All of us know and understand that radio will never get outdated. Although new media came in, radio is still a favorite media for most people. One of the main reason is the radio is the only media that capable of fulfilling our ear and mouth satisfaction at the same time.
We listen to the radio DJ talking, and we are also able to send the respond such as song request, or sending our story to be broadcast on air. That is actually basic of what Internet media can provide with radio streaming and chatroom: listen and chat.
Listen and Chat as Communication Needs
Human being is created as social being. Therefore, we exercise our social needs through communication. There are numerous ways of communication which show complexity nature of human communication. We engage in a conversation with someone, we listen and chat, we read a book to understand its author’s idea and put them in writing, we listen to a music as a way musician communicate through music, we examine paintings, sculpture, and other art form to grab the message its artist conveyed. We have endless type of communication that makes us human being. Without communication, human being will not be able to exist or even go advance. Our needs to communicate makes us a human being as who we are.
Since the era of Internet, it has position itself as a new media that bring new perspective to human communication. Today, Internet has become essential media of communication, entertainment and social interaction. Internet is the only place in the world where users drive and control its system. Internet is the place where its technology and development was shaped by users, rather than big industries and capital, or governmental institution.
The Earliest Form of Listen and Chat
Radio and its impact that shaped global politics has also evolved along with Internet. In the World War II, radio was proven to be the most effective propaganda tools. One of the radio event that turned back the tide of war was in Battle of Britain of 1940 to 1941. Nazi German had controlled most European continents, and soon after France surrendered to Nazi German in June 1940, Nazi German aimed its target to Great Britain. Within July 940 until May 1941, an invasive attack was launched by Nazi to weakened Britain defense system. The battle was culminated in a huge raid of bombing stormed Britain, known as the Blitz.
With its air superiority, Nazi German seemed to gain its target and even continuously bombed London for days and nights. Situation was bleak, because when the air raid sirens was sounded, people should run for air shelters for protection. They did not know and comprehend what happened around them because they were in the bomb shelter for most of time.
In such situation, radio played an important role to become main source of information. Hence, early form of listen and chat for radio audience was constructed during the time. A radio announcer from CBS Europe stationed in London: Edward Murrow, was the one who covered the Blitz and reported where the bombing hit and its impact to the area. Its coverage has given the information throughout the world and the people of Britain about how the Nazi German had failed to weaken Britain’s defensive system. People listen and chat about the news reported by Murrow with their colleagues, and information was spread out. This is the earliest form of listen and chat for radio listener.
From then on, radio audience started to develop their new listen and chat communication system. The system evolved with the participation of radio audience in the broadcast, either by telephone or sending text message to radio station during a broadcast. Even in the Internet radio, this type of communication system also evolve with chatroom and group chat for radio audience. All of them are focused to enhance listen and chat communication system that had been used by radio audience for decades.
Why Radio Audience Like to Listen and Chat?
Unlike television broadcast, the absence of visual image in radio broadcast activate our imagination in describing the event. During the London bombing, people imagining the effect of the bombing when listening to Murrow’s broadcast. When they listened to a specific area mentioned, they would definitely try to contact someone they knew in that area to get more detailed information.
Prior to Internet radio era, radio audience love to share their stories with fellow audience. Radio announcer usually invited people to send their stories about a specific topic and selected story was read during broadcast. Sometimes the radio station opened their telephone line for audience to call and engage in a conversation during live broadcast.
This experience became more exciting because of the absence of visual image. So, we as human being utilize our imagination to its fullest in order to visualize the radio broadcast. Therefore, sharing information by telling stories and enhancing the information for visual depiction is the main reason why radio audience love to listen and chat.