The radio magic

It is interesting to note that radio continues to be a strong communications medium even in the midst of television's widespread popularity. More interestingly, there are much, much more radio stations today than there were when TV was yet a very rare thing. A recent survey of Philippine households reveals that 85 percent owns TV sets. The percentage of access to TV broadcast is even higher, as those without TV are welcome to watch at a neighbor's home.

Radio has its own special place. Radio monitors now come in very convenient sizes, enough to fit the palm of a hand or slip into a small coin purse. It's possible to listen to radio while jogging or driving, but not to watch TV. Among the low income sector, radio is preferred since it is more affordable, especially that the price of a unit has considerably gone down nowadays. Radio apparently consumes much less electricity, a cost that has become a major household issue with the skyrocketing electricity rates.

The main disadvantage of radio over television is, perhaps, its limited scope in terms of sensory experience. You only hear radio; you hear and see television. Yet radio's very limitation might be its own advantage. When you listen to radio, your imagination is involved. There is no limit to the pictures your mind can conjure up to complement what you hear on radio, while you cannot see beyond what is shown on the TV screen.

Radio, in fact, can be more fascinating. The medium makes the audience an active participant in the experience. Radio provides the sound, and then the listener decides what to see, in his mind. Radio, too, is more immediate. It can deliver breaking news while events are still unfolding, an edge which TV has lately been trying to match. Years ago, in the US, a highly successful radio soap opera was made into a TV show. Curiously, the TV version never stayed long, while the radio show continued to top the audience ratings.

The radio magic relies mainly on the competence of the radio producers. They are the ones that create the pictographic stimuli for the audience. Whether the program format is talk or music or drama, or a combination of these, good radio producers can make radio a really engaging experience. With tools like sound effects, stingers and other sound frills, radio can be made more visual and more appealing than the real audio-visual media like TV and film, or even live theater.

Yes, a good radio show requires extensive work and a lot of production savvy. But this is the way of every good production project everywhere. Whether it's your daughter's debut party or a product launch or a political campaign rally, production is very important. It's the same thing also with television or the movies or live theater. Good preparation is central to good production.

Radio is presently seeing a heightened dynamism in key cities in Asia. New and more powerful radio stations are sprouting up in Taiwan, mainland China, Hongkong, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Production people are being extensively trained to ensure that the quality of shows comes at par with the stepped up broadcast power. Media advertisers there have turned to radio as the more economical, yet equally effective, medium.

Here at home, however, radio's popularity has noticeably dwindled over the past few decades. Many good radio producers have migrated to television. But the exodus need not have waned radio's magic. No one has the monopoly of creativity and imagination. The new ones that are on radio today could acquire the same good production skills that have launched the shining media careers of Orson Welles, Casey Casem, and our own Noli de Castro, Rey Langit, Emil Rizada, Jess Vestil, Ginnie Vamenta and Inday Nita. Given the advantage of today's technology, new radio producers should even be able to do much better.

The problem, perhaps, is laxity. For instance, many young radio announcers now board a "live" program without ample preparation. Some speak bland words and put on a lousy disposition, forgetting that radio is basically entertainment. Quality assurance has become purely a matter of individual discretion among radio program handlers. New radio producers no longer do close supervision, willing to do only little work in the light of their meager pay. But then this attitude could only seal their tight situation. Those who don't go the extra mile won't get any further.

Radio remains, and will probably continue to be, a significant force in our modern life experience. The question is not whether radio will stay for long-but whether it can hold its prominence in the public's order of mass media preference. This is a challenge our own radio producers must face. They hold the magic wand. If they continue to look the other way, local radio might eventually become the proverbial voice in the wilderness. While it will still be here, it can still lose much of its magic.