(sorry, just realised I had saved these as drafts and not actually posted!)
b) How might his views seem to people today? What is radio ‘good for’ in your opinion?
Because of the nature of the topic in hand, Goebbel’s views regarding the potential of the radio to make change may seem quite extreme, but when considered in other contexts, his point becomes more apparent. His belief of the persuasive and effective power of radio (As a ‘new media’ of the time) are stated throughout and as he notes, radio was becoming accessible to all citizens, making the power of this new medium ever increasing. Although Geobbels is talking just about radio, in modern terms his views can be linked to the Effects Debate, and when we consider the assumed effect of new media such as television, the internet, films etc, his views seems rather more common sense to a 2009 media student . Goebbels touches on many points which seem quite ahead of his time, particularly when he talks about needing some sort of regulatory body for the radio and that it should not become a tool of propaganda but must be used artistically, as long as this is done responsibly and in the interest of the masses: still a priority of regulatory bodies today. Perhaps if writing today Goebbels might consider renaming his speech ‘The MEDIA as the Eight Great Power’, and his words become something we can comprehend quite easily.
Goebbels on Radio http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/goeb56.htm
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