Radio - Broadcasting, Communication, Entertainment

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Just as audiences of the time were accustomed to seeing motion pictures without sound, they learned how to envision their own images to accompany purely audible dramas. By enlisting the support of the listener’s imagination, Golden Age radio combined dialogue, sound effects, music, and occasional narration to paint images with sound. 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Just as audiences of the time were accustomed to seeing motion pictures without sound, they learned how to envision their own images to accompany purely audible dramas. By enlisting the support of the listener’s imagination, Golden Age radio combined dialogue, sound effects, music, and occasional narration to paint images with sound. 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data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio">radio</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/topic/radio">Introduction & Top Questions</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref301713"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio#ref301713">Radio’s early years</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref301714"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-of-American-radio">The Golden Age of American radio</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301715"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-of-American-radio#ref301715">A new commercial medium</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301716"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-of-American-radio#ref301716">The need for regulation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301717"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-of-American-radio#ref301717">The role of advertising</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301718"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-of-American-radio#ref301718">The development of networks and production centres</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301719"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-of-American-radio#ref301719">Ratings systems</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301720"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/A-new-art-form">A new art form</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301721"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/A-new-art-form#ref301721">Radio acting</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301722"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/A-new-art-form#ref301722">Sound effects</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301723"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/A-new-art-form#ref301723">Radio music</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301724"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/A-new-art-form#ref301724">Golden Age programming</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301725"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/A-new-art-form#ref301725">Origins in vaudeville</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301726"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Comedy">Comedy</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301727"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Comedy#ref301727">Situation comedy</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301728"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Variety-shows">Variety shows</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301729"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Variety-shows#ref301729">Anthology shows</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301730"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Variety-shows#ref301730">Film-based anthology shows</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301731"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Variety-shows#ref301731">Police and detective dramas</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301732"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Westerns">Westerns</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301733"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Westerns#ref301733">Horror and suspense</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301734"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Westerns#ref301734">Science fiction</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301735"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Westerns#ref301735">Soap operas</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301736"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Juvenile-action-and-adventure-series">Juvenile action and adventure series</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301737"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Juvenile-action-and-adventure-series#ref301737">Sports</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301738"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Juvenile-action-and-adventure-series#ref301738">News</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301739"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/American-radio-goes-to-war">American radio goes to war</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301740"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/American-radio-goes-to-war#ref301740">The end of American radio’s Golden Age</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref301741"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-around-the-world">The Golden Age around the world</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301742"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-around-the-world#ref301742">Canada</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301743"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-Golden-Age-around-the-world#ref301743">Great Britain</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301744"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe">Continental Europe</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301745"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301745">Luxembourg</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301746"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301746">Germany</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301747"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301747">France</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301748"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301748">Soviet Union</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301749"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301749">Asia</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301750"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301750">China</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301751"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301751">India</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301752"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301752">Japan</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301753"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301753">Latin