Radio History

The narrator discussed about they momentus changes that have taken place in the history of radio, mainly during it's first 25 years. Guglielmo Marconi was an italian inventor who was known for inenting the radio telegraph system, in his aim to create a wireless version of the telegraph and the telephone.

The way in which it was explored, packaged and marketed ti big institution fueled the publics fascination with the radio. Then the invention crystal radio sets opened up the airwaves to the public. Radio enthusiasts, then went on to learn about the radio, listened to radio messages and ultimately went onto broadcast on radio live.

These enthusiasts were mainly white, middle-class males, until the 1920's where women became listeners, performers and for brief period announcers. 1912 Radio Act,  required liscensing of all radio operators, and seperated the radio into seperate sections for different types of users, which meant that amatures wereonly allowed to broadcast on shprtwave radio.

When WW1 came about, the goverenment were prompted by security concerns, to nationalised radio, and limit it to war time commuications.

After WW1, the amatures bradcasting was more appreciated, and Radio then became an opportunity to make money from, as people went onto sell radio. Opportunities, such as commercial activities, keeping up to date on live sport or events taking place, were available by the 1930's.

Then the desire to own and operate radio became passion for the American people. By 1921, the nation had fewer than 20 commercial stations; a year later it had 690 liscensed commercial station. The radio station owners were very diversed expanding from radio manufactires and newspaper publisher to universities and colleges; from department stores and car dealers to churches municiplaities.

Radio allowed people to listen to radio stations in far away cities and local stations too. Howveer, not too long later, competition for audience listener became apparant. Because of cluttered airwaves, this prompted the 1927 Radio Act. This legislation roclaimed that the radio stations belonged the nation as a whole, and were going to now be favouring stations who act on the best interest of the nation.

Commercial stations ultimately succeeded above the rest, who had poorer frequencies, lower powers and were forced to timeshare. Many stations closed down. Attention was back on attracting the listeners, and stations were particularly inerested in the programming schedules and timing patterns of the different audiences. By the 1940's, the programming schedule was such, that it still remain the same 75 years later. The programming tastes have changed but the programming and the structire of radio remains the same.