Voice radio broadcasts make politics much more national.  To a much greater degree in the presence of radios that can be attuned to voice broadcasts, ordinary people turn aside from the governance of their little towns, and become obsessed with the doings of famous national politicians; and not only for caring, as they do at other times, about whether a draft or a tax might be about to strike their village.  Gossip about kings and queens displaces gossip about mayors.

Democracies, republics, countries where a significant number and variety of factions have power, in the presence of national radio broadcasting, will tend to line up behind a few small great figureheads; they become like the residents of Oppara, Taldor's great central city, lining up behind one of four and then just two major chariot-racing teams. 

This makes people a little more Evil.

But it makes them a lot more Chaotic.

The net effect is not to Asmodeus's advantage.

And should that technology tree advance to the point of empowering literal actual television, the collapse of all once-great countries into ruin cannot be more than a century or two delayed.

Voice radio broadcasts make politics much more national.  To a much greater degree in the presence of radios that can be attuned to voice broadcasts, ordinary people turn aside from the governance of their little towns, and become obsessed with the doings of famous national politicians; and not only caring, as they do at all times, about whether a draft or a tax might be about to strike their village.  Gossip about kings and queens displaces gossip about mayors.

In democracies, republics, and countries where a significant number and variety of factions have power, the presence of national radio broadcasts will polarize all politics behind a few small great flags.  The whole people of a radio-enabled country become like the residents of Oppara, Taldor's great central city, lining up behind one of four and then just two major chariot-racing teams. 

This makes people a little more Evil.

But it makes them a lot more Chaotic.

The net effect is not to Asmodeus's advantage.

And should that technology tree advance to the point of empowering literal actual television, the collapse of all once-great countries into ruin cannot be more than a century or two delayed.

Voice radio broadcasts make politics much more national.  To a much greater degree in the presence of radios that can be attuned to voice broadcasts, ordinary people turn aside from the governance of their little towns, and become obsessed with the doings of famous national politicians; and not only caring, as they do at all times, about whether a draft or a tax might be about to strike their village.  Gossip about kings and queens displaces gossip about mayors.

In democracies, republics, and countries where a significant number and variety of factions have power, the presence of national radio broadcasts will polarize all politics behind a handful of flags.  The whole people of a radio-enabled country become like the residents of Oppara, Taldor's great central city, lining up behind one of four and then just two major chariot-racing teams.  Factions and journalists compete to capture the minds of villagers listening to the local broadcast radio, searching the space of possible arguments for memes that will appeal to and exploit average villagers; and those villagers in turn will be exposed to much more virulent memes, brewed in faster-bubbling cauldrons.

This makes people a little more Evil.

But it makes them a lot more Chaotic.

The net effect is not to Asmodeus's advantage.

And should that technology tree advance to the point of actual television, the collapse of all once-great countries into ruin cannot be more than a century or two delayed.