How did that one song used to go? “video killed the radio star” Yeah! That’s it! It certainly seemed that way for a while. But lately I cannot help but to disagree. It is not that video killed the radio star, but that video forced the radio star to reinvent themselves! Talk radiohad to do something to set itself apart from television. It had to bring something to the table that was not offered by the TV set in your living room.
What they could do is talk about real issues, that aren’t always constricted by the politics and the advertisements. Then with the adoption of satellites as a viable mean to broadcast radio signals, combined with an increased ability to utilize streaming radio, the radio star all of a sudden had a microphone, an audience, and no restrictions on what he had to talk about, and no need to defend himself against parents and politicians demanding censorship.
Now with the rise of internet radio, the podium is open to all of those with a voice and an opinion to be heard. That is not to say that everybody is going to agree with you or even like you, but that doesn’t have to stop you from saying what you feel needs to be said. It also presents a stage for more varying viewpoints, and the grants the listener a more realistic representation of people’s opinions rather than what biased television media tries to get across as “public opinion.”
