The Sounds of the Radio

Most radio historians assert that radio broadcasting began in June 20th 1920, when radio listeners all over Europe thrilled to the voice of Soprano Nellie Melba singing English, French and Italian songs from London. Later that year, in November 2nd America’s first radio station, KDKA in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, broadcast the results of the Harding-Cox Presidential election.


The Radio started to affect mass culture in 1922, when a San Francisco newspaper reported, "There is radio music in the air, every night, everywhere. Anybody can hear it at home on a receiving set, which any boy can put up in an hour." Radio altered the daily habits of its listeners more than any other previous invention. Radio provided people a source of entertainment they could share. Radio programs ranged from live theatre to sporting events, and from symphony concerts and jazz to religious sermons and broadcasts of important events. Now people all over the country and the world laughed at the same jokes, hummed the same music, and listened to the same commercials.


Radio created public personalities, like announcer Graham McNamee. In 1921, McNamee first broadcast a baseball game by radio. He knew little about sports, but his vibrant baritone soon became familiar to millions of Americans. McNamee became the top sports announcer for the new National Broadcasting Company (NBC).


Another NBC radio star was Rudy Vallee, a singer who created a variety show format. The Rudy Vallee Show began in 1929 and was one of the most popular shows of the 1930s. Many famous vaudeville names paid a visit to the show.


Next in popularity after sports on radio were musical programs. Light classical music programs were common. The Chicago station KYW was created to broadcast opera performances in Chicago. The regular performances of the great Irish singer John McCormack were broadcast on the RCA Victor Hour. McCormack was often featured with the New York Metropolitan Opera Company's Lucrezia Bori.


Manufacturers were overwhelmed by the demand for receivers, as customers stood in line to complete order forms for radios after dealers had sold out. Between 1923 and 1930, 60% of American families purchased radios. Families gathered around their radios for night-time entertainment. As radio ownership increased, so did the number of radio stations. In 1920, KDKA was not the only operating radio station, but it remains a benchmark in the United States. By 1922, 600 radio stations had sprung up around the country.

Chicago's first radio station, KYW, begun in 1921 by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, was the first specialized radio station, broadcasting exclusively opera six days a week. The radio station experienced immediate popularity and continued to be a favourite in Chicago. After the opera season ended, the station owners saw the need to diversify their programming. They began broadcasting popular and classical music, sporting events, lectures, fictional stories, newscasts, weather reports, market updates, and political commentary.

Radio stations like KYW enhanced a sense of community among different groups as each group could listen to programming suited to their interests and needs. However, the advance of radio technology also created a tension between modernity and the traditions and habits of Americans.

The rapid spread of radio listeners and programs lead to inevitable confusion and disruption. Radio stations started competing with one another for time and listeners and many programs overlapped. Listeners of one program were frequently interrupted by overlapping programs. In addition, the public, the government, and emerging radio corporations viewed radio as a means of public service, rarely as a vehicle for personal profit. Radio manufacturers alone experienced financial gain from the radio boom. Radio announcers, deejays, and stations worked on a non-profit basis. Advertising was not introduced until later in the 1920s, changing the public service face of radio, to one of private gain.


The federal government hesitated to regulate the airwaves. Radio stations, listeners, and emerging broadcasting corporations all asked the government for some sort of intervention to end the free-for-all that radio had become. The government responded slowly, gradually passing laws to govern the radio. The Federal Radio Commission was set up in 1926; the Radio Act of 1927 organized the Federal Radio Commission. This Act became the basis for the Communications Act. As the government spent more time investigating radio stations, apportioning time to different groups and programs, and monitoring the growth of the radio industry, they became more and more comfortable with the responsibilities of regulation. These federal bodies eventually ceased to doubt their right to regulate.

The radio brought new emotions, new sensations and each individual experienced a different and personal thrill while listening to the sounds carried by the waves.

The Radio Craze was a cultural phenomenon brought by the roaring twenties. It was the first taste of globalization…




Sources: Wikipedia.org; http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com; http://www.1920-30.com; http://xroads.virginia.edu; http://www.classzone.com