To broadcast is to send out radio, TV, or online signals so that many people can receive them at once. It can also mean to share information widely.
Originally a farming term from “broad” + “cast,” meaning to throw seeds widely across a field. In the early 1900s, it was borrowed to describe sending radio signals widely over the air.
Before it was about TV, “broadcast” literally meant flinging seeds with your hands. Early radio engineers stole a farming word to describe flinging sound and information across the sky.
Broadcasting industries historically centered male voices and male hosts as the default, with women often confined to limited roles or judged primarily on appearance. This shaped whose perspectives were heard in public media.
When discussing broadcasters or hosts, use gender-neutral role terms and avoid assuming that authoritative or technical roles in broadcasting are male by default.
["host","present","stream"]
Women journalists, producers, and presenters have expanded and diversified broadcasting, often pushing to cover issues like gender-based violence, health, and labor that were previously sidelined.
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