Inspire Appreciation for Radios

 

"That was the big thing when I was growing up, singing on the radio. The extent of my dream was to sing on the radio station in Memphis. Even when I got out of the Air Force in 1954, I came right back to Memphis and started knocking on doors at the radio station." - Johnny Cash 

Before television and movies dominated mainstream media, the radio industry was the primary way for people to listen to music, radio shows, and important news. Can you imagine a time period in which you couldn't watch television? Instead, you turned on the radio and listened to a dramatic performance. 

Everyone who wanted to be a star in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s knew they had to start in the radio business in order to find success. It was a way to get into show business. 

Today is National Radio Day, so I'm celebrating the radio in all its glory on the blog. There are some conflicting reports on the history of the radio. For instance, it's reported that in 1893, inventor Nikolai Tesla demonstrated the first wireless radio in St. Louis, Missouri. 

However, British inventor Guglielmo Marconi is considered the father of the radio. In 1896, he received the first patent for a wireless telegraphy device. A year later, Tesla applied for a patent in the United States, and his request was granted in 1900. 

Guglielmo Marconi (photo/Pioneer Institute)

Tesla may have tried to take control of the radio invention in the U.S., but Marconi cemented his place in history on December 12, 1901, when he was the first person to transmit signals across the Atlantic Ocean. 

In the early 1900s, the radio was used strictly to contact ships that were out at sea. The communications weren't very clear, so operators relied on Morse code messages. Using radio communication was beneficial for emergency situations. You could report news at a faster rate than anything anyone had seen before. 

Radio in the early 1900s (photo/Fasttrack Teaching Materials).

During World War I, the military used the radio exclusively as an invaluable tool for sending and receiving messages to the armed forces in real-time. They no longer needed a physical messenger. For the first time, they could communicate faster and also report on the war to government officials. The radio was still strictly used for military purposes, but it would soon be available for the general public. 

In 1920, civilians began to purchase radios for their own use. Across the U.S. and Europe, broadcasting stations, including Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's KDKA and England's popular British Broadcasting Company (BBC), began to surface. In fact, it's reported that 100 years ago today, on August 20, 1920, Detroit, Michigan's 8MK (now known as WWJ) made the first radio broadcast in the U.S. So, if you're from Detroit, be sure to celebrate today by listening to the radio. 

Radio broadcasting in 1920 (photo/Pinterest),

Then, on November 2, 1920, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation relaunched Pittsburgh's KDKA as the first commercially licensed radio station in America. Westinghouse also began the first radio advertising. What was the first advertisement, you ask? The sale of radios to the public, of course! 

Radio broadcasts quickly spread across the U.S., and homeowners bought radios. My grandpa was born in 1913 and he lived to be 102. On his 100th birthday, my family asked him to name the most important invention he had witnessed in his life. It was an easy answer: the radio. 

My grandpa's radio from the early 1920s!

According to my grandpa, the radio was the best invention because prior to the radio, you couldn't hear what was going on in the world. You relied on newspapers. With the radio, you could hear important news as it was happening. You could listen to radio shows and new music. It seemed like you could listen to the whole world, and that was very essential in the 1920s. 

The radio was the source of entertainment and information for families, who would gather together in front of the radio for a fun evening. Popular programs in the 1920s included The A&P Gypsies, King Biscuit Time, Champion Spark Plug Hour, and others. 

(photo/YouTube)

The radio continued to be important during World War II. With the help of journalists, radio broadcasts relayed news of the war to the public. Civilians relied on the radio to know what was going on in the world. Were the troops okay? Is there any hope that the war will end soon? The radio helped make the world seem less scary and more united. 

After World War II, the radio transformed into an entertainment business in the form of serial programs. Hollywood stars got their start in the radio business, including Bing Crosby, Abbott and Costello, Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Fanny Brice, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Red Skelton, and many others. 

Situational comedies and soap operas dominated the media, including Amos 'n' Andy, Burns and Allen (later adapted into a TV sitcom starring George Burns and Gracie Allen), Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve, Our Miss Brooks (later adapted into a TV sitcom starring Eve Arden), My Favorite Husband (which became the premise of I Love Lucy), The Cisco Kid, The All-American Boy, Captain Midnight, Dick Tracy, Li'l Abner, Little Orphan Annie, Popeye the Sailor, and others. 

The popular comedo duo Abbott and Costello performing their radio program (Wikipedia).

Radio dramas presented thrilling adventures on the air, including NBC Short Story, CBS Radio Workshop, 26 by Corwin, Orson Welles's The Mercury Theatre on the Air, and The Campbell Playhouse. Radio stations even presented live readings and performances of books and plays, including Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities and Oliver Twist, H.G. Welles's The War of the Worlds (performed by Orson Welles), and Shakespeare's Macbeth and Hamlet. 

At the same time, music programs broadcasted live performances on the radio, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, WSM Radio (known as the Grand Ole Opry), and more. 

Grande Ole Opry legends Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff performing the live radio show
(photo/Grand Ole Opry).

It was truly the Golden Age of Radio. Everyone in the family, no matter their age, could enjoy these radio programs. Music and radio continued to rise in popularity throughout the 1940s, shifting to strictly playing music in the 1950s and '60s with the introduction of TV programs. FM radio stations began to overtake the original AM stations, and new forms of music, including rock 'n roll, emerged and the rest is, well, history. 

(photo/Masterfile)

The radio industry has changed a lot over the years. We no longer listen to radio dramas, sitcoms, and soap operas. The majority of us turn on the radio while we're driving in the car. Some people listen to sports talk shows. 

Traditional radio broadcasting has become a thing of the past. Instead, radio has evolved with current technology, including satellite and streaming Internet radio stations, like Spotify and Pandora. Radio talk shows have adapted to Podcasts. 

You typically don't find radios in homes anymore. Families don't gather around a radio to listen to a program or follow the news. You can receive important news on your cell phones. Why do you need to listen to the radio these days? 

I'm guilty of no longer listening to my local radio station. I listen to my personalized radio stations on Pandora. I don't listen to music when I'm driving to avoid any distractions. I have probably contributed to the decline of the radio industry--and for that, I'm sorry. 

But I still have an appreciation for the radio. I have an appreciation for those old radio programs that were the only form of entertainment for families. I imagine what it must have been like in the 1930s to sit and listen to a comedy show, in which you had to imagine what was going on in the show. Without those radio programs, television wouldn't have been the same. Modern entertainment would be vastly different. 

Today's version of a radio station. It looks a lot different than the radio stations from the 1920s 
and '30s (photo/NewscastStudio).

Join me in my goal to listen to the radio more often. Give back to the radio stations that have always been there for us--providing music when we're lonely or driving in the middle of the night. Give back to them by listening to the music we sometimes need to hear. 

The radio seems to play our favorite songs at the right time--just when we need to hear them. Perhaps that's a sign. Think about that for a few minutes and then turn on the radio. Somewhere, a radio broadcaster or DJ will thank you. 

-KJL-