The History of Radio

Radio History

• The US Navy took over all radio patents during World War I.
• David Sarnoff, who worked for the Marconi Company, became the head of RCA's 'radio music box'.
• The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed by General Electric, Westinghouse, and American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T).
• WEAF, a station owned by AT&T, started selling advertising time on radio.
• In 1922, the realty company, Henderson andMinMax, paid for five radio talks to promote their business.
• It was cheaper for radio stations to share the cost of a single program and broadcast it together, which led to the development of radio networks.
• The three major radio networks that emerged during the early broadcasting era in the United States were NBC, CBS, and Mutual.

Radio Technology and Industry

• The rise of FM technology had a negative impact on AM radio.
• The event that caused panic among radio listeners in 1938 due to its realistic portrayal of an alien invasion was Orson Welles' broadcast of "The War of the Worlds".
• The primary goal of the Radio Act of 1927 was to regulate radio broadcasting.
• DJs played a significant role in the radio industry during the rise of FM technology.

Television History

• The main reason behind the freeze on new applications for television licenses by the FCC from 1948 to 1952 was to reorganize the television frequency allocation.
• John Logie Baird conducted the first BBC broadcast in 1930 and transmitted the first image via radio waves in the UK in 1925.
• Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin were involved in a patent battle over television technology in the United States.

Telecommunications and Media

• The Telecommunications Act of 1996 had a significant impact on the telecommunications industry in the United States, leading to deregulation and increased competition.
• ARABSAT, a satellite communications organization, was established by the Arab League, and initially faced resistance in many Arab countries.
• The erosion of traditional network audience to cable and the web was contributed to by the proliferation of new media technologies and changing consumer habits.

Media Research

• The primary source of data for measuring television audience ratings is Nielsen Media Research.
• According to the Critical/Cultural perspective, some negative aspects perpetuated through media include stereotypes, bias, and cultural dominance.
• The Administrative perspective focuses on measurable media impacts and uses quantitative methods such as surveys and panel studies.
• The Critical/Cultural perspective uses methods such as textual analysis, critical discourse analysis, and ethnographic research to study media.
• Cultivation analysis in media research focuses on studying television programming to understand its impact on audience perceptions and attitudes.
• According to the Stimulation theory, violence on TV and video games can increase aggressive behavior in real-life.
• The process by which mass media communicate the relative importance of various issues and events to the public is known as agenda setting.
• Agenda building refers to the process of media influencing the importance of issues and events in the public agenda.

Test your knowledge of the history of radio with this quiz. From the US Navy's control of radio patents during World War I to the influential figures in the industry, see how much you know about the origins of radio broadcasting.