Nowadays, people take our communication methods for granted. One quick tip-tap on your phone and you've sent texts, emails, direct messages, or posted a blog in no time. In addition to communication, one tip-tap on your phone will take you to multiple outlets to find hundreds of thousands of entertainment, music, and news sources. It's hard to imagine that people had to physically go to events or town squares, or get messages and news from the pony express in order to communicate to the world and others in our community before the invention of the radio by Guglielmo Marconi in the late 1890s.
Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, is credited with the invention of the radio in 1896 by creating a 'wireless telegraph' that could transmit morse code. He brought electromagnetic waves into the real world by broadcasting the first transatlantic signal, after founding his own commercial wireless company, on December 12, 1901. Unfortunately, some officials disregard Marconi as the 'Father of Radio' and the Supreme Court of the United States even invalidated 4 of his patents and claimed Nikola Tesla as the inventor in 1943.
Marconi's radio saved the Titanic survivors by establishing communication between the ship and the RMS Carpathia.
On December 24, 1906 in Brant Rock, Massachusetts, Reginald Fessenden sent the first long-distance transmission of human voice and music. This accomplishment later inspired commercial radio broadcasts.
Tuners, which receive radio frequency transmissions and convert specific carrier frequencies into fixed frequencies that allow sound to be amplified more clearly, are specific for each radio station. These tuners were formed in 1916 with Edwin Armstrong's creation of superheterodyne circuits that receive the frequencies converted by the tuners. This influenced Armstrong's creation of FM radio in 1933, resulting in clearer, non-static sound compared to AM radio.
The further development of the radio became essential during World War I with communication between commanders and lieutenants to the men on the front line. This communication was necessary for planning routes and attacks that would give the Allies an advantage over the Central Powers, and for communicating to ships and sending signals between ships out at sea.
After the success of radio communication during World War I, civilians began buying radios, resulting in the creation of commercial and entertainment broadcasting. KDKA, the first radio broadcasting station created for announcing results of the Presidential Election, was founded in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1920, and stimulated the 'Golden Age of Radio' from 1920 to the late 1950's. By the beginning of the 1920's, over 500 broadcasting stations were founded and most households in the United States and Europe owned at least one radio. Radios became the main source of entertainment for all ages, and influenced a new habit of crowding around the main console in the family room to listen to music, comedy shows, or news after supper.
Main radio console passed down through generations on maternal side of my family
AT&T released the first radio advertisement in 1923, which influenced the creation of CBS and NBC in response to AT&T as the only official broadcasting station. (Later, CBS and NBC transformed into the televised broadcasting companies they are today.) Radios, especially these stations, were the main source of communication for rallying opinions and war news during World War II. It informed the public of the events happening overseas in real time for the first time in American history, and served as propaganda on the home front. Not only were radios available by hand, but they were also included in airplanes, submarines, tanks, etc. for more reliable communication. This influenced the incorporation of the Navajo 'code talker' language which gave the Axis powers a communicative advantage throughout the war.
The essential use of the radio during World War II proved this technology to be an astonishing advancement in communication for tons of different situations, from war to gossip. After the war, radio added more entertainment stations for music in addition to its news broadcasting, in order to compete with the newly developed television from the late 40's into the early 50's. With this revolution, music and radio became synonymous and that relationship has continued up to modern day. As music became more and more popular in the radio culture, the records industry started slowly diminishing since it was quicker to tune into a station playing songs automatically, than placing a record and flipping it - especially since those record usually only played one genre at a time. The 'Top 40' - similar to the 'Top 100 Billboard Hits' today - was created in response to the birth of rock n' roll music in the 50's and radio broadcasting had moved outside the house into automobiles, as well. These developments helped keep radio alive while the television was gaining popularity. As the television was more focused on news broadcasts, the radio started including radio personalities, more comedy or dramas, more popular music, and advertisements to keep up with the times. Some broadcasting stations stayed strictly for news - usually public-service stations- but others changed as radio popularity grew and supported more outside music formats in the 50's and 60's.
FM Radio became the fastest-growing segment in the radio broadcast business in the 1960's with the help of new technology called stereophonic radio in 1961, and the National Public Radio was the first American national network linking noncommercial stations in 1970. This allowed for companies to join 'memberships' of NPR radio stations to increase their programming advertisements and created more popular programs for the NPR stations to carry, such as All Things Considered. "Drive Time" radio became most popular when job routes became longer as urbanization increased after the 60's. Thanks to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the growth of big chain stations dramatically increased which led to the formation of 'splintering' formats. By 1980, there were about a dozen formats available which tripled by the beginning of the 21st century - including genres such as 'golden oldies' and hot adult contemporary.
Radio and music have been synonymous for decades, but as the 21st century started, these ideas became a pivotal point of cultures around the globe. Digital radio services, such as Sirius and XM, became the rave, and have influenced creation of more advanced technology surrounding music and radio entertainment. Right now, we can't survive without Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, Apple Music, or SoundCloud.... I'm sure Guglielmo Marconi had no idea his 'wireless telegraph' invented in his attic would dominate the entertainment industry, and provide so much more than the friendly communication and news announcements he had in mind.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Broadcasting-Co-Inc
https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio/New-initiatives-1960-80
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/guglielmo-marconi
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/rescue-development-radio/
https://www.techwholesale.com/history-of-the-radio.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/edwin-howard-armstrong-1991244
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