Radio Dramas

In University of Brighton's professor Lance Dann's article "Only half the story: Radio drama, online audio and trans media storytelling", Dann writes about how online radio dramas are an incredibly new form of media which is capable of changing the manner in which stories are told on the radio. Dann states that "Online audio drama creates the potential not just for new forms and patterns of listening (on-demand and audience-controlled) or for revised methods of plot structuring (with series stacking allowing for the use of extended narrative arcs)". Imagine how amazing that is, the opportunity to, as a viewer, decide which events occur inside of the drama which you are viewing. Dann also discusses how advances in social media have helped create a story in which the distinction between real and  fiction is indistinguishable. 

Dann starts his article by writing about the manner in which technology has aided the process by which radio dramas are created. Radio dramas are strictly audio performances delivered either on the radio or on Internet radio. The main purpose of radio dramas is to entertain listeners and tell an interesting story to the listeners. One advantage that this form of media has is the relative easiness by which one can create an internet radio drama. Literally to do this all that one would need to acquire would be a smart phone. With a smart phone one can record a drama and then upload it for listening purposes to the internet. This whole online media enables anyone with an internet connection and a smart phone to almost instantly be able to share their story or drama with the entire world. These radio dramas can range from being podcasts to podiobooks. Online drama also enable people to hone their skills by actually participating in the media rather than by watching other people do it before you eventually get your own chance. In turn, this allows for people to be able to express themselves and tell their own personal story that would previously have not even been told had it not been for internet dramas. This grand openness of this medium allows for people to get their works out there without having to go through one of the big media corporations.

Online radio dramas are also much cheaper than commercially produced radio dramas. Online radio dramas can be filmed from the comfort of ones home, while commercial radio dramas regularly cost into the tens of thousands of pounds per hour. However, commercially produced radio dramas are regularly broadcasted on traditional radio powerhouses such as the BBC. In comparison, online radio dramas have difficulty getting syndicated on traditional radio powerhouses. However, newly created technology such as iTunes, iLike and Sound Cloud are enabling online radio dramas to be found by the average everyday person cruising around in those applications looking for radio dramas. 

Radio dramas have been in some cases very successful. One of the most well known radio dramas was in 1938 when the book War of the Worlds was broadcast on radio in the United States. In this radio drama, Martians attack the World and proceed to be incredibly successful until they just fall apart. When this radio drama was first played in the United States, people listening to it went absolutely crazy believing that what they were hearing was 100% true and actually happening.