Film is nice, but for a movie to really work, it has to be seen with the right equipment -- that is to say a large screen with quality a sound system in place. Television cannot be as powerful because of its size. Radio, however, is only voices. Just headphones is enough to be engulfed in a new world.
In addition, the voice is very personal. A whisper in your ear feels like a secret, even if coming from someone you've never met. Someone can talk directly to you through radio. An entire world can be created with the right sound design.
And perhaps best of all, radio can bring us all back to being 2 years old, having mommy and daddy read us stories in bed where we can close our eyes and just listen as we drift to sleep.
I think the best person at this is Jay Allison, who has produced many of his own segments, pieces for various NPR shows, segments for This American Life, is the curator of the "This I Believe" segment on NPR, is the founder of the Public Radio Exchange, and...well...countless other credits. He also runs the Cape Cod NPR stations, which is why I bring him up right now. My favorite part of the Cape stations are the 15, 30, and 60 second ID spots that give the station -- made up of mostly syndicated programming -- a local flavor.
I helped start a podcast for The New School that is finally up and running (kind of...) and I recently took on the task of creating short spots like this to tell stories and create an identity across the station beyond just the individual programming.
Below are two of my favorite spots.
Also, I highly recommend Jay Allison's piece New York City: 24 hours in public places as a fantastic 30 minute piece that, well, partially explains why I love the city I have chose as my home for now. (Note: It's a very old piece, and the subway at night isn't as dangerous as they say in the piece. (It's from 1983)
I understand why you think that radio is a very important medium, however, I, for one, am a very visual person: I remember things better when I see AND hear them. I also enjoy movies so much more than a book on tape. When I want to hear someone talking, I like to have a face as well. Only hearing something is limiting your experience and you can also be tricked. Seeing is believing, as they say.
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