logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
46m 15s

The Divided Dial

ROMAN MARS
About this episode

If you’ve ever flipped through the radio dial — not satellite, not podcasts, but good old-fashioned AM and FM radio — you may have noticed something. Right wing radio talk is everywhere.

But the airwaves weren't always so dominated by such a narrow range of voices. Reporter and friend of the show Katie Thornton has the story of how talk radio has evolved (and perhaps devolved at times) over the past century, and what all of it means for the airwaves today.

The Divided Dial

Hear the rest of the the series from On the Media 

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and get exclusive access to bonus episodes. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Up next
Aug 19
All About That Bass
Vintage music barely had any bass. Today’s hits are all about the low end. What changed? An episode this week from our friends at Twenty Thousand Hertz, featuring hip hop legend DJ Jazzy Jeff and Roland's Paul McCabe.All About That Bass Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen t ... Show More
25m 51s
Aug 12
Sister Aimee and the Birth of the Megachurch
Aimee Semple McPherson built America’s first megachurch, blended showbiz with salvation, and vanished in a scandal that captivated the nation.Sister Aimee and the Birth of the Megachurch Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whol ... Show More
36m 3s
Aug 5
Weeding is Fundamental Revisited
Libraries get rid of books all the time. There are so many new books coming in every day and only a finite amount of library space. The practice of freeing up library space is called weeding. When the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library was damaged by an earthquake 19 ... Show More
38m 3s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Radio Times: a century of British broadcasting
In 1923, a new periodical was launched to guide listeners through the BBC’s nascent radio offerings. Its name? The Radio Times. Across the coming decades, it not only featured radio and TV listings, but also offered a window into the nation’s changing media and social landscape. ... Show More
52m 15s
Nov 2015
Radio: The medium that refuses to give in and wither away
Radio always gets a bit of a ribbing compared to television (it’s only a bit of audio, where are all the pictures? etc). But actually, let’s be honest, we all love radio.Millions tune in every morning to breakfast shows, drive-time programmes, broadcasts in the middle of the day… ... Show More
10m 59s
Feb 2024
De la radio al podcast y del podcast a la radio
Esta semana se ha celebrado el Día Mundial de la Radio y no queríamos terminarla sin compartir nuestro pequeño homenaje. Un homenaje a la radio desde un podcast. Para nosotros, el equipo de Un tema al día, la radio fue el principio. Y sabemos que para muchos de los oyentes de est ... Show More
16m 39s
Mar 2025
Die Gastarbeiterprogramme der ARD – Integration durch Radio? | 75 Jahre ARD
Radiosendungen auf Türkisch, Griechisch oder Italienisch waren ab 1964 oft die einzige Informationsquelle für Gastarbeiter in Deutschland. Eine Brücke zwischen alter und neuer Heimat. Von Esther Saoub (SWR 2023/2025) | Manuskript und mehr zur Sendung: http://swr.li/gastarbeiterpr ... Show More
28m 3s
Nov 2022
Dangerously Yours 44-10-01 14 Windward Passage
Dangerously Yours was a half hour show sponsored by Vicks. There were sixteen episodes broadcast in 1944, with eleven of them available to collectors today. Each episode seemed to star Victor Jory as the leading man, and concentrated heavily on romance, with much airtime being de ... Show More
29m 12s
Nov 2022
Dangerously Yours 44-09-17 12 The Shadow Of The Raven
Dangerously Yours was a half hour show sponsored by Vicks. There were sixteen episodes broadcast in 1944, with eleven of them available to collectors today. Each episode seemed to star Victor Jory as the leading man, and concentrated heavily on romance, with much airtime being de ... Show More
28m 21s
Nov 2022
Dangerously Yours 44-08-27 09 Bothwell Of Scotland
Dangerously Yours was a half hour show sponsored by Vicks. There were sixteen episodes broadcast in 1944, with eleven of them available to collectors today. Each episode seemed to star Victor Jory as the leading man, and concentrated heavily on romance, with much airtime being de ... Show More
29m 17s
Nov 2022
Dangerously Yours 44-09-10 11 The Firebrand
Dangerously Yours was a half hour show sponsored by Vicks. There were sixteen episodes broadcast in 1944, with eleven of them available to collectors today. Each episode seemed to star Victor Jory as the leading man, and concentrated heavily on romance, with much airtime being de ... Show More
28m 59s
Mar 2023
Isabel Huacuja Alonso, "Radio for the Millions: Hindi-Urdu Broadcasting Across Borders" (Columbia UP, 2022)
From news about World War II to the broadcasting of music from popular movies, radio played a crucial role in an increasingly divided South Asia for more than half a century. Radio for the Millions: Hindi-Urdu Broadcasting Across Borders (Columbia University Press, 2023) by Isabe ... Show More
41m 31s