Radio studies is a relatively new and fastly evolving field. The rise of streaming and podcasting media have deeply questioned the field of radio studies, since radio is currently losing its monopoly on sound-based media. In the last two conferences in Lugano 2018 (ECC) and Siena 2019 (Section), we have witnessed the growth of submissions interested in studying the relationships between sound and society, sound and urban spaces, the rise of new aural cultures, the rise of podcasting and mobile media listening practices (smartphone, AI-based loudspeakers), the political economy of digital music (Spotify) and audio (Audible, Amazon) streaming platforms, among other issues derived from our current digital, networking and platformization Age.

With this change of name, we would like to make space for all these new trends in our section, also in order to be able to attract scholars from other fields of media studies and not only the ones interested in radio. We are convinced that our section, with its solid background in broadcasting, can be the right place to discuss these new topics and situate audio and sound studies into the broader history of radio broadcasting and mass communication.