Thesis outline—radio, radio
I. Introduction—The Technology That Arrived Too Soon
a) radio at its birth—brief history of how it came to be—passion, inventive process of
the medium’s creators—what they envisioned it to be from the start
b) radio as a social phenomenon—the potential that people saw in it, the wonder with
which they approached this miraculous new technological achievement
c) advertising: Was it born with the radio?
A) multiple assumptions that advertising would not be part of the process – that
the institution would fund itself as a self-sustaining public good
d) chronology that led up to the FRC and the 1927 Radio Act—debate surrounding
formation of FRC, reasons why it needed to exist
II. Proudly Presenting: The Science of Radio Salesmanship
a) radio director as ringmaster/showman
b) direct nature of radio communication as opposed to earlier forms of salesmanship
A) radio announcer effectively right there in the room with you
B) a result of this, listeners are way the hell out there without any indication to the
broadcaster as to whether they’re actually listening—or whether they’re pissed
C) the psychology of broadcasting—what listeners want to get out of radio, and how
radio salesmanship is geared toward giving these aspects to them
c) notion of “good will”—frequent buzzword tossed around—what does it mean, and
why is it important that this good will be created and perpetuated?
d) announcers—what works, what doesn’t, why a good announcer is crucial
e) advertising copy—the material that is actually spoken—conciseness a must
f) use/importance of music/jingles/external elements
A) music in advertisements – how it assists w/ flow
B) composition/message of jingles—what elements influence success
III. The Wrath of Community—Why Salesmanship Mattered
a) aesthetic problems w/ radio advertisements
- radio as lowest-common-denominator entertainment
b) ethical problems w/ radio advertisements
- whether or not they tell the truth—“Poisons, Potions…” book a good
compilation of information about this topic
c) bitterness against concept of advertising/British model—American model is
more true to the concept of free enterprise which defines this country’s existence,
but people feel obliged to complain about advertising anyway
d) use of WW2/human casualties alongside of/integrated with plugs
e) Readers’ Digest: The Public Strikes Back
f) The Epic St. LouisPost-Dispatch Fiasco
--this is the capper of the paper—tell the story with as much context as possible
to illustrate that when radio salesmanship goes wrong the public isn’t afraid to
respond en masse—and bring about change while they’re at it
IV. Conclusion