Science on Radio

Aries Keck

The success and longevity of radio are due to a number of factors, but at its core, people like hearing other people tell stories. That story could be what happened in the world today or it could be how the surface of Mars once held water. Storytelling is at the core of all radio reporting and the linear nature of radio reports, with a beginning, middle, and end, makes radio a perfect medium for science news. Science communication is often characterized as difficult to understand and laden with jargon; to understand science, the receiver of the information is seen as needing a foundation of core knowledge as a base. But the straightforward way radio pieces break down information requires the writer to take a scientific topic and, step by step, define the terms, and provide the “story” of the science. The addition of sound, be it of an animal under ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.