Reading notes: Characteristics of Radio

-What strikes everyone as significant about radio is that it is a 'blind' medium- we cannot see anything it is just noise and silence.
-Comparing radio to other modes of communication, gives us a clearer idea of radio's characteristics.
-Unlike radio, modes which are interpersonal consist of the the sender and receiver of a message being physically close and within sight of each other- there are other signs which help communicate such as facial expressions.
-The obvious advantage of modes of mass communication are that the sender can communicate with multitudes of receivers over distances at the same time
-The disadvantage however is that contact becomes impersonal and the risk of misunderstanding becomes greater. Also, the receiver cannot give feedback.
-Radio's codes are purely auditory, and since the ear is not the most 'intelligent' sense organ, their deployment have to be relatively simple- the risks of ambiguity or communication failure are high and so in radio much effort is expended on overcoming the limitations of the medium, on establishing the different kinds of context which we would generally be able to see for ourselves.
-For example, Physical object or processes which are normally self-evident have to be described- 'tell the listeners what you are doing'