, like television, is a domestic-based medium. What difference does it make that these broadcasts were intended to be consumed within the home?

Radio, like television, assumes a regular audience. What aspects of the programs exploit audience familiarity with the series? What devices are employed to make the program more accessible to first-time listeners?

These shows fall into genres, which, for the most part, are still found on television today. As you listen, look for similarities and differences in how the genres get treated in the two media.

mehopper@mit.edu