@article{2961944e20294c2d954fbf3defae70c6,
title = "Running on Air: Radio and the Experience of Drama in the Swedish {\textquoteleft}Gunder H{\"a}gg mania{\textquoteright} of 1941–45",
abstract = "During World War II, middle-distance runner Gunder H{\"a}gg set 15 world records and became a media sport star of unprecedented magnitude in Sweden. This article turns attention to the role of radio broadcasts in the formation of Swedish “H{\"a}gg mania” 1941–45. When analyzed in terms of blindness, liveness and co-presence, radio broadcasts from this era reveal that radio announcers actively engaged with audiences to solidify a sense of liveness and co-presence that established moments of suspense and ritualized drama. The concept of dimensional listening is used to explain how radio as a {\textquoteleft}blind{\textquoteright} medium could evoke forceful imagery, while the audiences{\textquoteright} use of stop-watches to time running events provides an example of how broadcasters encouraged audience interactivity, reinforcing the experience of simultaneity and national community.",
keywords = "co-presence, radio history, history of sport, running, Media history",
author = "Bj{\"o}rn Lundberg",
year = "2021",
doi = "10.1080/13688804.2020.1858770",
language = "English",
volume = "27",
pages = "510--524",
journal = "Media History",
issn = "1469-9729",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "4",
}