Whilst examining radio and television, their similarities and differences, I felt it necessary to concentrate primarily with British terrestrial television and radio channels. Although conscious of the variety available, attempting to address all available stations would be foolhardy. A phone call to Sky Digital, which informed that they could offer a staggering 204 television channels, confirmed this. How times change. The three mediums of radio, film and television have, during the course of the twentieth century, become the dominant forces of media production. This in turn has given each of the three a new and unparalleled power. Scope for creativity has been pushed as never before and responsibility to and awareness of the audience has become ever more apparent. The subject choices, production techniques and technical advances which these media use, and in many cases pioneer, have changed and shaped public opinion of life, in this country, on this planet, this century. In turn this has been, in many ways the greatest development of awareness that the human race has seen. Despite its certain and undeniable areas of manipulation, radio, film and television have given a means of entertaining and informing a wide and vast audience. This essay will try to give weight to the individual differences and similarities between the three mediums, whilst discussing the statement that television is closer to radio than it is to film, whether it be through entertainment, news or other informative productions. To understand what the differences and similarities of each are, it is necessary to outline how each of these three media present a subject matter. I will begin by looking at news coverage and in turn documentary, the different fashions of presentation and first how it plays its part in a prime similarity between radio and television. Its key ‘closeness...
