radio — Bunk History

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh

Radio and the Rise of Conservatism

Right-wing radio stations are tied to an increase in conservatism among listeners.

by Paul Matzko via Cato Institute on January 8, 2024

Katherine Rye Jewell standing in front of a tree and brick building on Vanderbilt University's campus.

‘Live From the Underground’ Details the Influential World of College Radio

What made those left-of-the-dial broadcasts so special during the 1980s, ‘90s and 2000s?

by Michael Patrick Brady via WBUR on December 5, 2023

A family listening to radio in the 1930s.

Today's Media Landscape Took Root a Century Ago

Decisions made now could shape the next 100 years.

by Bruce J. Schulman via Made by History on September 27, 2023

Roi Ottley and other African American panelists on radio quiz program.

How African Americans Entered Mainstream Radio

For nearly 50 years, commercial radio companies only employed white broadcasters to target information and entertainment to mainstream America.

by Bala James Baptiste via Black Perspectives on December 6, 2022

Map of Phillips Radio by Walter Eckhard (1935).

The Spirit of Radio

Explore some new and old radio maps in our collection, and learn a bit about the history of radio communications.

by Rachel Sharer via Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center on September 2, 2022

Speakers address a crowd from a truck with a "WDIA March of Dimes" sign.

How Black Radio Changed the Dial

Black-appeal stations were instrumental in propelling R&B into the mainstream while broadcasting news of the ever-growing civil rights movement.

by Ashawnta Jackson, Bala James Baptiste, Tanya Teglo, Richard S. Kahlenberg via JSTOR Daily on May 30, 2022

Black and white image of Arlington radio towers

When Arlington Set the Nation's Clocks: The Arlington Radio Towers

A century ago, Arlington was home to one of the most powerful radio stations in history, which helped to usher in an era of wireless communications.

by Henry Kokkeler via Boundary Stones on May 23, 2022

Print announcement for Florida CB personality "Bow Weevil," featuring a photo of a Black man's face on a drawing of a bowl weevil holding a microphone.

How Black CB Radio Users Created an Audible Community

CB radio was portrayed as a mostly white enthusiasm in its heyday, but Black CB users were active as early as 1959.

by Ashawnta Jackson, Art M. Blake, Tyler Watts, Jared Barton via JSTOR Daily on November 18, 2021

Label of 16″ transcription disc of the March 13, rehearsal of “Who Knows? Bill Cook Collection, Library of Congress.

Who Knows? Radio and the Paranormal

A radio drama series from 1941 based on Dr. Hereward Carrington's case records of psychic phenomena.

by Matthew Barton via Now See Hear! on October 27, 2021

Woman wearing red radio hat

Can Radio Really Educate?

In the 1920s, radio was an exciting new mass medium. It was known for providing entertainment, but educators wondered if it could also be used for education.

by Donna L. Halper via JSTOR Daily on September 15, 2021

Father Coughlin gives a radio broadcast.

The Late ’30s Deplatforming of Father Coughlin

Then as now, not many people were willing to raise their own voices to defend the speech of a vulgarian spewing hate over a mass medium.

by Thomas Doherty via Slate on January 21, 2021

A shot from behind of Rush Limbaugh giving a speech at a Make America Great Again rally.

The Right’s Reign on the Air Waves

How talk radio established the power of the modern Republican Party.

by Jake Bittle via The New Republic on June 1, 2020

Donald Trump, holding microphones, surrounded by shock jocks

The Trigger Presidency

How shock jock comedy gave way to Donald Trump’s Republican Party.

by Ben Schwartz via The New Republic on April 24, 2019

Hate in the Air

Newly released recordings of 'Citizens’ Council Radio Forum' show white supremacy’s evolution through the civil rights era.

by Rebecca Onion via Slate on April 23, 2019

How Smooth Jazz Took Over the '90s

And why you should give smooth jazz a chance.

by Estelle Caswell via Vox on December 3, 2018

What War of the Worlds Did

The uncanny realism of Orson Welles’s radio play crystallised a fear of communication technology that haunts us today.

by Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey via Aeon on November 26, 2018

The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show Lives on in the Internet Archive

Episodes from the infamous hip-hop radio show of the '90s.

by Drew Millard via The Outline on May 26, 2018

Explaining the 'Mystery' of Numbers Stations

The stations' broadcasts have been attributed to aliens and Cold War relics, but they actually are coded intelligence messages.

by Maris Goldmanis via War on the Rocks on May 24, 2018

Before Net Neutrality, There Was Radio Regulation

How today's media landscape was shaped by a 1920s decision to privilege corporate broadcasters over noncommercial ones.

by Livia Gershon, Robert W. McChesney via JSTOR Daily on December 11, 2017

The Fake-News Fallacy

Old fights about radio have lessons for new fights about the Internet.

by Adrian Chen via The New Yorker on September 4, 2017

Hindenburg exploding

America’s Love Affair With the Hindenburg

Before the German zeppelin met its fiery demise, it was an object of fascination for U.S. radio listeners.

by Michael J. Socolow via Slate on May 5, 2017

Thirty Minutes Behind the Walls’ cast member A.B. Johnson plays the harmonica.

A Peek at the Golden Age of Prison Radio

"Texas Jailhouse Music" explores a time when Texas prisons promoted rehabilitation through a wildly successful radio show.

by Maurice Chammah via The Marshall Project on May 16, 2016

Saving Historic Radio Before It’s Too Late

A first of its kind Library of Congress project aims to identify, catalogue, and preserve America’s broadcast history.

by Adrienne LaFrance via The Atlantic on March 23, 2016

The Myth of the War of the Worlds Panic

Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 radio program did not touch off nationwide hysteria. Why does the legend persist?

by Michael J. Socolow, Jefferson Pooley via Slate on October 28, 2013

A small business on Cortlandt Street in NYC

When Ground Zero was Radio Row

When City Radio opened on NYC's Cortlandt Street in 1921, radio was a novelty. Over the next few decades, hundreds of stores popped up in the neighborhood.

by Ben Shapiro, Joe Richman via Radio Diaries on June 3, 2002

Dr. Ruth Westheimer holding a telephone and pointing a finger, as if giving advice.

The Massive Cultural Changes That Made Dr. Ruth Possible

Dr. Ruth left a legacy of sexual candor and the need to defend pleasure as a universal right—a conversation that is more relevant today than ever.

by Rebecca L. Davis via Made by History on July 19, 2024

Toby Keith performing onstage with "Made in America" on screen behind him.

How Country Music Became Patriotic

Country music boosters rebranded the genre and tied it to America's military mission as a way to build popularity.

by Joseph M. Thompson via Made by History on June 6, 2024

Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter surrounded by African American artists' records.

The Song of the Summer Is Actually the Song of 1982

Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” is one of several recent hits bringing back the genre that never got a name.

by Dan Charnas via Slate on June 4, 2024

Book cover of "Cold War Country" by Joseph M. Thompson.

Big Government Country

Connie B. Gay and the roots of country music militarization.

by Brock Schnoke via UNC Press Blog on April 11, 2024

Henderson Thigpen, Deanie Parker, Bobby Manuel, and Eddie Floyd, the songwriters of Stax.

The Secret Sound of Stax

The rediscovery of demos performed by the songwriters of the legendary Memphis recording studio reveals a hidden history of soul.

by Burkhard Bilger via The New Yorker on May 29, 2023

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