How Cassette Tapes Changed the World

On the Media

WNYC Studios

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4.6 • 8.7K Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Cassette tapes mostly gather dust these days. But back in their heyday, they fundamentally changed how we communicate, in ways we’re still making sense of today. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the cassette tape fueled the Iranian revolution, helped pierce the Iron Curtain, and put human connection in the palm of our hands.

1. Simon Goodwin on his innovation to broadcast computer software over the radio back in 1983. Listen.

2. Computer programmer Fuxoft explains his role in 'Sneakernet,' which saw pirated material of all types smuggled into 1980s Czechoslovakia via cassette tape. Listen.

3. The role of cassette tapes in the Iranian Revolution. Listen.

This episode was reported, produced, scored and sound designed for Radiolab by Simon Adler with original music throughout by Simon. Top tier reporting and production assistance was provided by Eli Cohen.

Transcript

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0:00.0	On this week's on the media, how the cassette tape brought down governments,
0:04.3	collapsed time and space, and remade how we share information.
0:09.6	All of the early computers, certainly this time of the Atlantic.
0:13.5	Even the apples used cassettes.
0:15.9	The idea that you could have your own compilation that you made,
0:20.4	and you could have songs in any order you wanted,
0:23.4	it's like a sort of a superpower this technology was giving you.
0:26.4	It took about six days to spread across the whole country.
0:30.3	There's a term for it's called sneaker nut.
0:32.8	People in sneakers running around in distributing cassettes.
0:36.5	They duplicated it thousands and thousands and thousands of times.
0:42.0	When a homani called for strikes on these tapes, they happened.
0:46.1	Well get your tape record as I know you take, stand by for blasting because here it comes.
0:51.1	Three, two, one.
0:53.1	The outsized influence of a little piece of plastic after this.
1:00.3	From WNYC in New York, this is on the media.
1:03.6	I'm Brick Gladstone.
1:05.6	Those of you of a certain age and disposition, maybe right now sitting on the floor of your
1:11.6	childhood bedroom or crouched in the family attic or going through boxes of junk in your
1:17.2	parents' basement. I mean if not Thanksgiving weekend, then when?
1:21.2	And if you are doing that, have you come across any cassette tapes?
1:26.1	You know, dusty little plastic cases with unspooled tape in a giant brown tangle?
	...

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