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Radiophilia Summary

Radiophilia by Dr. Carolyn Birdsall (Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)

A century ago, the emergence of radio, along with organized systems of broadcasting, sparked a global fascination with the 'wonder' of sound transmission and reception. The thrilling experience of tuning in to the live sounds of this new medium prompted strong affective responses in its listeners. This book introduces a new concept of radiophilia, defined as the attachment to, or even a love of radio. Treating radiophilia as a dynamic cultural phenomenon, it unpacks the various pleasures associated with radio and its sounds, the desire to discover and learn new things via radio, and efforts to record, re-experience, and share radio. Surveying 100 years of radio from early wireless through to digital audio formats like podcasting, the book engages in debates about fandom, audience participation, listening experience, material culture, and how media relate to affect and emotions.

Radiophilia Reviews

Carolyn Birdsall has provided a brilliant and extremely original way of understanding the affective and emotional engagement with radio at the intersection of media cultural history, cultural studies, fan and sound studies. The book offers a refined analysis of the different forms of affection towards radio and provides a new key to understanding the social uses of radio. No scholar has ever written such an accurate analysis or comprehensive description of how we love, know, save and share radio. * Tiziano Bonini, Associate Professor of Sociology of culture and communication, University of Siena, Italy *
Ranging from the collection of merchandise to the conservation of infrastructure, Radiophilia is a brilliant analysis of how radio matters to people. Detailing how affective practices have moved between professional broadcasters, archivists and listeners, and how crossover fandom has connected radio and music fans, this book is itself a superb bridging of radio/fan studies. Carolyn Birdsall skilfully explores the material, multisensorial and intermedial dimensions of radiophilia: any reader interested in radio's history, preservation and present-day energy will find a lot to love here. * Matt Hills, Professor of Fandom Studies, University of Huddersfield, UK *
Radiophilia provides an original and compelling investigation of how radio - as a medium, a practice, an idea, an object of desire, an institution - has entered into our lives along a shifting variety of axes across the last hundred years, changing the way we both experience and respond to the world around us. A wonderful addition to the field. * Michele Hilmes, Professor Emerita of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA *

About Dr. Carolyn Birdsall (Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Carolyn Birdsall is Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her publications include Nazi Soundscapes (2012) and Listening to the Archives (2019, ed. with Viktoria Tkaczyk). She currently leads the research project TRACE (Tracking Radio Archival Collections in Europe, 1930-1960), funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Table of Contents

List of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Loving 2. Knowing 3. Saving 4. Sharing Conclusion Notes Index

Additional information

NGR9781501374968
9781501374968
1501374966
Radiophilia by Dr. Carolyn Birdsall (Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)
New
Paperback
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
2023-09-21
296
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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