America</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301754"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301754">Brazil</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301755"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Continental-Europe#ref301755">Mexico</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref301756"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Reinventing-radio-1945-60">Reinventing radio, 1945–60</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301757"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Reinventing-radio-1945-60#ref301757">Postwar rebuilding</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301758"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Reinventing-radio-1945-60#ref301758">Growth of the BBC</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301759"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Reinventing-radio-1945-60#ref301759">Economic and political concerns</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301760"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-rise-of-Top-40-radio">The rise of Top 40 radio</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301761"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-rise-of-Top-40-radio#ref301761">The FM phenomenon</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301762"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-rise-of-Top-40-radio#ref301762">Radio in developing countries</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref301763"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/New-initiatives-1960-80">New initiatives, 1960–80</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301764"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/New-initiatives-1960-80#ref301764">FM growth</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301765"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/New-initiatives-1960-80#ref301765">Pirates and public-service radio</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301766"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Radio-in-developing-markets">Radio in developing markets</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref301767"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Radio-in-developing-markets#ref301767">Radio since 1980</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301768"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Radio-in-developing-markets#ref301768">Pressures on public-service radio</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301769"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-changing-sound-of-radio">The changing sound of radio</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301770"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-changing-sound-of-radio#ref301770">In Europe</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301771"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-changing-sound-of-radio#ref301771">In the United States</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301772"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-changing-sound-of-radio#ref301772">In Latin America</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301773"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-changing-sound-of-radio#ref301773">In Asia</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref301774"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-changing-sound-of-radio#ref301774">In Africa</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301775"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/The-changing-sound-of-radio#ref301775">The global sound of radio</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref301776"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/radio/Radios-digital-future">Radio’s digital future</a></li></ul></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/radio">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/95459-050-2C61EC63/family-radio-console.jpg" data-href="/media/1/488788/154155" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/95459-004-B551E8C9/family-radio-console.jpg" alt="radio" 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Sterling</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Professor of Media and Public Affairs and of Public Policy and Public Administration, George Washington Unversity, Washington, D.C.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Christopher H. Sterling</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Randy-Skretvedt/5492" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Randy Skretvedt</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Radio producer, writer, and scholar of 20th-century show business. Author of <em>Laurel & Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies</em>.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Randy Skretvedt</span><span class="text-gray-700 mx-5">•</span><a class="see-all border-gray-700 gtm-byline" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio/additional-info#contributors">All</a> </div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Orson-Welles" topicid="639348">Orson Welles</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Dylan-Thomas" topicid="592795">Dylan Thomas</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Bob-Hope" topicid="271454">Bob Hope</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Rupert-Murdoch" topicid="398054">Rupert Murdoch</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Reginald-Aubrey-Fessenden" topicid="205416">Reginald Aubrey Fessenden</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/technology/broadcasting" topicid="80543">broadcasting</a></dd> <dd><a href="/technology/radio-technology" topicid="1262240">radio technology</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/mass-communication" topicid="2220027">mass communication</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/public-service-radio" topicid="1805106">public-service radio</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/program-broadcasting" topicid="734752">program</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>On the Web: </dt> <dd><a href="https://www.elon.edu/u/imagining/time-capsule/150-years/back-1890-1930/" target="_blank">Elon University - Imagining the Internet - 1890s – 1930s: Radio</a> (Nov. 21, 2024)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/radio"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="2" id="ref301720"> <span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The techniques of radio <span id="ref1123793"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/theatre-art" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">drama</a> had long been established with commercial phonograph recordings called “descriptive specialties,” in which <span id="ref1123794"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/sound-effect" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">sound effects</a> created an <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="environment" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/environment" data-type="MW">environment</a>, vocal qualities created characterizations, and distance from the recording device indicated the performers’ relative placement. Just as audiences of the time were accustomed to seeing motion pictures without sound, they learned how to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="envision" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/envision" data-type="MW">envision</a> their own images to accompany purely audible dramas. By enlisting the support of the listener’s imagination, Golden Age radio combined <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dialogue" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialogue" data-type="MW">dialogue</a>, sound effects, music, and occasional narration to paint images with sound. As a result, the best radio writers were those who thought visually and those who could create their visions through purely aural means.