I turn on the FM radio in the morning on a daily basis to hear music while I am getting ready to go to school. And it never occurred to me that the AM radio even existed. I always thought it was boring and it only attracted adults due to the issues they discuss. But recently, after touring WNYC, I realized that there’s more to radio than just music. It opens up to a world filled with news and discussions on controversial issues.
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Being in the radio industry seems too complicated and a little overwhelming for me. Yet, it amazes me how radio hosts keep their composure while being On-Air and are able to run their interviews and discussions smoothly. It seems as though it’s one of the easiest jobs in the world, but in fact it really is the total opposite. I love how radio can attract listeners because it only takes two seconds for an individual to change the station but it takes two minutes to keep the listener listening. If a station can somehow bring its audience to continuously support them by being an active listener, they are doing something pretty extraordinary.
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WNYC seems to be a station that knows what they’re doing. I’ve never heard their shows before until the ones we previewed in class yesterday, but it did keep me interested, especially the one by Brian Lehrer. It’s kind of mind-blowing that as he is interviewing an important figure, so is the rest of the world. Everything and anything he says as well as the person being interviewed is broadcast live. People overlook the radio’s power to communicate information to the public while also engaging its audience. It has the same potential of being able to influence and impact others as a newspaper has; only it is more realistic because it is through an actual conversation.
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I applaud the radio stations who are giving New York a combination of opinionated individuals, breaking news, new music, etc. It takes a strong team with the drive to keep the shows coming. It also takes an immense amount of focus as the producers count down the seconds as if they were waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square on New Years Eve. I give them a lot of credit because, after touring, I see firsthand how it is both a difficult and rewarding job. This experience has opened my eyes as to what’s really outside the world that I have not yet discovered and how so many people are doing their tasks meticulously without complaining or procrastinating about it.
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