The Radio Conference: A Transnational Forum

The areas of Visual Studies and Visual Culture have received growing academic support and legitimacy over the past decade; in response, an area called Sounds Studies is making inroads through initiatives such as the Sound Studies interest group within the Society for Cinema and Media Studies. Where does Radio Studies fit into this? We seek papers that challenge the easy categorization of Radio Studies as a subset of Sound Studies by exploring the relationships between visual culture (broadly understood) and radio. How has radio history been shaped by visual culture, or vice-versa? What relationships between radio sound and visual culture can we identify, and what implications do these intersections have for our understanding of radio and the disciplinary structures through which we study it? Possible subjects include studies of the relationship between radio and reading; analyses of programs that aired in both radio and television versions; comparison of radio and television broadcasts of sporting events; radio art education programs; cinema's relationship to broadcasting; and intersections between theoretical approaches to visual and auditory culture. Please send abstracts of no more than 250 words by Jan. 26 to Bill Kirkpatrick at mwkirkpa@gmail.com or Michael Stamm at stamm@msu.edu.