Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting

Chapter 6

“In the United States, the early days of network radio gave Americans ‘a national identity’ and ‘a chance to share in a common experience.’”

Paving the Way for Radio

 Telegraph  Developed in 1840s  Morse code  First telegraph line and transatlantic cable  Radio waves  Theories by James Maxwell, Heinrich Hertz  Popov, Tesla work on similar inventions

Inventors in Wireless

 Marconi “invents” wireless telegraphy, 1896  First voice broadcast  Fessenden performs “O Holy Night,” 1906  Origin of modern electronics  De Forest creates Audion vacuum tube, 1906  Amplifies radio signals

Providing Public Safety

 Wireless Ship Act in 1910  Mandates large ships be equipped with wireless equipment  Radio Act of 1912    Requires licensing and identification of all radio stations Limits amateur radio operators Standardizes SOS Morse Code

Ensuring National Security

 World War I    Congress assumes control of radio to ensure national security.

Reduces Britain’s influence over wireless technology Makes room for U.S. corporations (RCA)  U.S. Commerce Department   Officially licenses 5 radio stations, 1921 600+ commercial, noncommercial stations by 1923

The Networks

 RCA   Private-sector monopoly, 1919 Buys AT&T network, 1925  NBC  Formed by RCA, GE, Westinghouse, 1926  CBS  William Paley, 1928   Pays affiliates to carry its programs Ratings surpass NBC in 1949

More Regulations

 Radio Act of 1927   Licensees do not

own

channels, must serve public good.

Created Federal Radio Commission (FRC)  Federal Communications Act of 1934  FRC became Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to monitor radio, telephone, telegraph  Permits commercialization of radio

Golden Age of Radio

 American families gathered around radio.  Programs included comedies, dramas, public service announcements, “fireside chats”  Radio reflected shifts in American culture  Attitudes about race, levels of tolerance for stereotypes (

Amos ’n’ Andy

)  Radio wielded authority 

War of the Worlds

Evolution of Radio

 Transistor radios,1947  Helped radio transform itself, battle television  FM radio, 1960s  Made music sound better  Format radio, 1949   Station managers, not disc jockeys, controlled station’s hour-by-hour music programming Top 40 was born, 1950s

Contemporary Radio

 Large markets feature many stations  Most programming locally produced  Heavily dependent on music  Other content  Nationally produced news; syndicated shows  Listeners loyal to:  Favorite stations  Music formats  Radio personalities

Format Specialization

 News and talk radio  Most popular format  Howard Stern, Tavis Smiley, Rush Limbaugh  Adult contemporary (AC)  Middle-of-the-road  Oldest format, still popular  Country  Tiny markets; highest number of stations

Format Specialization

(cont.)

 Top 40/Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR)   Varied playlists appeal to teens.

Losing ground to MTV, Internet  Urban  Features dance, rap, R&B, hip-hop music  Spanish-language radio  Fastest-growing format  Album-oriented rock (AOR)

Nonprofit radio and NPR

 Federal government helps nonprofits   Authorizes noncommercial licenses to stations not affiliated with labor, religion, education or civic groups Approves low-power licenses  National Public Radio (NPR), 1967   Charged with providing alternative to commercial broadcasting Funded by private donations, corporate sponsorship, public funding

Radio Goes Digital

 Internet radio  Small and nonprofit stations pay smaller royalty fees  Satellite radio  Sirius, XM Radio  Podcasting  Free content, attracts niche markets  HD Radio  Broadcasters multicast additional digital signals within traditional analog frequency

Money In and Money Out

 Commercial radio generates revenues from advertising   Local, regional, national ads Comprises 8% of national ad budget  Commercial radio spends money on content   Music programming 20%, mostly free Swaps content from national network radio in return for advertising airtime

Payola

 Paying deejays to play records  Rampant in 1950s, still persists today  FCC has recently increased enforcement of laws.

Radio Ownership since 1996

 Telecommunications Act of 1996 eliminated most ownership restrictions in radio  As a result, from 1996 to 2005, the number of radio station owners declined to 4,400 from 6,600  Low-power FM (LPFM) and pirate radio fight back

Radio in a Democratic Society

Will consolidation of power restrict the number and kinds of voices permitted to speak over public airwaves?