Transcript No Slide Title

Popular Radio and the Origins of
Broadcasting
Chapter 4
“We are skirting dangerously close to taking the
public interest out of the public airwaves.”
—Michael Copps, FCC commissioner, 2004
Forerunners
1. Telegraph (1840s) and telephone
(1870s)
 2. Marconi:
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Invented wireless telegraphy (1894)—used
code, not voice
Built upon the work of Hertz
Established British Marconi (1897) and
American Marconi (1899)
Radio Beginnings
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Ham operators use whatever frequencies
they wish
Develop their own technology
Eavesdrop on private-sector messages
Same with government messages
Congress Acts
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Radio Act of 1912
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WWI: Congress gives radio to Navy
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Limits amateur radio operators
Standardizes radio procedures in crisis
Navy drafts/hires young technicians
Consolidates patents
Controls frequencies
U.S. domination
Formation of RCA monopoly
The Evolution of
Commercial Radio
5 stations in 1921
 600 in 1923
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550,000 sets
1922 WEAF (NYC) operates “toll” station
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“ad” is the first income-producer
Herbert Hoover decries
 But nobody wants to pay a license fee
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In 1923 AT&T broadcasts simultaneously to
WEAF and WNAC (Boston).
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Creates first “network”
By 1924, AT&T has 22 stations linked and denies
rival RCA phone rights.
“I believe the quickest way to kill
broadcasting would be to use it for direct
advertising.”
—Herbert Hoover
NBC Red and NBC Blue
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David Sarnoff
First network as we know it (affiliate contracts)
Network:
– Moves radio from point-to-point to mass media.
– Creates programming cost effectiveness.
– Makes news national, not local.
 1927: 30 million hear Lindbergh’s triumph
on one of 6 million radios.
– Larger budget buys better talent.
Competition for Sarnoff
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First attempt at CBS failed.
William S. Paley bought CBS.
New concepts and strategies
Option time lured affiliates
Paley hired PR guru Bernays.
By the 1930s, CBS competitive with NBC
Frequency Chaos
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1927 Radio Act defines broadcast regulations.
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Too many stations and poor reception
Act created commission to monitor airwaves for “public
interest, convenience, or necessity”
1934 Federal Communications Act
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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) monitors
radio, telephone, and telegraph.
Today FCC covers television, cable, and the Internet.
Radio’s Golden Age
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Shapes television’s programming future
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Sitcoms
Anthology drama
Quiz shows
Soaps
Radio pioneers single-sponsor
programming.
Orson Welles
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War of the Worlds, Welles’s radio broadcast
1938
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Radio version of H. G. Wells’s novel
Shows power of radio to compel
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Created mass panic along the Northeast coast
NJ citizens shot up a water tower thinking it a Martian
weapon.
Welles forced to recant before Congress
Radio Reinvents Itself
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AM vs. FM
Niche marketing
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Programming specialization
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Talk radio
Format music (Top 40)
Deals with record companies
Better, cheaper technology
Portability
Efficient network alliances
The Return of Payola
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Pay-for-play very similar in effect
Radio Today
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Most programming locally produced
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Local deejays are the stars.
Some national personalities
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Secondary, or background medium
Specialized stations with particular formats
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Ex. Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh
Ex. News/talk, adult contemporary, country
Heaviest listening hours drive time
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Americans tune in more than three hours weekdays and
six hours weekends.
PBS and NPR
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Established by Public Broadcasting Act and
Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1960s
Nonprofit, heavily government subsidized
NPR: distinctive niche in radio news
PBS: educational and children’s programming
Under constant attack from conservatives
Radio Giant
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Telecommunications Act of 1996 eliminated most
ownership restrictions in radio.
Clear Channel Communications
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By 2006, owned:
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More than 1,190 radio stations
40 television stations
More than 820,000 billboard displays
Interest in 240 stations internationally
Media Giant
Radio Goes Digital
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Internet radio
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Satellite radio
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Small and nonprofit stations pay smaller royalty
fees.
XM and Sirius
Podcasting
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Anybody can become a deejay.
Free content
Mostly spoken word
Podcasting
“Just as TiVo ensured that there’d always be something
to watch when you get home, [podcasting and]
podcasters fill your computer with interesting music
and radio-style talk shows from around the world.
Unlike TiVo, though, podcast subscriptions are still
free, and anyone with an Internet connection can
create a show.”
—David Battino, Electronic Musician, 2005
Democracy and Radio
Will consolidation of power restrict the
number and kinds of voices permitted to
speak over public airwaves?