Position Paper 2: Radio

Shetland and Gold Coast.

I find that most of my generation (people born sometime around 1998-2002) doesn't listen to the radio. I have not listened to the radio since I was in high school and I stopped doing that after I purchased Spotify premium. I believe, like most modern mediums including television, film, etc., that radio is outdated which is why the new generations are moving further and further away from it. The radio is suffering the same fate as television wherein it becomes difficult to justify watching or listening when every eight minutes of content is followed by ten minutes of advertisements. When I can listen to whatever I want for however long I want for $5 a month, I consider that a luxury I am willing to pay for.

However, it cannot be understated how important radio is in other countries. In some places, the radio is a primary communication source and can be the difference between life and death.

Using Radio Garden, a website to listen to radio stations across the world, I tuned into 60 North Radio in the Shetland Islands, UK and Radio 97 FM in Gold Coast City, Australia.

60 North Radio, Shetland Islands, U.K.

I wanted to start out easy with an English-speaking radio station. Using the aforementioned Radio Garden website, I searched around Europe for a radio station with an interesting name. After scanning over the U.K., I noticed some dots on a string of islands off the northeast coast of Scotland. At first, I listened to Shetland Internet Radio but soon realized that there were no advertisements or breaks for a personality to tell some jokes. I found another station at the top part of the islands called 60 North Radio and liked it enough to use here!

I tuned in at about 2:15pm Shetland time. The host came on to announce thirty minutes of non-stop music so I guess it was bad timing on my part for the purpose of this assignment. While I listened to the music they were playing, I searched for their website and was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty awesome webpage. The website displays what is being played right now, as well as what shows may be on and the 'mood' for the current time. From 2:00pm to 4:00pm (Shetland time) is Ocean Waves, which is described as, "Music to wind down the day."

Certain genres are played during certain hours to help you get through your day. There are seven different 'shows' throughout the day, each with specially curated music for the day. I'm not familiar enough with modern music to know if the station is playing modern hits, but the music was definitely alternative in genre when I was listening.

Reading the 'about' page, I discovered the station originally began as a one-man tourist project that gradually expanded into one of the largest radio stations in Shetland.

There isn't much else for me to say about the station other than I actually enjoyed listening to what they had playing. When the host came back on, it was a brief talk about the weather in Shetland and then back to music.

Radio 97 FM Gold Coast City, Australia.

I decided to use another English-speaking station, but somewhere broadcasting in the middle of the night. When I tuned in to Radio 97 FM, it was midnight in Gold Coast City, Australia.

To my surprise, there wasn't a lot of music being played in the beginning. When I tuned in, the host was reading the news for the day (which spoke about a labor shortage in Australia). After a quick three-minute classic rock song, the host returned with an interview with an Australian resident. They spoke back and forth for about 15 minutes about pretty much everything. It was almost like they knew each other. The conversation was very positive and comical at times. It didn't seem like the pre-planned conversations you get here in the U.S.

For the remainder of the time I was listening, no music was played. It was simply the host talking about the news and his opinions on multiple issues. Afterwards, another caller came on the air and the two began to chat.

I tracked down the Radio 97 website and learned that 'Talk Overnight with Gary Stewart' was on, which would explain all of the talking. The website also listed all of the other shows that play during the week and weekend, but the website overall was pretty poorly designed.

I much preferred the Shetland radio station to the Australian talk show, but that is just my preference. Both stations were playing quality content that I wouldn't mind listening to from time to time. I enjoyed it much more than anything I've listened to recently on American radio.