COMMERCIAL RADIO AS COMMUNICATION

Most communication and culture producing institutions in the United St ates operate more for commercial than for any other motives. This essa y examines commercial radio by comparing the day-to-day work routines in that institutional setting with the principles of a theoretical com munication model. Commercial radio, of course, does not meet the stand ards of such a model. By this thought experiment, however, we can illu minate many peculiarities of the conduct of communication by commercia l radio, learn more about the application of theoretical models to the evaluation of practicing institutions, and offer assessments of comme rcial radio that derive from communication theory, rather than from ec onomics, law, politics, or business concerns.