abstract: Distant listening—the capture of radio stations from other parts of the globe—meant a great deal to radio’s early listeners, many of whom were seduced by the mystery surrounding sounds and voices coming from elsewhere. Building on scholarship by Simon Potter and Rebecca Scales, this article examines a range of texts by Fernand Divoire, Suzanne Malard, and Pierre Mac Orlan in which distant listening is the primary subject matter. It argues that their lyrical representations of radio have a subtle political dimension, fueled by wider anxieties about national sovereignty and radio’s effectiveness as a tool of propaganda and social cohesion.
Emilie Morin (Sat,) studied this question.