Radio | Definition, History, & Facts

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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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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/radio-and-television-broadcasting" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The Canadian Encyclopedia - Radio and Television Broadcasting</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Courses/Orange_Coast_College/The_Introduction_to_Mass_Communication_Book/06%3A_Radio" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Social Science LibreTexts - Radio</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://case.edu/ech/articles/r/radio" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Case Western Reserve University - Encyclopedia of Cleveland History - Radio</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/7-2-evolution-of-radio-broadcasting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">University of Minnesota Libraries - Evolution of Radio Broadcasting</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://transition.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/documents/short_history.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Federal Communications Commission - A Short History of Radio</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://pressbooks.wtamu.edu/mediacommunication2e/chapter/the-evolution-of-radio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">West Texas A&M University Pressbooks - Media Communication, Convergence and Literacy, Second Edition - The Evolution of Radio</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/326834486.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">CORE - Digital Transformation of Radio Broadcasting: An Exploratory Analysis of Challenges and Solutions for New Digital Radio Services</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.elon.edu/u/imagining/time-capsule/150-years/back-1890-1930/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Elon University - Imagining the Internet - 1890s – 1930s: Radio</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://uen.pressbooks.pub/writingforelectronicmedia/chapter/radio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">UEN Digital Press with Pressbooks - Radio</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 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. 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><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What is radio?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Radio is sound communication by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/radio-wave\">radio waves<\/a>, usually through the transmission of music, news, and other types of programs from single <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/broadcasting\">broadcast<\/a> stations to multitudes of individual listeners equipped with radio receivers." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Was radio used in World War I?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Efforts were made to use radio in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/World-War-I\">World War I<\/a>, but the technology proved unreliable. Wireless sets were available in battlefield <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/trench-warfare\">trenches<\/a>, where they were reserved for emergency communication in the event of cut telephone and telegraph wires." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Where are radio waves located on the electromagnetic spectrum?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/radio-wave\">Radio waves<\/a> are located at the low-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/frequency-physics\">frequency<\/a> end of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/electromagnetic-spectrum\">electromagnetic spectrum<\/a>, beneath <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/gamma-ray\">gamma rays<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/X-ray\">X-rays<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/ultraviolet-radiation\">ultraviolet light<\/a>, visible light, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/infrared-radiation\">infrared radiation<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/radar\">radar<\/a> waves, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/microwave-radiation\">microwaves<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/television-technology\">television<\/a> waves." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Where was radio invented?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The first practical wireless radio communication system was developed in Italy by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Guglielmo-Marconi\">Guglielmo Marconi<\/a>. Marconi built on the mathematics of physicist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/James-Clerk-Maxwell\">James Clerk Maxwell<\/a> and the experiments of both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Oliver-Joseph-Lodge\">Oliver Lodge<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Heinrich-Hertz\">Heinrich Hertz<\/a> to transmit experimental <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/broadcasting\">broadcasts<\/a> from the lab he built in 1894 at his family\u2019s country villa. He developed his practical wireless communication system in 1895, and he filed a patent for it in England in 1896." } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What is radio?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Radio is sound communication by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/radio-wave" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">radio waves</a>, usually through the transmission of music, news, and other types of programs from single <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/broadcasting" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">broadcast</a> stations to multitudes of individual listeners equipped with radio receivers.</p></div></div> </div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Was radio used in World War I?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Efforts were made to use radio in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War I</a>, but the technology proved unreliable. Wireless sets were available in battlefield <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/trench-warfare" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">trenches</a>, where they were reserved for emergency communication in the event of cut telephone and telegraph wires.</p></div></div> </div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Where are radio waves located on the electromagnetic spectrum?