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Radio Past

Page history last edited by Stephanie Christensen 11 years, 4 months ago

                                                                        Radio Group

 

                                                                              Present

 

                                                                                Future

 

The History of the Radio

 

 

Samuel Morse is a big developer of the radio.  In 1840, Morse Invented the very first telegraph.  A telegraph is a device which involves sending electrical impulses from a transmitter through a cable to a reception point.  This is known as Morse code.  Through dots and dashes, it stood for letters in the alphabet.  By 1844 Morse had set up the first telegraph line between Washington D.C. and Baltimore.  This was a big break through for the later technology, radio, but a downside to this was that of ships.  Ships were still not able to communicate to people on land.  Navies couldn't find out when wars on land was ending.

 

 

 

     James Maxwell is the first to just theorize the existence of electromagnetic waves in 1860's.  He thought of these as 'radio' waves, that could be harnessed so that signals could be sent from a transmission point to a reception point.  Heinrich Hertz later on around 1880 proved Maxwell's theory.  Hertz created a device that permitted an electrical spark to leap across a small gap between two steel balls.  This was the first ever recorded transmission and reception of an electromagnetic wave.  Through this device/experiment, It made radio possible.  

 

 

 

 

 

     Guglielmo Marconi later in 1894 became interested in Hertz's work and went off trying to make wireless technology practical.  Marconi was able to attach Hertz's device (transmitter) to a Morse telegraph key, which sent out dot-dash signals that traveled into a Morse inker.  By grounding the wires, It would travel a greater distant.  By 1897 Marconi formed his company called Marconi wireless telegraph company (British Marconi) (American Marconi).  He started installing wireless technology on naval and private commercial ships, Than in 1901 he relayed the very first wireless across the Atlantic ocean.

 

 

    Nikola Tesla  was a Serbian inventor. He also was an electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and physicist. He was best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current. His patented AC and transformer were licensed by George Westinghouse. Westinghouse also hired Tesla as a consultant to help develop an alternating current system. Tesla is also known for his high-voltage, high-frequency power experiments in New York and Colorado Springs which included patented devices and theoretical work used in the invention of the radio communication

 


                                                         Radio Contribution (5:20-)

 

     Lee De Forest was an inventor who wrote the first ph.D dissertation on wireless technology, building on others innovations.  In 1901, De Forest signed up to report yacht races, by doing so, he challenged Marconi who also was reporting to these yacht races.  The competing transmitters jammed each others signals so bad that the officials turned to using hand signals and flags to relay information of the race.  This lead to a greater problem for the future of the radio.  Noise and interference from competition for radio frequencies.  De Forest later set up the wireless telephone company in 1902.  He invented the Audion.  This was a device shaped like a vacuum tubed that detected radio signals and amplified them.  It increased listeners ability to hear dots and dashes and later, speech and music on a receiver set.

 

     Reginald Fessenden on December 24th, 1906,  transmitted human voices from Brant Rock near Boston to several ships at sea owned by the united fruit company.  He played a recording of "largo" on an Ediphone.  He also played the violin and singing "oh holy night".  This was the very first voice broadcast! It was finally moving from a point-to-point communication toward a one-to-man communication.  It all rose from there, from transmitting gramaphone music recordings atop the Eiffel tower in Paris to locations 400 miles aways to transmitting a performance of Tosca by the metro opera to friends in New York.  He later went to work for the navy and also GE (General Electric) where he worked at improving wireless signals.  

 

 

     Wireless Ship Act in 1910 required all major U.S. seagoing ships that was carrying more than 50 passengers and traveling more than two hundred miles, would have to be equipped with a wireless equipment.  In 1912 the Titanic sank, but even though it killed more than 1500 passengers, wireless reports played an important part in pinpointing the location of the ship and enabling rescue ships to save over 700 lives.

 

     Radio Act of 1912 required all wireless stations to obtain radio licenses from the Commerce Department.  This addressed the problem of amateur radio operators cramming the airwaves. The original bill was initiated during the investigations following the sinking of the Titanic.

 

     Vacuum Tubes was very critical  to the development of electronic technology, which drove the expansion and commercialization of radio broadcasting.  This simply just Amplifies signals of all frequencies.   

 

       GE later developed a plan to create a private sector monopoly, that is a private company that would have the governments approval to dominate the radio history.  By doing so, GE, which was an american company broke off its agreement on sharing radio technology to European owned companies, limiting those comapanies.  GE founded a new company, Radio Corporation of America (RCA).  It later acquired American Marconi and other radio patents from other U.S. companies. Under RCA's patents pool arrangement, patents from the navy, GE, AT&T, and other companies were combined to make sure U.S. had total control over the manufacture of transmitters and receivers.  AT&T, which monopolized the telephone service, manufactured most transmitters and GE made radio receivers.   RCA's job was to mainly ensure radio parts were standardized by manufacturers and control frequency interference by amateur radio operators.  Most important impact was that is gave the United States almost total control over the mass medium of broadcasting.

