Tuning In

If the radio isn't on in the car, I go just a little bit crazy. Last winter, my radio was out in my precious car which made driving difficult. The drives weren't nearly as enjoyable until my sister and I decided we were going to be our own radio station and sing the songs ourselves. I'm sure no one would have wanted to listen to our show since we both would be classified as tone deaf.

There are so many reasons why I love to listen to the radio but the only time I listen to it is in the car. I listen to music as much as possibly but not from the radio, rather from my iPod. My iPod can go where every I go, can listen more easily to what I want and can avoid the commercials. In the car, I always have a variety of stations programmed so I'm always able to find one to fit my mood. I mostly listen to the radio for the music but, I also hear news stories through the radio. It is something to keep me entertained and focused, especially on my 4 1/2 hour drive home from school on the flat lifeless land of Northwestern Minnesota. I also love the radio because it introduces me to new artists, bands and songs that I otherwise probably would have never listened to. After hearing a song multiple times, I grow to love it. There are few songs that make me switch to a new station. Since I love most of what I hear on the radio, it is where about half of the songs on my iPod were first heard. It would take too much time and effort to search the internet, iTunes, myspace or a store of CDs to find the music that suites me.

I can also see some negatives with the radio. It can be classified as a gatekeeper, meaning it determines what the public hears and doesn't hear. They get to decide which news to mention, which songs to play, how many times to play it and they can also give their opinion on artists which could influence listeners negatively (or positively, depending). The songs that are played on the radio are the ones that become popular. Or it is vise-versa; they are only played if they are popular. But how would they gain popularity if they weren't on the radio in the first place? Another downfall to radio is the variety of stations. Here in Fargo, I have come to realize that 95% of the radio stations play country music (which I am not a fan of). This is frustrating for me because I do not have the music that I prefer available to me. I suppose if I grew up in the area of the nation I would automatically listen to country music and like it since it is in demand. Coming from the Twin Cities area, I am used to a more broad spectrum of stations like rap, hip-hop, pop, rock, top-40, and yes, even country.

The only change I would make to all radio stations is to reduce the amount of commercial time. It is then that I switch to a new station and if I like what I'm hearing I'll keep it there instead of switching back like I would for a TV show.

I wouldn't give up listening to the radio to though. It is a different type of media compared to film or TV where you have to be paying attention. Radio is nice just to have as background noise and it doesn't matter if you are actually listening or not. Music in general has such a powerful effect on people. Music and lyrics are a way for people to express themselves. Also, listening to the lyrics helps people through good and bad times. In bad times, when a song is found that relates to what a person is going through there is a sense of relief knowing someone else out there has gown through the same thing and made it out okay.

I personally love the radio. I am not sure what if I would be able to enjoy driving as much if it wasn't installed in every car. I guess my sister and I would perfect our singing skills.