Beginning of radio

Before the 19^th century, there was little necessity for particular media in communication. The uses of special devices for communication were limited to military purposes. As people experienced improvement in life with the Industrial Revolution in the 19^th century, the need for rapid methods of communication began to increase. The research on electricity for communication was dominant during this period. New communication devices such as the telegraph and telephone were invented.

With the invention of the Audion, the essential element of modern radio, by Lee De Forest in 1906, a new type of wireless communication was beginning to emerge. During World War I, the benefits and convenience of wireless transmission were proved, and the bright future of radio was anticipated. The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was established in 1919. At that time, radio was not a medium for entertainment but a business and military medium for transmission of messages over long distances.

Radio in the 1920’s: growing as a mass medium

After the war ended, the nation experienced an era of great economic prosperity. Economic expansion contributed to the rapid growth of radio as a mass medium. In 1920 the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company of Pittsburgh founded station KDKA, which made its historic mark by broadcasting the Harding-Cox presidential election returns. It was considered the first radio station that aired regularly scheduled programs. Due to the success of KDKA, the number of radio receivers and stations increased quickly. Other big organizations such as, RCA, AT&T, and General Electric soon started their broadcasting operations. NBC (National Broadcasting Company), which was America’s first nation-wide network, was also established in 1926, followed by the birth of CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) in 1929.

Most radio stations had difficulties in recouping the cost of broadcasting in this period because they were not selling time for advertising but usually depending on the sales of radio sets. Although some large companies sponsored several programs, this income was not enough for radio stations to maintain their broadcasts. This situation steadily changed in the late 1920’s, as the quality of program was improved due to the advent of large radio networks such as NBC and CBS. With the expansion of sponsored programs, radio could escape financial problems and be born again as one of the important advertising media in the world.

As radio matured as a mass medium, newspaper publishers were challenged in their role of delivering news. They were concerned about radio’s ability to reach the public, which might cause less revenue for newspapers. As a result, many newspaper publishers prohibited carrying radio logs in their newspapers. Moreover, newspapers began to control the radio’s access to news sources. In response to the newspapers' news service control, some radio networks started to establish their own news gathering organizations. This conflict between radio and newspapers in early 19^th century called the "Media-Newspaper War."

Radio in the 1930’s: diffusion of radio

The rapid growth of radio as a mass medium continued in the 1930’s. According to the report of the U. S. Census Bureau, over 12 million households had radio receivers. The incredibly fast diffusion of radio all over the country helped to form a kind of united culture. People in different regions could hear the same news and music at the same time. Radio’s impact on everyday life was revealed everywhere. Radio created new fashions and cultures. New styles of music, food, recreation, and dress came from the radio box at home.

In order to reduce disorder in the radio industry, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was established in 1934 and assumed the role of the Federal Radio Commission. The FCC was responsible for American broadcasting, especially regulating the activities of radio and television.

Although diverse types of programs such as news, comedy and music were popular on 1930's, drama shows ruled during this period. Soap operas such as Guiding Light enticed a number of female audiences. New types of programs such as give-away and quiz shows also emerged in this period. The growth of radio-listening during the 1930's reflected the public's desire for good news and entertainment generated by the Great Depression.

Radio in the 1940's: the advent of FM broadcasting

Radio established its journalistic base with dramatic and complete coverage of World War II. Large networks such as NBC and CBS placed well-trained reporters in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin and Vienna to broadcast war news instantaneously. Print media could not keep abreast of the immediacy of radio's war coverage. The general public began to regard radio as a more accurate and instantaneous news medium than newspaper.

The 1940's also witnessed the technological progress of radio. The advent of FM broadcasting promised the improved fidelity of sounds and less static. The number of stations adopting frequency modulation increased rapidly until television began to expand in the late 1940's. In 1948, the transistor radio was invented. The invention of transistors paved the way for the portability of radio sets, such as car radios and portable radios.

Radio in the 1950's: fall of radio

The 1950's can be characterized as the period of diminishing activity for radio. As television rose in prominence and became the main source of entertainment, network radio began to lose its mass appeal. Many radio stars such as Jack Benny and Gracie Allen began to recognize the power of television and moved into the new medium. This resulted in a rapid decrease in comedy and drama shows on radio. Consequently, radio lost big audiences to television, particularly during the evenings.

Radio was not vanishing, as many had predicted. In order to survive television’s stiff competition, radio networks began to economize their programming systems and develop new program formats. Radio networks placed a greater emphasis on radio’s mobility, which appealed to drivers and housewives. They tried to offer more service-oriented programs such as traffic condition reports, which television could not do well.

Today’s radio: an important support medium

Many more stations focused on developing and broadcasting musical formats with the help of FM’s high fidelity and stereo-systems. As an increased number of audiences favored higher sound quality, FM stations began to dominate the radio industry. Different kinds of programs were produced and aired for the specific audiences. More fragmentation in the genre and format continued. The diversification of music format created new music cultures like rock’n' roll. Other music genres such as jazz, classical, country, R&B and gospel also appealed to specific segments. In 1993, FM stations constituted 77 percent of the total radio audience (Straubhaar, 1996).

After FM stereo broadcasting, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) would be the technology of the next generation. Because digital audio broadcasting utilizes the radio spectrum in a more efficient way, it would promise cheaper price and high- quality digital sound. Another new technology is direct broadcast satellite radio. This technology has been widely used on cable television and satellite television. By using this technology, the audience would be able to receive signals directly from the satellite without repetitive broadcasting by radio stations.

With the popularity of the Internet, many radio stations have entered the Web. The number of the U. S. radio stations having presence on the Internet was estimated at more than 4,300 in 1988, according to BRS Radio Consultants. This number is expected to grow continuously.