Radio in Small Nations

Reviews / Votes

Richard J. Hand and Mary Traynor have produced a brilliant resource especially valuable to media educators who seek to facilitate a comprehensive view of global media that embraces radio. The authors of this extraordinary collection of original studies make a convincing case that radio diversity and accessibility is greater than ever. The in-depth chapters focus on the role of radio in small nations, including the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Laos, and Moldova. Central to the discussion is radio's impact on ethnic language groups, marginalized populations, community broadcasting, cultural identity, and the development of informed civil societies, especially in post-Communist and post-colonial democracies. Particularly informative are the twenty-two pages of cited works provided for student reading. This compelling text is a valuable pedagogical resource for all students of media and cultural studies. Frank Chorba, Founding Editor, Journal of Radio & Audio Media While radio can have global reach it is as effective at bringing people of a similar locale and culture together. 'Radio in Small Nations' articulates the distinctive way in which broadcasting can articulate a sense of place and people and shows how the same technology can be applied in so many different ways. This is a key contribution to the literature of radio studies, and it sets the context for ways in which we can imagine how a nation speaks unto itself. Tim Wall, Professor of Radio and Popular Music Studies at Birmingham City University, UK and editor of The Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media