 

     In 1922 At&t wanted to monopolize the radio industry as they did with the telephone industry.  At&t than began making their own radio receivers.  They started a radio station named WEAF (which is now known as WNBC). It was the first radio station to sell commercial time to advertisers.  They realized by doing so, it offered another opportunity for profits.  This was the start of At&T to try and take total control over the radio industry.  By 1924, At&t had interconnected 22 stations to air a talk by President Calvin Coolidge.  They created one of the very first networks (a group of broadcast stations that share programming produced at a central location). The network stations became the Broadcasting Corporation of America (BCA)

 

     After the clash At&t had with RCA, and that the Justice department gave At&t a monopoly for providing the wires which is known as long lines, to interconnect stations nationwide, At&t sold its BCA network to RCA for $1 million and agreed not to start broadcasting again for eight years in exchange.  David Sarnoff, who was the general manager for RCA, created the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in 1926 2. He than split NBC up in two groups that was called NBC-Red network (The former network owned by At&t known as BCA) and the NBC-Blue network (The network that was recently established by RCA, GE, and Westinghouse).

 

  Nbc1943.png

 

     The radio hobby grew during the decade before World War 1.  Charles ("Doc") Herrold was one of many that operated a wireless transmitter.  He soon provided regular scheduled voice and music programs to a small local audience of amateur radio operators.  Very few people heard these broadcasts, mainly people heard about them.  The only available receivers were handmade by radio enthusiasts, which were mostly men and boys.2  When the United States went into war in 1917,  the navy closed down all amateur radio operations to ensure military security 1. 

 

     Frank Conrad was a Westinghouse engineer who set up a radio station above his garage in 1916, by placing a microphone in front of a phonograph to broadcast music and news to his friends, on a experimental radio station (8XK).  He unofficially became one of the mediums first disc jockeys 1.  In 1920 KDKA was established.  It is regarded as one of the first commercial broadcast station, Along with Herrold which radio station became KCBS.  By 1923 more than six-hundred commercial and non-commercial stations were operating 1.

 

 

 

THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO

 

     The radio started to become more and more of a business standpoint, which led to station owners to band together to seek stronger government licensing regulations.  From 1922 to 1925, Herbert hoover organized four conferences to replace the existing laws regarding broadcasting.  In the start, all stations in the U.S. had to operate on a single frequency, (833 kHz) and stations in the same area were forced to share time so their signals did not interrupt with each others 2.   By 1922, the addition of two more frequencies (619 kHz) and (750 kHz) helped a little.  Later, most frequencies between 550 kHz and 1,350 kHz were tuned over for broadcasting use in 1923.  The Department of Commerce lacked the discretion to reject license apps or to enforce frequency assignments.  Interference and mutual cooperation between station operators made in increased pressure on congress to update radio legislation which came up with the Radio Act of 1927.  Frequencies used for broadcasting were held by government , not owned by licensees

 

EXAMPLE

The Amplitude Modulated (AM radio) carrier frequencies are in the frequency range 535-1605 kHz. Carrier frequencies of 540 to 1600 kHz are assigned at 10 kHz intervals.

 

By the 1930, Living rooms were filled with radio, playing music, drama, comedy etc.  One of the most popular comedies back then was Amos 'n' Andy.  

 

The most famous single radio broadcast of all time was an adaption of H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds:

 

Time-30:30

Orson wells on Halloween eve in 1938, aired the martian invasion novel in the style of a radio news program. People went nuts thinking it was a real attack of martians invaders and the U.S. Army.  

 

 

Censorship

Censorship is the act of editing or banning of (in this case) songs / speech over the radio. Things that are censored are deemed to be offensive. So what do they consider offensive? Anything obscene, indecent, and / or profane language is considered offensive and is immediately censored. Profanity is often misinterpreted as swearing, profanity is actually language that is so offensive to those who hear it to be considered a nuisance. Context is key for censorship, if something was taken in a different context it could be interpreted as offensive when it really is not. Censoring what people say or play sounds like it goes against the constitution right? Wrong! Censorship does not break the 1st amendment because profanity and obscene language are not protected. Americans do not have the legal right to be profane or obscene in public as it can cause harm to others around them. The radio can't just censor whatever they want though. First off they can't censor things between 10:00pm and 6:00am. These are considered the safe hours where children will most likely not be in the audience. The second issue is they must first put the material through a 3 prong test.

3 Prong Test

  • The average person must find that it has / encourages excessive interest in sexual matters.
  • It must depict or describe, in an offensive way, sexual conduct as defined by the law.
  • The material as a whole must lack: artistic, political, or scientific value.

This doesn't mean that the FCC has never overstepped their bounds. In 1958 the song Rumble, by: Link Wray became the only instrumental song to have been banned from the radio. How this is considered profane, obscene, or indecent is a mystery. So what happens when you break the censorship laws? The first time the FCC issue a warning and if you still don't listen they revoke the station license. If you still don't stop they slap you with a huge fine which could be in the millions of dollars.

