Continuous Wave

Essays, histories and reflections on media from the POV of audio. Because everything is broadcasting.
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Featured

Aug 27, 2026

Tornado Man

Walter Winchell owns a piece of you. Why not learn from the bastard?

Julia Barton

Aug 13, 2026

Sound is a Time Machine

Garrett Tiedemann on the cinematic truth of audio

Julia Barton, +1

Apr 16, 2026

What Does Talent Cost?

Awkward conversations about money could be made easier with time travel

Julia Barton

Apr 30, 2026

When Actors Did the News

Time Magazine and their ad agencies re-enacted events and people, fake accents and all. But their news show wasn't a parody.

Julia Barton, +1

May 1, 2025

🎙️Fear the Microphone🎙️

"Mike fright" was so widespread in radio’s first decade, it affected the design of studios and programs. It still haunts podcasting today.

Julia Barton

Dec 4, 2025

The Mysterious Listener

How radio invented audience research, "like" buttons and all

Julia Barton

Story Vault

Aug 27, 2026

Tornado Man

Walter Winchell owns a piece of you. Why not learn from the bastard?

Julia Barton

Aug 13, 2026

Sound is a Time Machine

Garrett Tiedemann on the cinematic truth of audio

Julia Barton, +1

Jul 30, 2026

The Gift

I screwed up early in my career yet lived to tell the tale

Julia Barton

Jul 16, 2026

Queen of the Kilocycles

How Tallulah Bankhead's "The Big Show" tried to fend off the first pivot to video

Julia Barton

Jul 1, 2026

🇨🇦 Radio Revolutionary

For Canada Day, a guest post on Margaret Lyons, the woman who changed CBC Radio

Julia Barton, +1

Jun 11, 2026

Sweet Deceit

When radio sound effects escaped containment into “the real world”

Julia Barton