Global Radio: From Shortwave to Streaming

Global Radio: From Shortwave to Streaming chronicles the development of radio as a global medium. In this book, Shaheed Nick Mohammed examines the evolution of radio from its early uses as little more than a novelty into a set of powerful systems for international exchanges of news, culture, and political influence. In doing so, the book follows the development of radio as a wireless form of the telegraph, its evolution into a medium for sound transmission across the air, and its adaptation to digital networked audio and transmissions technologies. Mohammed also outlines the myriad changes in the radio industry in numerous contexts around the globe and over time, including the early development of commercial and non-commercial broadcasting in the United States, Europe, India, and China and the evolution of so-called "international broadcasters." As radio played a part in colonial politics, it also figured prominently in the politics of the post-colonial. Within the broader context of global radio, this book examines several former colonies and the transformation of radio from a tool of empire into an instrument of national development. It also focuses on instances in which developing nations have used radio to bridge the gap between rural audiences and digital networked technologies, connecting them to the global information superstructure. Scholars of media studies, communication, radio studies, international relations, and political science will find this book particularly useful. Read more Continue reading Read less REVIEW
In Global Radio: From Shortwave to Streaming, Shaheed Nick Mohammed provides an ambitious survey of about 100 years of radio broadcasting. . . . the variety of examples from around the globe provides a fascinating set of case studies. . . . this book works best as a survey of the topic and introduces the reader to literally dozens of areas which could (and sometimes do) fill entire books on their own. As a historical survey, it is useful for researchers and teachers of media globalization, history of radio or broadcasting, local radio around the globe, or the way radio has been and is used to spread propaganda and hate speech, as well as the more socially positive uses of radio including news, music, culture, and information.

-- International Communication Research Journal

If someone wants to fully understand radio's earliest origins and its recent transition to online platforms, this book is essential reading. Shaheed Mohammed provides a rich and detailed analysis that compellingly explains the complexity of radio's technical and cultural underpinnings. This research also offers an outstanding overview of how radio has been profoundly influential on an international scale. This project is unique, thoughtful, and enlightening. -- Robert C. Trumpbour, Pennsylvania State University

Through original archival research and exhaustive review of the secondary literature from India to the West Indies, Algeria to Sri Lanka, Shaheed Mohammed demonstrates persuasively that "radio has been a globalizing force since well before the advent of networked digital technologies." This books makes the case for the centrality of radio to understanding the braided histories of globalization and the local, colonialism and post-colonialism, and liberalism and neoliberalism. -- Jason Loviglio, University of Maryland, Baltimore County ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shaheed Nick Mohammed is associate professor of communications at the Pennsylvania State University, Altoona. Read more Continue reading Read less