Inquiry: Marcel Lafollette: Science On the Air

• Artist: Mark Lynch
• Title: Marcel Lafollette: Science On the Air
• Album: Inquiry
• Length: 28:59 minutes (12.64 MB)
• Format: Stereo 44kHz 60Kbps (VBR)

 From the beginning of radio, there were programs about science! It was believed that the findings of science exemplified the modern age and therefore in the public interest to understand what science was discovering. The earliest shows were simplicity itself and consisted of putting a noted researcher in front of a mike and having him or her speak about their work for 15 minutes. Perhaps not quite diverting entertainment, but at least informative. But as the radiowaves became more regulated, “commercial” considerations about science programming became more important and sponsors began to influence content. This started a long, complex and still ongoing debate about the value and techniques of popularizing science on the airways. Tonight on Inquiry we talk with MARCEL CHOTKOWSKI LAFOLLETTE about her revelatory new media history SCIENCE ON THE AIR: POPULARIZERS AND PERSONALITIES ON RADIO AND EARLY TELEVISION.