Popular Radio and Origins of Broadcasting - Assignment Example

Talk radio broadcasting is a format of radio presentation that contains the discussion of a particular topic or a range of issues. In most cases, a talk show will have the host or presenter introduce the topic of debate and either engage the audience to give their views on the subject or have a panel or group experts in that specific topic deliberate on the issue. It is important to note that there are several categories of radio talk shows, but for this assignment, this paper will critically analyse the progressive talk show and the conservative talk show.

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1. Describe the range of topics and the typical callers/participants on the shows. Also consider the pace of each play, the musical intros and outros (or conclusions), the tone and language style of the host and contributors, and other elements.

Mark Levin hosted the Conservative radio talk show discussed in this paper, and the show's title is The Mark Levin Show, a top-rated show on WABC. The major topics of discussion revolved around political issues relating to the United States, "silent coup." The argument is based on a program deduced from the media leaks that a rogue operation within our government was working to prevent, and then remove, a President of the United States! Levin is the only participant throughout the show. The duration of the show is 01:53:31, and he is not consistent with one topic. Instead, he draws from a different point of views that raise new issues linked to the major one. The show begins with a modern-pop instrumental, and a hype voice-over is praising Levin. These sound effects are used in taking breaks, resuming and also in concluding the show. The language used is not constrained, and from time to time the host would use cursing worlds, give his opinions in a commanding tone (Levin).

On the other hand, the progressive radio talk show discussed is the Progressive Commentary Hour hosted by Dr Gary Null. The primary theme of the show is "Re-evaluating the aids epidemic", and the guest is David Crow: the president of an aid organisation and the owner of "rethinkingaid.com" website. The guest has a background in journalism and aid management.

The show intro is a 1960s classical instrumental, and the show lasted 56.53 minutes. The presenter uses a calm mood and tone. The choice of language and style of communication is restrained, and the general feeling of the show is philosophical and educative (Null).

2. Analyse the similarities and differences of the shows. How does each program work to engage a listener? Are there patterns?

The conservative show has not been constrained in terms of language, presentation or mode as compared to the progressive show whose choice of communication has been carefully selected and the performance of ideas follows some sought of order. Also, the conservative show is more active and engages the listers through rhetorical questions, music, and multiple breaks. For the progressive, was more passive and much efforts were not invested in engaging the listeners. The conservative show was twice as long as the progressive show.

However, in both shows, they start with a musical intro and a musical extra. They also, defined topic to be discussed and the main theme springs other subtopics which are discussed.

3. Interpret each show's ultimate effect. Do the talk shows seem to be open to a wide range of topics and various points of view? Are the talk shows creating a democratic discussion, an entertaining sideshow, or both?

Both talks show to open a wide range of topics through which they evoke thoughts, discussions and a variety of different point of views from the listers. However, while the conservative had both the entertaining and spurred free debate, the progressive was flat, and the main effect was creating a democratic discussion. I found the progressive show to be boring for a person who is not literate or has limited knowledge on the theme of debate. However, for listeners knowledge in the discussion topic, several viewpoints were raised. For instance, the different views between the guest and the host.

4. Evaluate the role of talk radio in American democracy. Do both the NPR and commercial radio shows create a democratic forum for marginalised people and ideas?

Talk radio plays a significant role in the democracy in both practising and actualisation of the paradigm. For instance, both NPR and the commercial broadcast shows both create a liberal and democratic forum for the marginalised people and their ideas. For example, Gary's theme of the show was concerned with want the society can pick from the historical events in guiding them through the modern period, and this theme cuts across all groups including the marginalised. On the other hand, Levin discussion is based on the government conspiracies, and although the main focus is on the elite people, he goes further to discuss how the marginalised societies are affected. Thus, the radio not only entertains but is also a powerful tool of education and informing masses.

5. Engagement. If you were to become involved in talk radio, what format would you choose? Consider launching a talk show on your college station. What sort of innovations could you bring to the format?

My most preferred talk radio format would be the conservative format. The format is better engaging and is not constraints in terms of language, mood, tone or even topic of discussion. As a result, the presenter has enough freedom which makes it flexible to present sensitive information that may require different moods, emotions, intonation and language.

Some of the innovations that I would bring to conservative format is to reduce the program's duration to last relative shorter, approximately 45-60 minutes. Be more engaging in terms of audience participation through calls, twits and Facebook comments.

Works Cited

Levin, Mark. "Mark Levin Audio Rewind- 2/19/19." 2019. Streaming. <https://tunein.com/podcasts/Conservative-Talk/The-Mark-Levin-Show-p30095/>.

Null, Gary. "Progressive Talk." New York, 2019. Streaming. <https://tunein.com/podcasts/Progressive-Talk/Progressive-Commentary-Hour-p381725/?topicId=129319494>.