Radio as partner in everyday life. About morning show in the diachronic approachMorning show, understood as a specific radio megagenre, since its dawn has tried to inscribe in the listeners’ environment of life by adjusting to the rhythm of their day but also by shaping their daily routines. This article analyses the origins of the identity of this type of programmes which date back to the times of the Golden Age of the American radio broadcasting. On the background of technological, economic and social conditioning of the era, it shows their historical changes in the years 1920-1950 of the XX c. However, the description of this evolution – from the morning shows with the underspecified “anatomy” and vague existence in the ether to the preforms such as participation programs – may be treated as a prelude to the understanding of the tendencies that determine the existence of the contemporary sequential broadcasts that are transmitted by radio at dawn.
Radio programmes that prevail in the contemporaty „mediasphere” are prone to hybridization. They easily cross artificial generic divisions and get the status of multidimensional entities that activate many senses of media users. It is possible because they loose the distinctive features of audio broadcasts. As a result, they can take various forms, travel across media platforms and be consumed any time, any place. These criteria are fulfilled by „radio comic” – a specific „generic coctail” that reconciliates contradictions according to the rules imposed by audiovisual type of culture. However, it brings new quality to the media landscape, since it gives both radio dramas and „stories with balloones” more universal life. Referring to the productions such as „Nietoty”, „Jan Kalata” and „The Intergalactic Nemesis”, this article discusses the issue of transmediality of modern radio broadcasts. It presents many faces of „radio-comic” that stems from a strong tendency for radio visualization.
Considering that the acquisition of culture-specific knowledge through listening to the radio is possible in the era of globalization and media convergence, this article analyses the topic of basic mass media functions and shows them through the prism of their hybridization. In consequence, it demonstrates the cultural role of modern radio but in the context of the edutainment approach. As a key example to discuss this issue serves the long-term cooperation between Fun Kids radio and the Polish Cultural Institute in London that has resulted in three radio series: “Where in the World? Poland!”, “Learn Polish!”, and “Robot’s Polish Power Pack”. Referring to them, the text explores how educational and entertaining functions of radio programmes may be combined to deliver content that inspires and engages young listeners as well as nurtures cultural ties between the UK and Poland, which is especially important nowadays, in the face of Brexit. The methodological framework of this study is mainly a subjective literature review. However, the theoretical analysis is extended with a case study that is based on the radio report provided by the Fun Kids radio manager, observations of contemporary mediasphere as well as a personal examination of episodes of selected radio broadcasts.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.