In its latest post (7/2), “Up Close Far Out” – a YouTube video series hosted by TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison – takes a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of radio, examining the state of the radio device itself – the actual appliance – from the perspective of those on the front line of its development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution.
What is the state of the gizmos we call “radios” in the early decades of the digital era?
Is radio an obsolete technology on its last legs or is the device going through an exciting evolution in terms of its technology, content and broader societal purpose going forward into a brave new world?
What is the difference between “radio” and the broader term “audio?”
What impact does the prospect of ongoing tariff wars have upon the domestic radio manufacturing industry? And what exactly does it take to move back and develop a new product such as a modern radio in the USA?
Harrison’s guest, Jessica Crotty, is an important player in that industry. She is the CEO of a small, but highly influential, Northern California-based company – C. Crane – that for more than three decades has specialized in manufacturing, aggregating, distributing and marketing radios and radio-oriented devices for the platform’s most ardent fans.
The company’s focus on radio literally began as a “mom & pop” operation by draftsman, designer and electronics engineer Bob Crane, his wife Sue, and Grandma Faye who ran the fledgling business at the kitchen table of their home north of the “Redwoods Curtain.”
Since selling their first AM antenna, C. Crane has grown into a nationally respected “boutique” electronics company. They have developed several outstanding radios to serve radio listeners who prefer information, talk radio and audio tuned for voice clarity. After several near 7.0 earthquakes, in 1992 they added radio and light products that would become essentials during an emergency event anywhere in the country.
Jessica Crotty launched her professional career with C. Crane almost three decades ago working her way through the ranks from customer service all the way up to being CEO and a company principal.
Crotty and Harrison engage in a candid, information-packed conversation exploring the evolving technical and cultural intersection between radio’s glorious past, underrated present, and potentially impactful, but somewhat ambiguous, future. If you are interested in radio as a broadcaster or a fan, you do not want to miss this interview.
To view the video in its entirety, please click here.
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