Habit or Hobby?

Listening to the radio shows in class last week honestly made me wonder if the listeners just tuned in every week to zone out and fall asleep. As hard as I tried to pay attention to what was going on, I could only feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. After further thought on the subject I realized there were both strong similarities and differences between radio and television audiences today compared to their beginnings.
A major difference I noticed was that radio shows then took more creativity and imagination to listen to, then an average weekly scripted television show of today. Unless you really get into the plot and put yourself into the action, I think it would be very easy to let your mind wander to the point you forgot you were even listening to the program in the first place. They didn’t have actors and actresses performing in front of their eyes, and everything was left up to each listeners individual imagination.
At the same time, I noticed a definite similarity in the radio programs and some of the shows I see on TV today. A few reality television shows broadcasted today remind me of the radio programs we listened to in class. Many times I will turn on the TV with no intention of just sitting there to watch it and do nothing else. Radio programs were easy to listen to back in the day because they didn’t force you to sit in one spot and monopolize all of your attention. Housewives could carry on their duties while listening to their favorite program. If I were to watch an episode of something like " Housewives of Orange County" I could get up, leave for 10 minutes come back and not have missed anything, and would be able to pick right back up in the story. This TV show also proves that even with all the advancements of technology, people have not become more picky in the kind of entertainment they choose to watch/listen to. Personally I don’t find watching a bunch of wrinkly tanned older women drinking and traveling through their 3rd marriages any more exciting then the black face actors performing scripted meaningless dialog over the radio. However there are people out there that won’t want to miss an episode to see what the 40 year old ladies will get themselves into next, just as people back in the day tuned into some of these radio shows every week. It seems to be almost more out of habit then hobby.