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span> <section data-level="3" id="ref301721"><h2 class="h3">Radio <span id="ref1123796"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/acting" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">acting</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">During the 1930s a group of dependable actors and actresses developed who worked primarily in radio. These performers were skilled in vocally portraying many different <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dialects" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialects" data-type="MW">dialects</a> and age ranges. Frequently, one actor would play two or more roles in a given program. An actor who “doubled” in this manner needed the ability to switch mental gears and make the transition from one voice to the next. A radio actor did not have to resemble a part physically. A versatile actor would generally appear on many programs, and he or she could devise imaginative ways to get quickly from one studio to another when performing in consecutive programs on different stations. Some performers, <span id="ref1138778"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Orson-Welles" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Orson Welles</a> among them, occasionally hired an ambulance to speed them to the next studio.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Some radio programs were produced in studios in which only technicians and performers were present; others were enacted before a live audience. In the very early days of network radio, <span id="ref1123800"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/audience-communications" class="md-crosslink ">audiences</a> witnessing a broadcast were <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="admonished" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admonished" data-type="MW">admonished</a> not to make any noise, as it was felt that this would confuse the listeners at home. Comedian <span id="ref1123797"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eddie-Cantor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Eddie Cantor</a> needed laughter and applause, however, and early in his <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="tenure" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenure" data-type="MW">tenure</a> (September 1931 to November 1934) as host of <em><span id="ref1123810"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Chase-and-Sanborn-Hour" class="md-crosslink ">The Chase and Sanborn Hour</a></em> for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/National-Broadcasting-Co-Inc" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">NBC</a>, he did everything he could to make the crowd laugh heartily while on the air. The sound of the audience’s laughter proved infectious, and Cantor’s approach won out. From then on, most comedy and variety shows depended on the live audience’s reaction as an essential ingredient.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Because radio actors were not required to memorize lines, rehearsals were brief and informal. On the day of the broadcast, actors would sit around a table and read the script aloud; after one or two of these “table readings,” a dress rehearsal that included music and sound effects directly preceded the program, which was then performed live on the air. The best and busiest radio actors often performed on the air with no rehearsal at all, reading the script “cold” <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="yet" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/yet" data-type="EB">yet</a> still conveying a well-defined characterization.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Time zone differences required many shows to be broadcast live twice: once for the East Coast and again for the West three hours later. Radio lore is filled with stories of actors who spent their three-hour break having a few drinks at Brittingham’s, a restaurant next to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/CBS-Corporation" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">CBS</a> studios in Hollywood, or at Colby’s, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New York</a> equivalent—and then performing the West Coast show in a rather uninhibited fashion.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/communications-firsts-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/95/151195-131-77ACB0EC/Jack-Brown-movie-stars-Lauren-Bacall-Humphrey.jpg" alt="Armed Forces Radio Services broadcaster Jack Brown interviews Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall for broadcast to troops overseas during World War II." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Communications Firsts Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="3" id="ref301722"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123795"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/sound-effect" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sound effects</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">As dramatic radio developed, so did a need for convincing sound effects. Some effects established the background of a scene; a story taking place in the woods at night might have crickets chirping, an owl hooting, and a coyote howling, for example. Some effects were achieved with a library of special recordings. For some scenes a radio sound-effects crew could employ a battery of turntables playing many recorded effects simultaneously. Other effects were done vocally; certain performers specialized in reproducing baby cries, animal sounds, or blood-curdling screams.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Many of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynamic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynamic" data-type="MW">dynamic</a> sound effects were achieved with props, often built by the sound-effects specialists themselves. Thunder was simulated by shaking a large sheet of metal; galloping horses were reenacted by pounding coconut half shells in a sandbox; and the crunch of footsteps in the snow was created with bags full of cornstarch. Specially designed boxes were created to reproduce the sounds of telephones and doors. Sound engineers kept a large supply of shoes and various floor surfaces on hand to reproduce the sounds of footsteps.