Preparing
the Students
A.
Background
With the introduction of radio in the 1920s,
fans could finally hear baseball action
without attending a game. In the early
days, however, many radio stations often did
not have the budgets or technology to
broadcast games live from the park. A
telegraph operator would transmit
information back to the studio where
broadcasters and engineers would recreate
game action from the ticker tape. Crowd
noise, the crack of the bat, the umpire on
the field and other sounds of the game were
all manufactured in the studio as the game
was being played live elsewhere. The number
of times these recreations were broadcast is
relatively small, but their early creativity
and ingenuity continue to capture the
imagination of modern-day fans who are
accustomed to live baseball action on radio,
television and the Internet.
Vocabulary
Announcer
Audio
Broadcast
Color commentary
Commentator
Communication
Decipher
Improvisation
Ingenuity
Inscription
Mass communication
Mass media
Morse code
Pioneer
Play-by play
Realism
Simulated
Sound effects
Sponsor
Spontaneity
Station identification
Technology
Telegraph
Ticker tape
C.
Suggested Pre-Program Activities
1)
Acquaint students with the concept of using
ready-made items to produce the different
sound effects that represent baseball game
noises, which are necessary to complete the
following lesson. Possibly pair students
for this pre-program activity; emphasize
creativity, simplicity and ingenuity.
2)
Provide an example of the baseball Morse code
(see resource link) that was used in the days
of simulated radio broadcasts. Depending on
the students’ ability or grade level, ask
students to decipher a coded message to create
a vocabulary list or a brief play-by-play
account.
3)
Discuss H.G. Wells’ radio play, The War of
the Worlds. Show how the sound effects of
the 1934 radio broadcast impacted the behavior
and emotions of a national listening
audience. Compare and contrast this famous
radio dramatization with simulated baseball
broadcasts of the same era.
4)
Find
a well-known radio play, such as Twelve
Angry Men. As a class, re-enact the drama
with the appropriate reading emotion,
articulation and expression.
5)
Create a timeline showing the emergence of
entertainment and information media, such as
the telegraph, radio, television and movie
theaters. Discuss the influence of
advertising, sponsorships and developing
technologies on the flow of mass communication
in various historical periods. |
