Radiogenic theory
We first started looking into radiogenic theory. Milo talked about how radio was a new media in the 1920s, this was an exciting new piece of media that was different from the visual aspects of TV and Film. Radiogenic theory looks into how sound especially behaves in the radiophonic space, believing that sound can become more powerful through the medium of radio.
Radiogenic theory is important if you’re working in radiophonic sound because it encourages you to look beyond the audio that is being played but instead to look at the deeper meaning being the broadcast. Does this sound make sense with no image?
Kate Lacy (age unknown)
Kate Lacey is Professor of Media History and Theory in the School of Media, Film and Music at the University of Sussex, UK. She has published about broadcasting history. Lacy explores the the concept of “radiogenic retrospection” in which she believes that radio serves as a medium for public reflection showing radio ability to create shared conciseness (Lacey, 2023).
She published ‘Listening Republics’ in (2013) and she talks about the attention of the listener, there are good listeners and bad listeners when talking about radio. Listening isn’t just a passive act it can have implications on politics and relational practices.
All sonic arts have a visual aspect to them, with this in mind, how did radio survive?
The main aspect I’ve noticed about the enjoyment of radio is the imagination that come with listening. As in Arnheim, R. (1936) ‘Radio’ there’s talk of a how radio captures the imagination of the listener, forcing them to imagine their own story. Furthermore, radio can be played anywhere so is able to be woven into our lives when at home or outside. So it can’t be related to any other forms of media like text or visual, as it purely audio.
Bibliography
Lacey, K. (2023). Everybody’s Scrapbook: The BBC, radiogenic retrospection and the Mediatisation of Memory. Journal of radio & audio media, 30(2), pp.463–480. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/19376529.2023.2244486.
Ludwig, M. (2025). Radio; by Rudolf Arnheim, translated by Margaret Ludwig and Herbert Read – Catalogue | National Library of Australia. [online] Nla.gov.au. Available at: https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/2497755 [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
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