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/radio-wave" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Radio waves</a> are located at the low-<a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/frequency-physics" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">frequency</a> end of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/electromagnetic-spectrum" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">electromagnetic spectrum</a>, beneath <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/gamma-ray" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">gamma rays</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/X-ray" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">X-rays</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ultraviolet-radiation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ultraviolet light</a>, visible light, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/infrared-radiation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">infrared radiation</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/radar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">radar</a> waves, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/microwave-radiation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">microwaves</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/television-technology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">television</a> waves.</p></div></div> </div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="4"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Where was radio invented?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The first practical wireless radio communication system was developed in Italy by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Guglielmo-Marconi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Guglielmo Marconi</a>. Marconi built on the mathematics of physicist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Clerk-Maxwell" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">James Clerk Maxwell</a> and the experiments of both <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Oliver-Joseph-Lodge" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Oliver Lodge</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Heinrich-Hertz" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Heinrich Hertz</a> to transmit experimental <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/broadcasting" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">broadcasts</a> from the lab he built in 1894 at his family’s country villa. He developed his practical wireless communication system in 1895, and he filed a patent for it in England in 1896.</p></div></div> </div><button class="show-more-button js-toggle-top-questions btn btn-unstyled font-14 d-flex pr-10 rounded-sm"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></button></div></div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1115362"></span>radio</strong>, a form of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/mass-media" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">mass media</a> and sound <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/communication" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">communication</a> by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/radio-wave" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">radio wave</a>s, usually through the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="transmission" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/transmission" data-type="EB">transmission</a> of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">music</a>, news, and other types of programs from single broadcast stations to multitudes of individual listeners equipped with radio receivers. From its birth early in the 20th century, broadcast radio astonished and delighted the public by providing news and entertainment with an immediacy never before thought possible. From about 1920 to 1945, radio developed into the first electronic mass medium, monopolizing “the airwaves” and defining, along with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/newspaper" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">newspapers</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/magazine-publishing" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">magazines</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/motion-picture" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">motion pictures</a>, an entire generation of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/mass-society" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">mass culture</a>. About 1945 the appearance of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/television-technology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">television</a> began to transform radio’s content and role. Broadcast radio remained the most widely available electronic mass medium in the world, though its importance in modern life did not match that of television, and in the early 21st century it faced yet more competitive pressure from digital <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/satellite-communication" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">satellite</a>- and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Internet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Internet</a>-based audio services.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="19246" data-asm-type="audio"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media border-0" data-type="audio"><audio src="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/23633-005-935DFDAB/Barry-Alldis-show-Top-20-Radio-Luxembourg.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" controls=""></audio></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/23633-005-935DFDAB/Barry-Alldis-show-Top-20-Radio-Luxembourg.mp3" data-href="/media/1/488788/19246">Barry Alldis</a><span>Barry Alldis introducing his Top 20 show on Radio Luxembourg.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Based on the human voice, radio is a uniquely personal medium, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="invoking" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invoking" data-type="MW">invoking</a> a listener’s imagination to fill in mental images around the broadcast sounds. More readily and in a more widespread fashion than any other medium, radio can soothe listeners with comforting <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> or background music, or it can jar them back into reality with polemics and breaking news. Radio also can employ a boundless <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="plethora" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plethora" data-type="MW">plethora</a> of sound and music effects to entertain and enthrall listeners. Since the birth of this medium, commercial broadcast companies as well as government organs have made conscious use of its unique attributes to create programs that attract and hold listeners’ attention. The history of radio programming and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/broadcasting" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">broadcasting</a> around the world is explored in this article.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref301713"><h2 class="h1">Radio’s early years</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="160139" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/152009-050-0D5CCDC5/coworkers-Reginald-Fessenden-radio-station-Brant-Rock-1906.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/488788/160139"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/152009-050-0D5CCDC5/coworkers-Reginald-Fessenden-radio-station-Brant-Rock-1906.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/152009-050-0D5CCDC5/coworkers-Reginald-Fessenden-radio-station-Brant-Rock-1906.jpg?w=300" alt="Reginald Fessenden" data-width="1600" data-height="1324" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/152009-050-0D5CCDC5/coworkers-Reginald-Fessenden-radio-station-Brant-Rock-1906.jpg" data-href="/media/1/488788/160139">Reginald Fessenden</a><span>Reginald Fessenden (right) and coworkers in their radio station at Brant Rock, Massachusetts, <em>c.