 

 

Radios new invention

In the 1950's, Radio came across a huge downfall. The invention of television. Television stole from radio,its advertisers, program genres, celebrities, and large evening audiences. It replaced the radio in most homes.  Radio had to do something big to come back on top and so it did. The development of transistor by Bell Laboratories. Transistors were small electrical devices that could receive and amplify radio signals, Just like the Vacuum tube but less heat, more durable and they were tiny. In 1957 Sony introduced the pocket radio.  This let people bring this to places where a television couldn't go, Like beaches, offices, into bedrooms and bathrooms. By 1960's, radio listening happened mainly outside the home.   

 

Jukebox

The first coin-in-slot Jukebox was introduced in 1889 by Louis Glass and William S Arnold. It earned $1000 in it's first six months of existence. The nickel-in-slot phonograph was very popular in the 1890s. The nickel-in-slot phonographs were placed in public places and people enjoyed music by simply placing a nickel in the slot. In the 1920s radio came along and provided free music. With the introduction of radio and the worldwide economic depression of the 1930s the phonograph industry went into major decline.

 

AM Radio

AM Stations were the very first broadcasting stations that developed back in the 1920s. AM stands for amplitude modulation which is a way of broadcasting radio waves by varying the amplitude of the carrier signal in response to the amplitude of the signal to be transmitted.

 

FM Radio

FM was developed in the 1930s by Edwin H. Armstrong. FM, or frequency modulation, conveys information over a carrier wave by varying it's frequency.  This minimized static and interference from electrical equipment and from the atmosphere from the audio programming.

 

Pirate Radio

Illegal broadcasting 

 

 

 

First radio broadcast of JFK assassination on ABC radio 


 

CITED: 

-Anderson, Christopher. "National Broadcast Company." The Museum of Broadcast Communications. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov 2012.

-Fessenden, Reginald. Invention of the Radio. 2011. Video. YoutubeWeb. 8 Nov 2012.

-"radio". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 08 Nov. 2012
<
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/488788/radio>.

-“Invention of the Radio.” 2012. The History Channel website. Nov 8 2012, 2:47 http://www.history.com/videos/radio-creates-a-cultural-phenomenon.

-“Guglielmo Marconi.” 2012. The History Channel website. Nov 8 2012, 2:49 http://www.history.com/topics/guglielmo-marconi.

-"Obscenity, Indecency & Profanity." Obscenity, Indecency & Profanity. US Government, 17 July 2012. Web. <http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/oip/>.

-"“Rumble” Riles Censors." The Pop History Dig » Radio Censorship History. N.p., 16 May 2010. Web. <http://www.pophistorydig.com/?tag=radio-censorship-history>.

-"Music Censorship- Laws." Music Censorship- Laws. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.nku.edu/~issues/music_censorship/laws.htm>.

- "Obscenity, Indecency and Profanity." Federal Communications Commission. Consumer & Governmental Affairs, 17 May 2011. Web. <http://www.fcc.gov/guides/obscenity-indecency-and-profanity>.

-Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos. Media & Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. Print.

Comments (4)

Stephanie Christensen said

at 11:04 am on Oct 1, 2012

Name: James Clerk Maxwell

Date: June 13, 1831 - November 5, 1879

Basic Summary: James Clerk Maxwell was a Scottish mathematical physicist who experimented with and studied electricity amongst other things. He was born on June 13, 1831 and died November 5, 1879. He made a model of electromagnetism which was a huge advancement in physics. Maxwell's studies helped him realize that electromagnetic waves were possible. His prediction that radio waves existed was a step towards the creation of what we all know as the radio.

Impact on the Industry: prediction of radio waves

Stephanie Christensen said

at 11:08 am on Oct 1, 2012

hey so i uploaded a file with my post from question of the week 1 but i'm not sure where it went.. and i don't know how to delete that comment i made before this either

Nathan Selga said

at 12:38 pm on Oct 1, 2012

Frank Conrad (1874-1941)

Frank Conrad was born in Pisstburgh. He quit school in 7th grade and just when he was 16 years old, he started working for a company, Westinghouse. Conrad first became interested in the radio when he decided to bet on the accuaracy of a watch, so he built a radio in order to here time signals from the naval observatory in Arlington, Virginia. Than in 1916 Frank Conrad built a transmitter in his garage for all of Pittsburgh to hear. Everyone loved Conrads broadcast, so he started broadcasting for 2 hours each Wednesday and Saturday nights. Later in 1917 all amatuer broadcast were ceased but Conrad still used radio for military purposes in World War 1. In 1919 Conrad began broadcasting again with a variety of music and football scored. In 1928 Frank demonstrated a movie film to television converter at Westinghouse. He later recieved his honorary degree of doctor in science that year at the University of Pisstsburgh. He also recieved the Edison medal from the American insitute of Electrical Engineers. In 1940 he retired from the westinghouse and died while on vactation Dec.11,1941.

Amanda Wiggins said

at 5:18 pm on Oct 15, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM3JEUk6Q2s Here is a video on Marconi. It is a pretty good video.

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