1980—Present
Radio Since 1980 20th Century Improvements Radio in the last two decades of the 20th century was a thriving and growing industry of ever more stations and often narrower program formats. Many new stations appeared on FM, which grew to dominate radio broadcasting in many regions of the world. In Europe, FM continued to expand […]
1960s—1980s
New Initiatives FM Growth The decades between 1960 and 1980 witnessed the slow development of competition between established public-service broadcasters as well as the growing popular appeal of advertiser-supported music formats on pirate stations or developing local outlets. The use of FM radio expanded in many nations, allowing for more radio channels and, thus, more program variety. During the […]
1945—1960
Reinventing Radio Postwar Rebuilding Building on its wartime experience, radio expanded exponentially after 1945, with many countries adding new languages and services and a number of fairly small nations playing a prominent role on the air. Indicative of the changing world scene, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) international service added Russian language programs late in 1946. For many […]
1920s—1950s
The Golden Age Radio’s Golden Age The quarter-century to about 1950 was also radio’s Golden Age in most industrial countries, where, despite wartime setbacks, radio flowered before the advent of television. Commercial broadcast programming from the United States influenced broadcasting around the world; some countries emulated it, and others abhorred it. In either case, most […]
1897—1919
Pioneering U.S. Radio Activities Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, brought electromagnetic waves out of the laboratory and into the world. He began with short-distance broadcasts in his own backyard. In September 1899, he astounded the world by telegraphing the results of the America’s Cup yacht races from a ship […]
1838—1896
Electric Telegraph Electromagnetic Waves Heinrich Hertz proved that electricity can be transmitted in electromagnetic waves. He conducted experiments in sending and receiving these waves during the late 1880s. He discovered the progressive propagation of electromagnetic action through space and measured the length and speed of these electromagnetic waves. These waves conclusively confirmed Maxwell’s prediction of […]