DJs and Radio

A fun Halloween costume that lends itself to our previous discussion of photography (mostly, I just thought it was really cool and wanted to share it): http://www.boredpanda.com/functional-nikon-camera-costume-bryan-troll/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=BPFacebook

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In general, the DJ made radio a more localized medium by inviting local individuals to become the voice of particular stations.  As the poem implicitly expressed, there was a sort of personalization of radio by having DJs talk and have control over the radio.  Of course, this “control” may or may not technically exist as we found in Fornatale and Mills’ discussion of “formula” or “format radio” (215).

I feel like the poem expresses in concrete, metaphorical terms what being a radio DJ is like; the listener never sees the DJ, but they can imagine their face.  A DJ, on the other hand, can see the listener when they’re not on the air.  Being a DJ, especially one with a “DJ/radio name,” they can see their listeners in their natural place.  A DJ, however, is simply a voice without a face; even knowing an individual as a DJ, there’s a different personality to the person when they’re physically present as opposed to when they’re a voice.

The invention and integration of the television into individuals’ living spaces, as we learned last week, led to radio’s movement out of the living room and into other areas such as the car.  This allows the DJ to symbolically travel and be present with the listener.  The added fact that the radio DJ would talk to the audience also kept it separate from the television and old radio shows in that it doesn’t put up “the fourth wall” (as it is often called). 

Post for 11-1-16