[Studs does Bob, also re: radio]

Studs Terkel does a promo for Image Union with its mascot, Bob, for the 10th anniversary show. He then moves in to a discussion of radio in Chicago and how it's changed since he entered the field. Some of this footage was used in "Studs On A Soapbox."

00:00Copy video clip URL Terkel quotes Marshall McLuhan during mic setup.

00:35Copy video clip URL “Not only is there room on television for a program like Image Union, there is a need on behalf of TV and audiences” he says, shooting a promo for the show with its mascot Bob. “They say he’s made of cardboard,” he says of Bob (who actually is a cardboard cutout), “I’ve heard people, humans of flesh and blood, who are really made of cardboard.” He toasts Image Union with an imaginary drink.

03:04Copy video clip URL The focus shifts to Chicago radio. Producer Tom Weinberg asks if modern radio focuses too much on advertising and has “lost sight” of enlightening communication. “What’s happened to radio in the ’80s and ’70s reflects what’s happened to the society as we become more and more mechanized. … Radio is the most intimate of all mediums,” Terkel replies.

07:36Copy video clip URL They discuss talk radio “gab jockeys” and Terkel explains what makes a good DJ. He praises Terri Hemmert, rock DJ on Chicago’s WXRT, for “connecting the world and the music.” He contrasts her with another DJ who “offered banalities by the carload, but people thought he was profound because he’d speak so slowly.”

10:09Copy video clip URL Speaking in terms of content, Terkel challenges scholar Marshall McLuhan’s theory of “cold” and “hot” media, instead arguing that radio is actually more engaging than TV. He also touches on the purpose of radio—”to sell products”—and comments that “if people heard good music from childhood on … instead of top 40, they would throw away top 40.”

16:12Copy video clip URL He again speaks highly of Hemmert, but confesses that most young DJs lack personality. He also speaks about his home station, fine arts radio WFMT, saying, “Bit by bit [we had] the realization that there are more people than we think who want something good, of worth, music or drama. And this station has supplied it for 35 years.” He also talks about his freedom to experiment on own show—”it can take any form I seek.” Tape ends with blackout.