Kline 4
history of radio: http://pammack.sites.clemson.edu/lec122sts/radio.html
reformers promoted the radio as bringing the culture of the
city to rural areas
the radio brought useful information--crop prices and weather
reports early in the morning
reception was better at night
in the late 1920s listening time in Wisconsin was 3-4 hours a
week
battery powered radios
- helpful to farmers who don't have electricity
- cost of batteries is directly proportional to
how much you listen
- again there were clever rural solutions:
- hooking radio to car battery
- you could buy radios that recharged by
windmill
What did people listen to?
- Country Life movement thought radio would civilize the
farmers
- people in the country were less interested in becoming
more refined, more interested in traditional entertainment
- people in the city started listening to country music
Kline's questions:
1. what did the promoters claim?--radio would civilize rural
areas
2. was there resistance to the technology?--no, except cost
limited use
3. how did people use the technology?--they listened to what
they wanted, not uplifting programs
4. how did the technology change rural life?--entertainment