</em> 1906.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The first voice and music signals heard over radio waves were transmitted in December 1906 from Brant Rock, Massachusetts (just south of Boston), when Canadian experimenter <span id="ref1123519"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reginald-Aubrey-Fessenden" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Reginald Fessenden</a> produced about an hour of talk and music for technical observers and any <span id="ref1123740"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/amateur-radio" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">radio amateurs</a> who might be listening. Many other one-off experiments took place in the next few years, but none led to continuing scheduled services. On the West Coast of the <span id="ref1123729"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-United-States" class="md-crosslink ">United States</a>, for example, <span id="ref1123737"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Herrold" class="md-crosslink ">Charles (“Doc”) Herrold</a> began operating a wireless transmitter in <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="conjunction" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/conjunction" data-type="EB">conjunction</a> with his radio school in San Jose, California, about 1908. Herrold was soon providing regularly scheduled voice and music programs to a small local audience of amateur radio operators in what may have been the first such continuing service in the world.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The radio <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/hobby-bird" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">hobby</a> grew during the decade before <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">World War I</a>, and the ability to “listen in” with earphones (as there were no loudspeakers) and occasionally hear voices and music seemed almost magical. Nevertheless, very few people heard these early broadcasts—most people merely heard <em>about</em> them—in part because the only available receivers were those handmade by radio enthusiasts, the majority of them men and boys. Among these early receivers were <span id="ref1123739"></span>crystal sets, which used a tiny piece of galena (lead sulfide) called a “cat’s whisker” to detect radio signals. Although popular, inexpensive, and easy to make, crystal sets were a challenge to tune in to a station. Such experiments were scattered, and so there was little demand for manufactured receivers. (Plug-in radio receivers, which, through the use of loudspeakers, allowed for radio to become a “communal experience,” would not become <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="widespread" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/widespread" data-type="EB">widespread</a> until after 1927.) Early broadcasters in the United States, such as <span id="ref1123738"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Herrold" class="md-crosslink ">Herrold</a>, would continue until early 1917, when federal government restrictions forced most radio transmitters off the air for the rest of World War I, stalling the growth of the medium.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">After the war, renewed interest in radio broadcasts grew out of experimenters’ efforts, though such broadcasts were neither officially authorized nor licensed by government agencies, as would become the practice in most countries by the late 1920s. Early unauthorized broadcasts sometimes angered government officials, as in England, where concern was raised over interference with official government and military signals. <span id="ref1123741"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/amateur-radio" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Amateurs</a> developed the means and simply began to broadcast, sometimes preannounced but often not. As they became more <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="proficient" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/proficient" data-type="EB">proficient</a>, they would announce schedules—typically an hour or so for one or two evenings per week.</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> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">One of the world’s first scheduled radio broadcast services (known as PCGG) began in Rotterdam, <span id="ref1123744"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-the-Netherlands" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Netherlands</a>, on November 6, 1919. Other early Dutch stations were operated by the Amsterdam Stock Exchange (to send information to new members) and by a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/news-agency" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">news agency</a> that was seeking a new way to serve newspaper subscribers. Another early station appeared in <span id="ref1123745"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Canada" class="md-crosslink ">Canada</a> when station XWA (now CFCF) in Montreal began transmitting experimentally in September 1919 and on a regular schedule the next year. (The first commercially <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="sponsored" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/sponsored" data-type="EB">sponsored</a> stations in Canada appeared in 1922.) The first British station offered two daily half-hour programs of talk and music from Chelmsford (near London) in 1919–20. Concerns about interference with military wireless transmissions, however, led to a shutdown until 1922, when government-authorized stations appeared, including the first London-based outlet. The first Mexican radio station aired in the capital city in 1921, though many in the country had first heard broadcasts from Cuba or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Puerto-Rico" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Puerto Rico</a>. By that point, stations had also appeared in Australia (Melbourne, in 1921), <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Zealand" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New Zealand</a> (from Otago University in Dunedin, also in 1921), and Denmark (from Copenhagen, 1923).</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="160475" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/151187-050-E9D08372/Interior-radio-shack-building-KDKA-Westinghouse-Pennsylvania-October-1920.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/488788/160475"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/151187-050-E9D08372/Interior-radio-shack-building-KDKA-Westinghouse-Pennsylvania-October-1920.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/151187-050-E9D08372/Interior-radio-shack-building-KDKA-Westinghouse-Pennsylvania-October-1920.jpg?w=300" alt="Interior of the KDKA “radio shack”" data-width="800" data-height="598" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/151187-050-E9D08372/Interior-radio-shack-building-KDKA-Westinghouse-Pennsylvania-October-1920.jpg" data-href="/media/1/488788/160475">Interior of the KDKA “radio shack”</a><span>Interior of the KDKA “radio shack,” constructed atop the Westinghouse building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 1920.