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First Radio Signal Sent and Received
In 1895 Guglielmo Marconi successfully sends and receives the first ever radio signal. In his father's home in Pontecchio he experimented extensively with radio waves eventually sending a radio wave 1.5 miles until it was received on the other end. -
Audion Tube Implemented to Radio
in 1906 Lee De Forest proposed the idea of an amplifier to help boost the strength of radio signals. He accomplished this by inventing the Audion Tube. This device was a small lightbulb shaped glass tube. Inside the tube was a vacuum permitting radio waves to easily travel through it. Using these tubes radio waves could be broadcast to a much larger radius. -
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Radio's Uses
Radio had a large number of benefits over other communication such as telephone and mail. It could be transmitted quickly, cheaply, efficiently, and wirelessly. These virtues made it an overarching method to receive information. During this time period it was especially useful for ships because it enabled wireless communication with the mainland while out at sea. In addition it attracted hobbyist's who invented their own radio stations later named "Uncle Charlie Stations" -
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Popular Radio Shows during the "Golden Age" of Radio
-The Goldbergs
-Amos n Andy
-GunSmoke
-The Shadow
-Our Miss Brooks
-Superman
-Dick Tracey
-Little Orphan Annie
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First Radio Station
The first radio station, AXK (later renamed KDKA in 1949) was established out of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1920. The station was hugely popular and still broadcasts today. -
First Radio Advertisement
In 1922 New York radio station, WEAF aired the first radio advertisement. This early commercial referred to as a "toll broadcast" detailed the benefits of a specific apartment complex. The station received a fee of $50 for this 10 minute advertisement. After this point toll broadcasts became increasingly more common through the early 1900's and there existed a number of Uncle Charlie stations featuring nothing but advertisements. -
Radio Licensing Changes
In 1927 the FRC (Federal Radio Commissions) later renamed the FCC (Federal Communications Commissions) was founded. The purpose of the organization was to help decrease problems with Uncle Charlie stations. The vast amount of people with their own station caused errors with power and frequency of radios. To combat this issue the FRC states that you require a license to own and broadcast a radio station. They also assign said licenses as well as frequency numbers and set station power limits. -
Radio Station Call Phrases
Due to the overwhelming number of radio station's in the early to mid 1900's there weren't enough numbers to give every single one a different station number. There may be a station 10 in New York as well as a station 10 in Nebraska causing confusion to listeners. To solve this issue Call Phrases were assigned. The most prominent are W and K, with W meaning East of the Mississippi and K meaning West of the Mississippi. -
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TV's effects on radio
Early in 1930 TV became extremely prominent with 99% of American families owning a television set that is used for 7 hours or more daily. Despite TV's popularity, radio was still used by a large majority of people listening to news of the war as well as radio shows. This provided an outlet for families to spend time with each other while they listened on the radio. -
Popular Music During The Great Depression
In the 1930's during the great depression was the beginning of a new era of music. Big Band and Swing music both had a rising popularity. Idols such as: Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller all aided in bringing popularity to the genres and taking people's minds off of their financial crisis. -
Why Radio Didn't Work as TV
As TV became more prominent in the early 1930's there was a high demand for popular radio shows to receive a port to television. This proposal posed numerous issues. The most difficult of these obstacles to overcome is the fact that the majority of a character's voice actors don't look like their character. People wanted to watch the character on TV; not watch someone who sounds like, but looks totally different from their character. -
FM Radio
In the early 1930's Edwin Armstrong began tinkering with Lee Forest's audion tube. He discovered that using similar properties he could create a circuit later named The Regenerative Circuit with this he could amplify a radio signal to nearly a thousand times its strength. He also discovered that when at its highest amplifications the circuit acted as an oscillator. The circuit enabled him to modulate the frequency of radio waves increasing their clarity and range. -
Music in Radio
Edwin Armstrong's regenerative circuit allows an unprecedented level of clarity and strength in sound on radio. This additional power allows station programmers to broadcast music to their listeners. FM stations are reserved for music and AM music is reserved for news and talk shows. The addition of music to radio gives it an additional pro over TV as there was a very limited number of options to listen to music. -
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Fall of Radio
In 1933 the creation of the IUMA dealt a heavy blow to radio music stations. This was the first online music streaming service. Users could listen to whatever song they wanted whenever they wanted unlike on radio where they had to listen to prescheduled programs. More modern streaming services have almost entirely replaced radio in the last 70-80 years and in another decade it is entirely possible that the commercial use of radio is done away with entirely.
