Hear and Now (ca. 1958)

I watched the film "Hear and Now," which talked about the importance of the radio in the 1950's. The film begins explaining the early use of the radio. It became an important tool the president would use to speak to the people of the U.S. The radio was extremely important to showcase extreme events such as Hindenburg crash or the attack on Pearl Harbor. This was later key for the U.S. people to get reports from the battlefield in WWII. Radio increased news coverage and worked to provide information in the cold war era. In the late 50's when the film was produced, the radio became the "heartbeat of the community" and was the only source of immediate news. Another important use of the radio was for weather emergencies and alerted the public of any potential air attacks from hostile nations. Next the development of the "radio on wheels" allowed for radio broadcasters to be on the scene of breaking news. The radio was able to connect people in the community in a way no other technology could before.

This film highlights how the radio was key in laying down the basis of how we receive news today. Although the majority of the radio was replaced by the television, the idea is the same. News stations explain local and global news, warn of bad weather, and bring up political issues. Overall, this film is an important learning tool because it shows how news and other mass communication systems have developed. Without the radio, the basis of how the U.S. government communicates with its people would not have been laid out.

Here's the link:
https://archive.org/details/0143_Hear_and_Now_10_00_55_00