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Broadcasting got an important boost in the huge American market when about 30 radio stations took to the air in different cities in 1920–21. Most of these developed out of<span id="ref1123742"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/amateur-radio" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"> amateur operations</a>, each dedicated to a different purpose. “Doc” <span id="ref1123743"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Herrold" class="md-crosslink ">Herrold</a> returned to the air in 1921, but he soon had to sell his station for lack of operating funds. The <span id="ref1123750"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/University-of-Wisconsin" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">University of Wisconsin</a>’s <span id="ref1123751"></span>WHA began as a physics department transmitter, but as early as 1917 it was sending wireless <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/telegraph" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">telegraph</a> agricultural market reports by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Morse-Code" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Morse Code</a> to Wisconsin farmers. WHA, the first American educational outlet, probably began voice broadcasts in early 1921, though several other universities soon initiated stations with similar aims. <span id="ref1123752"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/KDKA" class="md-crosslink ">KDKA</a> in Pittsburgh, most often <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="cited" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/cited" data-type="EB">cited</a> as the first radio outlet in the United States, had begun as the amateur station 8XK in 1916, but it was forced off the air in World War I. It reappeared on November 2, 1920, as a “commercial” voice-and-music service operated by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Westinghouse-Electric-Corporation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Westinghouse</a> electrical manufacturer to help sell the company’s radio receivers. Westinghouse added other stations in different cities over the next two years, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/General-Electric" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">General Electric</a> and the newly formed <span id="ref1123753"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/RCA-Corporation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Radio Corporation of America</a> (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/RCA-Corporation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">RCA</a>) soon entered the radio business as well. Detroit’s amateur operation 8MK (which debuted on August 20, 1920) soon became WWJ, the first station to be owned by a newspaper (<em><span id="ref1138776"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Detroit-News" class="md-crosslink ">The Detroit News</a></em>). Initially seen as simply another press-supported <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> service, a radio station became a means of hedging bets in case the new medium proved competitive with newspapers.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Slowly, other American stations took to the air, often as <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="auxiliaries" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auxiliaries" data-type="MW">auxiliaries</a> to the owner’s primary business, such as a retail store, hotel, or record shop. The <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="deluge" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deluge" data-type="MW">deluge</a> came in 1922 when more than 550 new stations crowded onto the few available frequencies to build on radio’s appeal across the country. Many quickly disappeared as they could not pay the cost of operations (on-air <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/advertising" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">advertising</a> was rare). Equipment was largely hand-built, and most stations operated with less power than an ordinary reading lamp. Initial studio spaces had walls covered in burlap to deaden sound and, along with a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/microphone-electroacoustic-device" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">microphone</a>, featured a piano that could be used for filling short bits of air time. A few stations experimented with telephone lines to allow two or more outlets to carry (or “network”) an occasional presidential address or sporting event. Audiences were <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="enthralled" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/enthralled" data-type="EB">enthralled</a> as radio became a national craze. Magazines, books, and even movies featured or included references to radio broadcasting.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Most other industrial nations began radio broadcasts by the mid-1920s. France (in Paris) and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Soviet-Union" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Soviet Union</a> (in Moscow) aired broadcasts in 1922. The first continuing Chinese radio station appeared in Shanghai early in 1923, when stations also appeared in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, and Spain. The pace quickened when <span id="ref1124118"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Italy" class="md-crosslink ">Italy</a> explored radio in 1924, followed by Japan, Mexico, Norway, and Poland in 1925. All these countries varied in how they authorized and organized radio services, with governments usually playing a far more central role than was the case in the United States.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Stations everywhere faced the same basic problem: what to program in order to attract and hold an audience—and how to support a continuing service financially. Radio quickly became popular anywhere signals could be heard, but how best to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="utilize" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/utilize" data-type="EB">utilize</a> the medium—what to place on the air, or to “<span id="ref1123756"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/program-broadcasting" class="md-crosslink ">program</a>”—remained to be seen. Most early broadcasts were characterized by haphazardness, though two attractions quickly stood out: the warmth of the human voice (at first nearly always male) and almost any type of music, classical or popular, instrumental or vocal. Virtually everything on the air was live because recordings were of poor quality. Thus, a speaker or a musician could easily fill time until the next segment appeared. Only after the first few years did the notion of “programs” develop, with specific times and lengths, beginnings and endings.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Randy-Skretvedt/5492">Randy Skretvedt</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Christopher-H-Sterling/5658">Christopher H. 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Radio | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica