Radio - Broadcasting, Technology, Europe

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<div class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" 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 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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>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Christopher-H-Sterling/5658" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Christopher H. 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. 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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 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="1"><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="2" id="ref301744"> <span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Radio developed in other European countries on somewhat parallel lines—usually government-operated or government-supported <span id="ref1124258"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-service-radio" class="md-crosslink ">public-service</a> operations with a limited number of stations and an even more limited choice of programs. Again, the emphasis was on high-quality <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a>, education, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">music</a>, often with a strongly nationalistic tone. Most European countries operated a relative handful of stations because the countries were small and did not need many outlets to cover their limited area, because <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/advertising" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">advertising</a> revenues that might have supported more stations were banned, and because fewer frequencies were <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="allocated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allocated" data-type="MW">allocated</a> for broadcasting than was the case in the United States.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span> <section data-level="3" id="ref301745"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123900"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Luxembourg" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Luxembourg</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">By 1934 <span id="ref1124011"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Radio-Luxembourg" class="md-crosslink ">Radio Luxembourg</a> was using 200,000-watt transmitters to send popular commercial radio programs from the tiny duchy across Europe. As no other European country then offered advertising-supported entertainment and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/popular-music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">popular music</a>, Radio Luxembourg soon attracted about half of the total radio listeners across the Continent (and many in Britain) with its programs of otherwise unobtainable music and popular <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/theatre-art" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">drama</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="3" id="ref301746"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123901"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Germany" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Germany</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">During the 1920s early German radio was operated by a variety of private owners and supported by both license fees and advertising revenues. Slowly centralized in the early 1930s, radio fell under Nazi control in 1933, causing the somewhat varied programming of independent German stations to quickly give way to a more national service by the mid-1930s. Considerable time was given to commentary and speeches by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Hitler" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Adolf Hitler</a> and other leaders, although stations also broadcast shows devoted to regional culture and traditions, as well as several music programs that tended to feature German composers. For the next dozen years (1933–45), German radio operated as an arm of the <span id="ref1123998"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nazi-Party" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nazi state</a> and was a key means of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="disseminating" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disseminating" data-type="MW">disseminating</a> wartime <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/propaganda" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">propaganda</a>. Cheap receivers that could tune only the frequencies of approved German stations were made widely available, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/receiver" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">receiver</a> license fees were kept low to encourage set ownership and use. Listening to foreign radio stations became illegal with the beginning of the war in 1939.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Under the direction of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="propaganda" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propaganda" data-type="MW">propaganda</a> minister <span id="ref1123999"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Goebbels" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Joseph Goebbels</a>, Germany took radio as a propaganda device to new extremes, demonstrating how it could be applied to rally a people at war while instilling fear in the enemy. Modern short-wave transmitters operated from Zeesen, near Berlin. As Germany occupied more of Europe in 1940–42, additional stations came under German control. For example, when German forces occupied Luxembourg in 1940, the popular commercial short-wave station there became part of Nazi propaganda (ironically serving the long-held desire of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/British-Broadcasting-Corporation" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">BBC</a> to close down its competition for British listeners).</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">As one part of the German approach, a new kind of traitor was featured over the air: “Lord Haw-haw” broadcast German propaganda to the British for the entire war. He turned out to be an American-born holder of a British passport by the name of <span id="ref1124000"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Joyce" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">William Joyce</a>, whom the British executed for <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="treason" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/treason" data-type="EB">treason</a> in 1946. <span id="ref1124001"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mildred-Gillars" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mildred Gillars</a> was an American who became known as “Axis Sally” when she also broadcast for the Germans, primarily to American troops. She and other such broadcasters served postwar prison terms.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="3" id="ref301747"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123902"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-France" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">France</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Radio Paris was providing a daily <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/newscast" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">newscast</a> by 1924. Private, advertiser-supported stations were also expanding across the country at about this time; there were soon a dozen of them. (The French began external broadcasting in 1931, primarily to expatriates in their extensive colonies in Africa and Southeast Asia.) Only in 1933 did French listeners begin to pay an annual license fee to listen to radio, the funds going only to government stations. Political parties played an important role in French radio, with listenership divided about equally between government and private stations. Although the private stations (some <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="affiliated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affiliated" data-type="MW">affiliated</a> with major newspapers) carried advertising, they had to submit to considerable government control regarding programming decisions. Gradually, news on French stations grew more slanted to match the views of a particular political party; as a result, the government established in 1936 an objective national network newscast originating from Paris that all stations had to carry. Regional variance in music and cultural programs continued until the war and the period of German occupation (1940–44), at which point competition between public and private stations came to an end when the private stations were taken over by the central government. The liberated France of 1945 formally <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="rescinded" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rescinded" data-type="MW">rescinded</a> private licenses, and French radio began a long period of government-monopoly operation.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="3" id="ref301748"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123903"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Soviet-Union" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Soviet Union</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Soviet radio to the late 1920s was largely locally controlled, since there was no national network. Dozens of stations were operating by late in the decade, though few served rural areas or the Asian portion of the vast federation. Stations carried news provided by the government as well as a considerable number of music and cultural programs; there was virtually no <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/light" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">light</a> entertainment. Regular international radio <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="transmissions" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/transmissions" data-type="EB">transmissions</a> from Russia began over Radio Moscow in 1929 with broadcasts in English, French, and German—some of the first multilingual broadcasts by any country. By the early 1930s the Soviet government was exerting tighter control over station operations and content (increasingly the Moscow station acted as the centre of an informal network) but also, perhaps ironically, providing more entertainment.</p><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">To make radio listening easier, the Soviet Union developed a system of wired radio—connecting inexpensive receivers to local stations by wire—that grew slowly throughout the 1930s and became more widespread than over-the-air radio. In 1928 there were only about 20 over-the-air stations, a number that grew to about 90 outlets and an estimated 760,000 over-the-air receivers by 1941. In contrast, at this time there were about 11,000 wired channels—or “radio exchanges”—providing services to more than five million receivers.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">During <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a> radio took on a strongly patriotic tone, continuing with music (about a third of the total) and news as well as government <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="propaganda" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/propaganda" data-type="EB">propaganda</a> messages. Additional services were added after the war, providing some semblance of program choice, and listeners could also tune in programs from other countries as the number of regular multichannel radios increased in number.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span></section></section> <section data-level="2" id="ref301749"><h2 class="h2">Asia</h2> <section data-level="3" id="ref301750"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123904"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-China" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">China</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1927, five years after initial private radio experimentation in China, the first government-owned stations (in Tianjin and Beijing) were established. By 1934 the number of stations in major cities in the north and east totaled more than 70, most of them small and privately owned. Shanghai alone had 43 stations, many of them foreign owned, designed to service the thriving International Settlement. Most of China was covered by a Nanjing-based Central Broadcasting Station shortwave transmitter, installed in 1932. Inexpensive crystal radio receivers were widely used. Most programs on these early radio stations consisted of lectures and talks, some news, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Chinese-music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Chinese music</a>. By 1945 the government’s Broadcasting Corporation of China served the country through 72 medium-wave transmitters; the government restricted the content of radio to avoid anything deemed to be “contrary to public peace or good morals.”</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="3" id="ref301751"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123905"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-India" class="md-crosslink ">India</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Initial Indian broadcasting (from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mumbai" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mumbai</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kolkata" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kolkata</a>) was in English and catered to the small European <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="community" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community" data-type="MW">community</a> and Westernized Indians—while ignoring the mass population. Faced with a rising tide of anti-imperialist <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="sentiment" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentiment" data-type="MW">sentiment</a> in the country, the colonial government bought these outlets and renamed them the Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS). Four of the princely states established their own radio stations. Programs for rural areas and schools were initiated. In 1935 the government took a decisive step by inviting the BBC to help lay the foundations for a <span id="ref1124259"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-service-radio" class="md-crosslink ">public-service broadcasting service</a> with the primary goal of providing information and education. Senior BBC producer Lionel Fielden spent five years in India as controller of broadcasting, creating <span id="ref1124002"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/All-India-Radio" class="md-crosslink ">All India Radio</a> (AIR). Programs of Indian music, drama, and public affairs were increasingly broadcast over AIR in Hindustani after about 1940, in an attempt to standardize language use in one of the most multilingual parts of the world.</p><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="3" id="ref301752"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123906"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Japan" class="md-crosslink ">Japan</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD12 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Planning for Japanese radio was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="delayed" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/delayed" data-type="EB">delayed</a> by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Tokyo-Yokohama-earthquake-of-1923" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tokyo-Yokohama earthquake of 1923</a>; transmissions did not get under way until two years later, allowing the country to refine its basic broadcast policies (based on the experience of other countries) before the first stations appeared. The first Tokyo station began regular service in March 1925, and the first network—the <span id="ref1124003"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Nippon-Hoso-Kyokai" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai</a> (NHK), or Japan Broadcasting Corporation—appeared the next year; it would dominate Japanese radio for decades. Several other stations were added throughout the decade and into the 1930s. Programs heavily emphasized the superiority of Japanese culture, and by late in the decade they were lauding Japan’s invasion of China.