Radio history is a dazzling one filled with captivating narrative of technological upgrades, scientific findings and environmental transformation. The Radio is unarguably a medium of communication which has played tremendous role in global communication.
From influencing how we share information to entertaining ourselves, there are just so much to share when you stay connected across vast distances. The impact is plenty and can be felt in so many areas of our lives ranging from politics to pop culture, lifestyle etc.
The Radio history actually began with a theoretical foundation laid in the 19th century by pioneering scientists which eventually led to remarkable results that proved the effectiveness of wireless communication. This later went viral to becoming adopted in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Today, we are going to be tracing the radio history from its early days and walkthrough its development, commercialization, and global transformation into the digital age. Not to mention some key individuals who in one way or the other contributed immensely towards making this possible.
Early Foundations 19th Century
The Theoretical groundwork that began the radio history was laid in 1864 by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell who formulated a couple of equations explaining electromagnetic waves in 1864, he at that time predicted that waves could travel through space at light speed.
These equations where therefore given a name called Maxwell’s equations which are very much important in getting a good grasp of understanding how electromagnetic radiation, including radio waves works in generals.
Between 1887 to 1888, a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz after studying Maxwell’s theories came up with the first empirical proof that demonstrated the existence of electromagnetic waves.
In his experiment, Hertz’s demonstrated and detected these waves, showing that they act like light waves except that they had much longer wavelengths. Little wonder the unit of frequency, “Hertz” (Hz), was named in his honour.
The Birth of Wireless Communication
In 1895, an Italian inventor named Guglielmo Marconi who is often identified as the “father of radio” because of his revolutionary work in wireless communication successfully transmitted a wireless signal over a distance of about one mile.
This initial breakthrough encouraged him to continuously improve his technology until he was able to yet again send the first wireless signal across the English Channel in 1899. By 1901, Marconi made remarkable achievement in radio history when he transmitted the first transatlantic wireless signal successfully from England to Newfoundland, Canada.
He used a wireless telegraph to send a message across the Atlantic Ocean. This was a very big win for him because experts at that time agreed that radio waves can travel pass infinite distances but can only happen in a straight line. Marconi however proved them wrong after his first transmission demonstrated that radio waves bend to the curvature of the earth.
That said, a Serbian-American Inventor named Nikola Tesla was also working on wireless technology but was more interested in wireless energy as opposed to Marconi who focused more on wireless communication. Tesla demonstrated the energy transmission in 1893 and proceeded to patent several inventions that were very relatable to radio including the “Tesla Coil”. His works laid the foundation for many radio technologies that were later developed.
How It Works
Here is a simple explanation on how Radio works.
Radio works by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves which travel through the air. To see this in action, there has to be transmission and reception.
The transmission is the radio station that sends out signals using a transmitter. The signal is said to convert sounds (these can be in the form of music or speech) to electromagnetic wave with the help of a transmitter which then send these waves into the air where they travel at the speed of light to a radio receiver.
The Reception is a radio receiver which has an antenna that is able to absorb the electromagnetic waves from the air. These electromagnetic waves are then converted back into sound to enable you hear via the speaker present in the radio set.
Development and Commercialization
The early 20th Century witness further development in radio history which later led to its commercialization. These series of development started in 1900 by a Canadian inventor named Reginald Fessenden who made the first voice transmission via radio waves.
Moving on to 1906, he achieved yet another milestone by successfully broadcasting the first radio program to ships in the Atlantic Ocean. In that radio program, there was music and speech. This remarkable achievement began audio broadcasting.
The radio broadcasting was still not perfect at that time especially in the aspect of signal strength. And so an American Inventor named Lee De Forest built the Audion (triode vacuum tube) to amplify weak radio signals in 1906. He is often identified as the “father of radio broadcasting”.
This significant progress in the development of the radio led to its commercialization in the 1920s. The first commercial radio station called KDKA was set up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They began broadcasting on November 2, 1920. Thereafter, radio grew fast and became a popular medium of entertainment, news and information dissemination amongst people.
The Golden Age of Radio (1930s-1940s)
More expansion of radio networks happened during this period with NBC, CBS, and ABC spreading fast in the United States. Radio quickly became the most popular form of mass communication. Several radio programs like news, comedies, drama, music shows etc. Where created to keep everyone informed and entertained. During World War II, it helped in disseminating news and propaganda.
On the technology side, an American Engineer named Edwin Howard Armstrong developed the FM (Frequency Modulation) in 1933 as a better solution to improve the sound quality of what was available in the AM (Amplitude Modulation) radio at that time. This made FM radio become very popular for music broadcasting.
Post-War and Modern Development (1950s-Present)
After the World War II, particularly in the 1950s, television began surpassing radio number one spot as the primary medium of mass communication. Radio quickly adapted by focusing more on news, music and talk shows. Also, the invention of transistor by Bell Labs in 1947 made the development of portable radio widespread.
Public and satellite radio stations started to spring up in the 1960s and 1970s. In the United States for instance, the National Public Radio (NPR) was launched in 1970 as an alternative to the already popular commercial broadcasting with the aim of promoting public media and educational content. The satellite radio surfaced in the late 20th century and was able to expand radio broadcast to reach more listeners in remote areas.
The late 20th and early 21st centuries brought huge changes to radio broadcasting with the introduction of digital radio and internet streaming. Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) brought about improvement in better sound quality and increase in the number of radio stations. Internet radio on the other hand increased access to more stations from around the world. Today, podcast appears to be the newest form of radio.
Final Thoughts
The Radio history has a profound impact in our society, it invention has shaped communication, entertainment, and the diverse culture of humanity. Radio played a significant role in wartime communication, political movements and social change.
Despite the introduction of new communication and broadcasting technologies, radio is still relevant and widely used today. What started as an experiment has continued to evolve with advancements in digital technology.
A Researcher and Software Engineer who is committed to bridging the digital divide in underserved communities.
