New Media, Old Story
What can new forms of media (like podcasting!) learn from the evolution of radio in the early 20th century?

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Episode Notes
Radio was originally a social medium, as early radio sets (each of which could transmit as well as receive) turned cities into giant chatrooms, populated by Morse code–tapping enthusiasts. But the excitement of this democratic, digital platform did not last, and radio was tamed by corporate interests in the 1920s. The utopian dream of platforms that are open and meritocratic has been reborn in the internet era in the form of blogging, and more recently, podcasting. But can it ever come true?
Podcast production by Bart Warshaw and Kate Holland.