Podcast "Communicating Europe"

In this podcast episode, Andreas Fickers, co-author of the book ‘Communicating Europe’, reflects on the transformation of the radio as a communication space in Europe. This episode introduces the story of Hans, who in the 1930s listened to the entire European continent by using nothing but his radio. It illustrates the new possibilities and excitement that came with the radio being introduced as a new communication technology in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. Andreas Fickers describes how the radio became a mass medium and "a piece of furniture" that was found in every living room. He outlines how the users of the radio have actually co-constructed the way the medium developed, and how the act of radio listening became part of a new way of being European. Drawing parallels with the internet, he predicts that (just as had happened with radio) in the coming decades some form of regulatory regime will be developed around the use of this relatively new medium.