</p><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="3" id="ref301723"><h2 class="h3">Radio <span id="ref1123812"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">music</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">As radio’s narrative form developed, so did <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="unique" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/unique" data-type="EB">unique</a> musical passages designed to help further a story. Musical bridges were used as a transition between scenes and might indicate a change in mood from comedic to dramatic. “<span id="ref1123813"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/sting-musical-cue" class="md-crosslink ">Stings</a>” were musical cues that came in sharply and dramatically, often played just after an actor had delivered a line indicating a new turn in the story line. Many radio shows also had distinctive theme songs; some of them became indelibly associated with particular performers.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The musicians used on a given program could range from a single organist to a full orchestra. CBS had a particularly fine group of composers and conductors. Among the CBS staff were conductors Mark Warnow, Raymond Scott (renowned for the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="quirky" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/quirky" data-type="EB">quirky</a> pseudo-jazz pieces he performed with his Quintette), and Lud Gluskin. Composers included Lyn Murray and Bernard Herrmann; the latter went from composing scores for radio shows such as <em>Columbia Workshop</em> and <em>The Mercury Theatre on the Air</em> to creating renowned scores for films directed by <span id="ref1138779"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Orson-Welles" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Orson Welles</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Hitchcock" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Alfred Hitchcock</a>, and many others.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span></section></section> <section data-level="2" id="ref301724"><h2 class="h2">Golden Age programming</h2> <section data-level="3" id="ref301725"><h2 class="h3">Origins in <span id="ref1123815"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/vaudeville" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">vaudeville</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Much of the programming in the early period of American radio sounded like the popular <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/vaudeville" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">vaudeville</a> theatre circuit from whence came many of radio’s early personalities. Announcers were often selected not merely for their voice quality but for their ability to play the piano or some other instrument in order to fill unexpected gaps in programs. Because few stations could afford to pay performers, early programs centred on what was available, such as a professor holding forth on a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/electric-current" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">current</a> issue, a visiting singing star, or a local band. Music was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="predominant" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/predominant" data-type="EB">predominant</a>, occupying two-thirds to three-quarters of most stations’ slowly expanding airtime. Virtually all other time was given over to some kind of talk or information content. Rare were stations such as Westinghouse’s KYW in Chicago, which specialized in a specific format—in this case, live broadcasts of opera.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The typical broadcast day, therefore, consisted of irregular times devoted to talk, music, or comedy in a largely unplanned fashion, each lasting for however long seemed “right.” Early commercial radio <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/broadcasting" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">broadcasting</a> was more akin to a small-scale “mom-and-pop” operation than to a smooth-running corporate enterprise. Throughout commercial radio’s first decade (the 1920s), the broadcast day was often filled with anyone who was available. The pioneer broadcasters were the first people called upon to provide entertainment and information for a substantial amount of the day and evening; as a result, just about anything audible that was remotely interesting would be trotted before the microphones in the 1920s. <span id="ref1123816"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gale-Gordon" class="md-crosslink ">Gale Gordon</a>, later a popular supporting actor on many radio shows of the 1940s, recalled making his <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="debut" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/debut" data-type="EB">debut</a> over the air on KFWB in 1926:</p><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span> <blockquote><p>There was a studio at the base of a tower on Sunset Boulevard; it was Warner Bros. Studios. It had a little room at the bottom where they broadcast radio, which was quite a novelty in those days. And somebody told me, “If you have anything to say or do, go in and they’ll be happy to put you on the air.”…So I went down, and they said, “What do you do?” I’d learned three or four chords on the ukulele, and I’d written some new words to “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo’,” which was a silly popular song of that time, and so they said, “The mike is yours.” So I went on and sang “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo’” with these four lousy chords—I cannot play anything—and they said thank you, and I left. Nobody ever heard it, I’m sure, because they only had 50 listeners in the best of times. (Gale Gordon, personal communication)</p></blockquote> <span class="marker PREMOD13 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Although Gordon’s experience seems to have come straight out of small-town America, in fact it took place in Hollywood.</p><span class="marker MOD13 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD14 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The development of planned schedules featuring popular programs of specific lengths, defined formats, and clear beginnings and endings developed slowly in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a> and elsewhere through the 1920s. Until about 1930, however, radio offered little or no drama or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/situation-comedy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">situation comedy</a>, few <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/sports" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sports</a> broadcasts of any kind, and no regular newscasts or weather reports.</p><span class="marker MOD14 mod-inline"></span></section> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":3,"pagesTotal":16,"pageId":488788,"pageLength":1268,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":3,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Radio - Broadcasting, Communication, Entertainment | Britannica