ABSTRACT
A key component of radio is news, the medium's ability to get essential, breaking information out to people fast, when it happens, when they need it. The master of disaster, Americans got an early understanding of radio's utility when wireless operators in 1912 transferred names of 700 Titanic survivors, rescued by the Carpathia, to their loved ones ashore. When disaster strikes and usual channels of communication are cut, radio remains as the most reliable means of keeping in touch with the outside world. News and information play a crucial role in any radio format, a fact demonstrated quite dramatically during the Persian Gulf war. Recognizing that listeners are unlikely to stay with the same station every minute, all-news stations try to keep their listeners coming back throughout the day by promising to deliver news, weather, traffic, time checks and other information whenever a listener wants them.
