Translator Networks and the New Geography of Religious Radio

The Geographic Diversity of Radio Formats Across the U.S.

“…Religious broadcasting has particularly grown in the United States in the past two decades. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of radio stations in the U.S. increased four percent but the increase in religious stations was 14 percent (Wikle and Comer 2010). This increase also has been in spatial coverage; an increase made possible by national communications policies (Wikle and Comer 2010).…”

“…The geography of radio broadcasting in the U.S. has not gone unnoticed by geographers (Bell 1965; Innis 1972; Wikle and Comer 2010). Geographical patterns of music/radio format preference across the U.S. are presented here by mapping the numerical predominance of formats in each state; seen this way, patterns in music preference and consumption indicate both the persistence of regional cultural patterns and perhaps a simultaneous pattern of homogenization.…”