Since the 1920's the radio industry has come a long way. There have been several factors that in their own way contributed to the progression of radio. Industries and institutional factors have played a major role in that and in my opinion have influenced and benefited radio the most. The idea of "entertainment supported by advertising" was a big hit that completely steered the direction of radio.
Industries and institutions basically benefited radio through advertising. Industries wanted to get their products known, they wanted to advertise them; and wanted to do that using the radio, which reached out to a lot of people. Putting their products on the the air came with a price, the fee was based on how much air time they used. Eventually this led to manufactures sponsoring programs in exchange of exposure of their products; leading to more entertainment and a larger audience. Soon radio became a major part of peoples lives, it became a part of culture. Like radio was shaped by industries and institutional factors, it begun to shape the way people lived their life. It changed the way people wanted to or felt should live, everything from what kind of car they wanted to drive to what brand cigarettes they should smoke.
The force of industries and institution factors changed what the original purpose of radio was. Radio went from being controlled the by navy to being used as a source of entertainment and advertising. A good example of industry and institution factors taking place is AT&T's station WEAF, which was the first to introduce the concept "entertainment supported by advertising." They were the first commercial based broadcast. The number of advertisers wanting to expose their products begun to increase, entire shows would be "brought to you" by a single company, who often had editorial control over the content of the program. Early corporate-sponsored programs included the variety shows "The Everyday Hour" and "The Voice of Firestone." This made the radio industry grow, making it in to what it is now.
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