Radio Broadcast History
The history of broadcast radio began in 1899 when Guglielmo "Bill" Marconi set up wireless communication between France and England. That opened the way to Lee de Forest's 1907 demonstration of a "wireless telephone," which eventually led to George Burns and Gracie Allen, the Lone Ranger, George Benny, the Green Hornet, soap operas, rock and roll music and the Beatles.
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Facts
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Broadcasting requires a "sender" to transmit and "receivers" to listen. There is no shortage of either. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in June 2008 there were 14,124 licensed radio stations in the United States.
Early Years
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After his 1907 demonstration of a "wireless telephone," de Forest continued to focus on radio --- inventing the vacuum tube in the process --- and, in 1919, he began broadcasting from a station in High Bridge, New York. KDKA (owned by Westinghouse), said to be the first licensed radio station, began transmitting in Pittsburgh in November 1920. The station was such a hit that by 1925 there were so many stations operating on overlapping frequencies that nobody could get a good signal. Congress solved that problem by creating the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), and passing the Radio Act of 1927. The Federal Communications Commission replaced the FRC in 1934.
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Middle Years
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Broadcasting matured in the 1930s and so began the "golden age" of radio, which lasted until television's appearance in the late 1940s. The decade of the 1950s was one of struggle as broadcasters sought a viable position opposite television. The Baby Boomer generation and rock and roll artists like Elvis Presley and the Beatles saved the day as radio programming shifted to a Top 40 songs, news, weather and sports format aimed directly at a younger audience.
Later Years
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In the 1980s, broadcasters struggled with deregulation. They fractured into niches, broadcasting content aimed at specific audience segments. But by the 1990s, most had returned to the music, news, weather and sports format. As FM stations began dominating markets, AM stations retaliated with talk radio shows.
Today
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People now can listen to the music genre of their choice over cable televisions, on satellite radio receivers and through their computers. Local AM and FM stations can be listened to wherever a listener happens to be and regardless of what the listener happen to be doing.
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