</p><span class="marker MOD12 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD13 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Wartime radio, broadcast mostly from Tokyo, closely followed the German model (radio officials of the two countries were regularly in touch), though propaganda was interspersed with entertainment and music. NHK was increasingly controlled by military leadership after 1941 and became a news and propaganda outlet supporting Japanese war aims. Japan also captured many radio transmitters in occupied nations. A number of women were called <span id="ref1124005"></span>Tokyo Rose as they broadcast (in English) against the Allied military forces in the Pacific. Only one, <span id="ref1124004"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Iva-Toguri-DAquino" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Iva Toguri D’Aquino</a>, was an American citizen, and she served a prison term after the war before receiving a presidential pardon in 1977. Japan’s broadcast system largely survived the wartime bombings intact and continued to operate under the postwar occupation by American forces.</p><span class="marker MOD13 mod-inline"></span></section></section> <section data-level="2" id="ref301753"><h2 class="h2"><span id="ref1123923"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Latin-America" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Latin America</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD14 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Whereas state-sponsored radio dominated service in much of the world, most Latin American countries followed the U.S. example of a commercially supported radio system largely given over to entertainment programs. Programs and music from the United States were especially popular in <span id="ref1124179"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Argentina" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Argentina</a>, where a boxing match between the American <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-Dempsey" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jack Dempsey</a> and the Argentine <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luis-Firpo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Luis Firpo</a> in September 1923 was an enormously successful early broadcast that <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="spurred" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/spurred" data-type="EB">spurred</a> sales of radio sets. In addition, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/dance" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">dance</a> music from the United States such as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/fox-trot" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">fox-trot</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/boogie-woogie" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">boogie-woogie</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/swing-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">swing</a> competed with the Argentine <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/tango-dance" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">tango</a> on the private stations, supported by advertising income.</p><span class="marker MOD14 mod-inline"></span> <section data-level="3" id="ref301754"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123907"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Brazil" class="md-crosslink ">Brazil</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD15 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Brazilian radio began in 1920 and grew slowly at first. Programs were usually live and included news, variety, comedy, and considerable Brazilian music. To help support these early stations (in addition to their growing advertising revenue), radio clubs were formed, with donations given to the stations by the wealthy members. By 1940 recorded music and soap operas were popular (as they would continue to be in television), and commercial radio networks were developed, primarily by major newspapers. National and regional governments also established networks to serve sparsely populated regions of little interest to advertisers, especially the huge <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Amazon-Basin" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Amazon basin</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD15 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="3" id="ref301755"><h2 class="h3"><span id="ref1123908"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Mexico" class="md-crosslink ">Mexico</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD16 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Mexican radio broadcasting began before <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/regulation" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">regulation</a> and more formal licensing appeared in 1926. By 1930 there were about 30 commercial and 10 government-operated stations, many of the latter being very vocal supporters of the still-young Mexican revolution. The Education Ministry operated its own station from 1925 to 1939, broadcasting cultural and educational programs from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mexico-City" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Mexico City</a>. Outside the major cities, however, radio receiver ownership was limited, and much listening was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="done" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/done" data-type="EB">done</a> on a community or group basis. Beginning in 1937, every station in the country had to carry the government-produced <em><span id="ref1124006"></span>La hora nacional</em> (“The National Hour”), which featured Mexican music, culture, history, and news. Political broadcasts were largely banned, while Mexican <em>música tipica</em> (“folk music”) was required in virtually all programs. Indeed, Mexican orchestral and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/vocal-music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">vocal music</a> was widely heard throughout the country—more than 90 percent of the time on some stations—thus furthering appreciation of national culture. At the same time, the <em><span id="ref1124007"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/radionovela" class="md-crosslink ">radionovela</a></em> (“soap opera”), a format that would greatly expand with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/television-technology" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">television</a>, got its start. Only in the 1940s were regulations loosened sufficiently to allow use of imported programs and recorded music. It was during this decade that <span id="ref1124008"></span>Emilio Azcárraga became the central figure in Mexican radio because of his ownership of two major networks. As Mexican radio continued to expand, so did the need for more frequencies; this led to constant renegotiation with the United States, as what one country allowed on the air frequently impinged on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/frequency-physics" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">frequency</a> use by the other.</p><span class="marker MOD16 mod-inline"></span></section></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":10,"pagesTotal":16,"pageId":488788,"pageLength":1998,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.9"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.9' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":10,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </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, Technology, Europe | Britannica