Kickstart Start - Radio

Radio

    I’ve always been fascinated with radio and its development. It was a really essential part of American culture and communication, and still works to connect communities (internally and externally). Radio played a major part in shifting the way we consume local news, politics, world events, and music. I’ve always been interested in radio’s relationship to the music industry, but I also want to learn more about its other roles in our culture. I’m also interested in the decline of radio, and how it was affected by the introduction of new technologies, such as television, and later streaming services. 

    Looking into the invention of radio, there was a lot of piggy-back technological development by different experimenters around the world. Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi made a breakthrough with long distance transmission in 1895, sending signals up to 2 miles away, and over hills. In 1900, Canadian physicist Reginald Fessenden achieved the first successful audio transmission via radio signal using a continuous wave transmitter. Later, in 1906, Fessenden sent the first long distance audio signal of human voice and music from his station in Brant Rock, Massachusetts to ships along the Atlantic coast. 

Guglielmo Marconi

Reginald Fessenden

    Development was rapid. By the 1920’s, a handful of domestic stations had received some form of experimental or commercial license. Some credit the Pittsburgh station, KDKA, with the first national broadcast in November of 1920, which consisted of the 34th Presidential Election results. By 1930, an estimated 40% of suburban American households owned a radio, and an even larger percentage of Americans in metropolitan areas/cities. I’m particularly interested in 1930’s radio because of its essential role of connecting/supporting Americans through The Great Depression. Radio has done so much for us, from informing to entertaining, it’s a truly versatile communication technology.

    I sometimes struggle to believe there was a time when our country’s content was so much more homogenous than it is today. With the shift away from radio, and the rapid increase in news sources, I’m curious about the effects of scattered information, and how this may be fostering disconnection amongst Americans today.

Family gathered around their radio, 1930's