talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...
show format, though now considered archaic, where listeners call in to buy or sell items. The concept is analogous to classified ads in local newspapers and most prevalent in the south and
midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
.
"Tradio" is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words
Format
Most tradio programs follow a similar format to each other. Callers are given a studio line in which they can phone-in and advertise, for free, a limited number of items for sale, or request an item to purchase from another listener. The caller then gives a phone number so that other listeners can contact the person for further information. Since the increased prevalence of
e-mail
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic (digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
and other electronic media, most stations permit the sending in of items to sell via e-mail or fax, though due to regular and/or
identity theft
Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term ''identity theft'' was c ...
concerns some stations will assign a code number to anonymize the transaction and keep identifying information off the air. Most stations also permit listeners to send lists of items through postal mail. Tradio programs are particularly associated with the
full service Full service or Full Service may refer to:
* Full-service radio, a wide range of programming
* Full Service Network, a communications company
Entertainment
* "Full Service", a song by the New Kids on the Block from their album ''The Block''
* Ful ...
format; tradio was commonly found on
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. As a result of the buyouts and mergers permitted by the Broadcasting Act 1990, and deregulation resulting from the Communications Act 2003, ...
in the UK when it used a similar format (up to around 1990).
There are usually some limits to what can be bought and sold through tradio programs. Most stations stipulate that only individuals, and no businesses, may use the tradio service, since the financial security of these small stations usually relies on the advertising dollars from these businesses. Federal regulations prohibit the sale of
firearms
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
through these services;
real estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...
is also usually not allowed on tradio programs. Restrictions on the sale of
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded ...
s varies from station to station.
The name "tradio" does not apply to any one particular program and there are no national or syndicated tradio programs. It is technically not a franchised format, either, as no one company owns the intellectual property rights to the
format
Format may refer to:
Printing and visual media
* Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements
* Paper formats, or paper size standards
* Newspaper format, the size of the paper page
Computing
* File format, particular way that informatio ...
.
Popularity
Typically tradio and similar programs are only heard on small, rural stations; KDKA in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
is the largest market with a tradio program, airing weekly on Saturday afternoons. A similarly-styled program titled ''Wheelin' and Dealin' with Dave Ramos'' also airs during the weekends on
WTAM
WTAM (1100 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and carries a news/ talk/sports format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Oh ...
in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...
(but is not in a regular timeslot). In smaller markets, tradio programs can air daily. The smallest radio station in America that airs a Tradio program is KEDU-LP in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Various Tradio programs have been the target of prank phone calling by ''
The Howard Stern Show
''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The show has aired on Howard 100 a ...