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Marconi sends first radio signal
Marconi was a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his achievements in radio. In 1895 he successfully transmitted the first radio signal. His work only grew from there. -
Audion Tube
Lee De Forest invented the Audion Tube in 1906. The Audion is an amplifying tube.Was originally a radio receiver detector. -
Sinking of the Titanic
The Titanic was the largest passenger ship of its time. It crashed in to an iceberg killing many. Without the warning on the radio, they wouldn't have known about it, and people would not have known that the ship even sank for a long time. -
KDKA
25 years after the first signal was sent, the first station was born. KDKA first aired on 11-2-1920, and was an AM station. This station is considered the pioneer station of radio. -
Uncle Charlie stations
Uncle Charlie stations were personal stations. If you had money, and the right gear to run a station you could. Back before the FCC, anybody could have a station. -
Dawn of Advertising
In 1922, a station in New York called WEAF would broadcast 10 minute advertisements. They would charge a $50 fee. This is what we now know as commercials. -
Period: to
Golden Era
During the Great Depression, people were desperate and wanted entertainment. The statistics of radio listeners boomed during this time. A survey showed 82/100 people listened to the radio daily. -
FCC
The FCC was created by an act in 1934. Uncle Charlie stations were getting too popular. The FCC made it harder to gain a station by requiring you to get certain licenses. -
Call Letters
As more stations arose, the FCC needed a way to identify these different stations. Each station was assigned its own unique set of call letters. There were numerous different divisions of call letters so people could know what kind of station it was ahead of time. -
Family Medium
Family medium stations were on the rise during the 50's. Family medium shows were family oriented shows that could please everyone. These shows are very rare now. -
The Rise of Television
The color television was a groundbreaking development in technology. Since this was sold to the public and gained some steam, radio shows tried to covert to TV but failed. -
Radio's Demise
In the late 30's, television hit the market. After a few years, the radio started to die as the TV kept gaining traction. Radio was officially a thing of the past. Stations began to shut down, or jump ship to TV -
The Resurrection of Radio
Once everyone forgot about radio, there was a new hope: music. Music was harder to obtain, you had to find a jukebox, record player, or go to a concert. Adding it to radio made the industry boom again. -
The divide
The invention of digital radio transmitters caused a big change in radio. The new rule was talk shows on AM, Music on FM. This made the music easier to find. -
The current dilemma
Now, radio is once again in the shadow of something else: Social media. Media giants such as Youtube and iTunes have made it so much easier to get the music you want, when you want it. The competition continues.
