Information People Used to Carry in Their Heads Before Smartphones

For generations of drivers and music listeners, favorite radio stations were remembered as numbers. People knew exactly where to turn the dial for rock, pop, country, classical music, sports, traffic reports, or local news, often remembering several AM and FM frequencies simultaneously. Car radios with physical preset buttons reduced some of the work, but listeners still recognized station frequencies from advertising, jingles, and years of repetition. Traveling outside the familiar broadcast area created a small ritual of scanning the dial until something appealing appeared. Radio personalities frequently incorporated frequencies into station branding, ensuring listeners heard the number dozens of times every week. Smartphones, satellite radio, podcasts, and streaming services have radically changed that relationship. Music now follows the listener rather than requiring the listener to locate a transmitter. Traditional radio remains important, especially in cars and local markets, but memorizing frequencies is far less universal than it once was.