There’s been a lot of talk over the past several years about what is “radio?”
You’ve undoubtedly heard Bob Pittman and other leaders of the broadcast radio industry state emphatically that Pandora is not “radio,” but is instead a music collection without DJs and the other emotional attributes common to traditional AM/FM stations.
But that doesn’t stop Pandora, Beats 1, Slacker, SiriusXM and others from invoking the “R-word,” and using it as part of their names. In fact, Beats 1’s Zane Lowe explained the branding dilemma to The New York Times:
“Part of the last three months has been desperately trying to come up with a new word that’s not radio. We couldn’t do it.”
So yesterday while doing The New York Times Magazine’s Sunday crossword puzzle (it’s big but not all that difficult), I ran across this clue:
32 Down: “Acoustic guitar” or “terrestrial radio” (8-letter word)
It took me a while to figure it out, but the correct answer is retronym.
I had not heard of this word before, so it required a Google search. And here’s what came up:
So in the case of “acoustic guitar,” a guitar used to be…a guitar. But when the electric guitar was invented and became popular, all those non-electric versions needed a new name and added definition – and thus a guitar became an “acoustic guitar.”
In essence, something new comes along and redefines an existing entity through progress or technology.
Wikipedia explains the retronym “terrestrial radio” in this way.
Yup, redefined by “satellite radio” (and also perhaps “streaming radio” or “Internet radio” in subsequent years).
I don’t know what this means but it doesn’t feel especially good. To have to add “terrestrial” to AM/FM radio seems to narrow the broader reach and influence of the entire medium.
I don’t know who started using the term “terrestrial” to redefine what used to just be “radio,” but I associate it most with Mel Karmazin when he moved over to Sirius. Here’s a snippet of an interview he did more than a decade ago with Ad Age a few months before Howard Stern started “satcasting:”
Already the differentiation in nomenclature was underway, as Mel was clearly making his distinctions about how the two services would differ.
In recent years, I’ve heard broadcasters and even listeners refer to what we once knew as just “radio” as “regular radio.” Michael Hill, Managing Director of Radioplayer in the UK, has a very British term that he prefers: “proper radio.”
But like diapers (now “disposable diapers”) and phones (now “landline phones”), radio has – like it or not – been redefined by technological change and the newcomers that want the medium’s share of mind and usage.
For me, Sunday morning is a time when I can always relax with that outsized New York Times Magazine crossword to escape from radio – for an hour or so.
Not yesterday. By the way, I should point out I was reading a “print newspaper” – not an online one.
What’s in a name?
Everything.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Good piece, Fred. I like you, because you’re inquisitive and look stuff up. It happens daily on my end. Today, an in-studio question concerned the pronunciation of “Kenya” in our ABC news, and it prompted a search for the truth of that matter.
My wife and I anticipate the New York Times crossword every Sunday. Aside from the revelation about “retronym,” this week’s puzzle yielded “Toto” as the Classic Rock answer to 1-Down, and also made me think of you.
Thanks for the kind words, Dave. The Sunday puzzle is one of my pleasures, except for this week of course. Thanks for commenting and best to your wife. 🙂