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The focus of this part of our guide is on radio, particularly the ways in which it is used for entertainment.

News Radio is covered in a separate category, as is Amateur Radio.

Topics covering the technology of radio, its history, and information about how it works can be listed here, along with radio navigation, and various types of radio, such as campus radio, commercial radio, community radio, international broadcasting, Internet radio, music radio, pirate radio, and public radio. Radio broadcasting topics, such as radio disc jockeys, radio documentaries, radio formats, radio personalities, and radio programming, would also be on-topic, as would websites covering people who have been influential in the field of radio.

At its core, radio is the art and science of transmitting information through electromagnetic waves. The technology rests on the principles of radio science, which explores how these waves are generated, modulated, transmitted, and received. Transmission involves converting sound or data into electrical signals, modulating them onto a carrier wave, and sending them through antennas. Reception reverses the process, with receivers demodulating the signal back into usable sound or information. Advances such as frequency modulation (FM), amplitude modulation (AM), and digital radio have each improved sound quality, reliability, and reach. Modern radio science also studies propagation, which refers to how waves travel through the atmosphere, bounce off the ionosphere, or are absorbed by terrain, a process critical for both broadcasting and navigation.

The history of radio began in the late 19th century, when pioneers like Guglielmo Marconi, Nikola Tesla, and Alexander Popov demonstrated wireless telegraphy. Voice and music transmission became possible in the early 20th century, paving the way for the first public broadcasts in the 1920s. The 1930s through the 1950s were the "Golden Age" of radio; during this period, radio was the dominant mass medium, delivering news, drama, comedy, and music to millions of people. In the post-television era, radio adapted, focusing on music, talk, and niche programming. The digital age brought Internet radio, satellite broadcasting, and streaming, expanding radio's reach beyond geographic limits.

Beyond entertainment, radio has been a lifeline for navigation. AM direction finding allowed ships and aircraft to determine their position relative to known transmitters. LORAN (Long Range Navigation) and VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) systems guided pilots and mariners for decades. Today, while GPS dominates, radio-based navigation remains a vital backup in aviation and maritime operations.

There are several radio broadcasting models, including campus radio (operated by universities or colleges, often student-run, focusing on education, alternative music, and campus news), commercial radio (privately owned, funded by advertising, with formats designed to attract large audiences), community radio (non-profit, grassroots stations serving local communities with culturally relevant content), international broadcasting (shortwave or satellite services aimed at audiences in other countries), internet radio (streaming audio over the web, often niche or global in reach), music radio (focused primarily on music programming, often genre-specific), pirate radio (unlicensed, frequently operating outside legal frameworks, sometimes for political or cultural expression), and public radio (funded by listener contributions, grants, and limited sponsorship, emphasizing educational and cultural programming).

Within these types, the craft of broadcasting is shaped by key roles and formats, including radio disc jockeys (DJs), who are curators of music and moode, blending tracks with commentary, interviews, and listener interaction; radio documentaries (in-depth audio storytelling, combining narration, interviews, and soundscapes to explore topics deeply; radio formats, which are structured programming styles, such as Top 40, talk radio, news/talk, classic hits, that define a station's identity; and radio personalities, the human voices that build loyalty and trust, from morning show hosts to investigative journalists.

Despite competition from television, podcasts, and streaming video, radio remains uniquely resilient. It is immediate (capable of reaching people in real-time during emergencies), intimate (a voice in the car, the kitchen, or through headphones), and adaptable (embracing new technologies while preserving its core strengths, connecting people through sound).

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