Listen: Who listens to radio? How do they listen? And what makes us still have that desire to frequency modulate? From where I'm sitting (at a production desk at a public radio station), those are certainly pertinent questions. Let's explore.
The search for anecdotal evidence brought me to Marquette University and professor Linda Menck’s Digital Storytelling course, a class pushing the boundaries of media. Radio hasn't been cutting edge for about a century, which makes this an interesting setting to lob out these questions. Was I hoping for a format-thrashing? Here's what we found out:
Every once in awhile, I'll hear a debate about which audio format is best. Many hold there's a richness to that warm vinyl analog. Others adhere to CD quality and .wav files. I've even heard theories that Millennials have been coded to prefer low quality .mp3s. And despite all this (again, I'm totally biased), I hold audio sounds best when broadcasted over the air.