Radio in the 1930's

1067 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Radios impact during the 1920s essay

Has anyone ever wondered how radio communications changed society during the 1930’s? According to the research done by the Education Foundation, many people believe that the most important development in the radio at that time was entertainment; this is entirely false. In fact, radio communications not only made an impact in the way people received their news, but also brought together a nation that got out of a brutal depression. Together, the nations as one made radio communications the commanding form of media in the 1930’s. As stations and businesses were beginning to establish themselves, companies from across the nation were taking notice in the department of advertisement. This new realm ignited a spark for the nation’s new economy which later boomed and gave rise to an economically and socially powerful country.

One way that radio communications changed American society was the way people obtained the news. In 1933, 16 million people became unemployed and were left to stay at home. Many could not provide for their families but that did not stop them from buying a radio. Sales burst in the United States and expanded all throughout other parts of the world such as Australia, Cuba, and Russia. About one in every three homes in the United States owned radios—the easiest and most entertaining way to listen to the news and advertisement. Newspaper publications were declining and some companies were obsolete due to the development of radio stations. Obvious hostility was evident between newspaper publishers and radio broadcasters. The owner of one of the most comprehensive press empires, William Randolph Hearst, was forced to sell stocks and contribute part of his own wealth to save his company. Although the advancement of ...

... middle of paper ...

.... "American Cultural History - 1930-1939." LSC-Kingwood Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .

McLeod,  Elizabeth . "Radio's Forgotten Years." Midcoast Internet Solutions. Elizabeth McLeod, n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. .

"Spotlight on the Golden Age of Radio." The Home of Digital Deli's Golden Age Radio History, Vintage Radio Resources, and Nostalgia pages. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .

"The Golden Age of Radio." CyberCollege Index Page for Free TV Production and Mass Media Course. Cyber College, 21 Feb. 2010. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. .

"The Great Depression Helps Radio." Think Quest. Jason, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. .

Show More
Related

  • More Music … CKLW:The Rise and Fall of the Big 8

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    Back in the day, music is not readily available online at the tip of your fingertips. Fifty years ago, you would listen to the radio and that’s how you knew what records to buy. Radio stations in large music cities such as Los Angeles, New York or Nashville normally set the standard for the most popular music. New music emerges in their city, than gets released on their local radio stations, and the music becomes a smash hit. This is not the case for the small town radio station of CKLW in Windsor, Ontario. As television was drastically changing the radio industry, CKLW had to change to keep up. This change is what resulted into CKLW- The Big 8, a radio station that created new standards of radio hosting as well as rock and roll music. CKLW influenced not only music throughout North America but the entire music industry such as Bill Drake's "Boss Radio” technique, and how this station influenced its home city of Windsor, Ontario. CKLW evolved from a small city radio station to become “The Big 8” a huge nationwide music icon that was responsible for not only changing the music industry but changing the face of radio forever.

    Read More

  • David Kyvig Daily Life In The United States Summary

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    David E. Kyvig is a Presidential Research Professor and Professor of History at Northern Illinois University (Kyvig, 272). His purpose in writing the book, as Kyvig states in his preface, was to, “… to examine what daily life was like for ordinary people in the 1920s and 1930s. It acknowledges that these people were not all alike and that their experiences varied considerably. It recognizes that distinctions in location, occupation, economic circumstance, race, ethnicity, gender, age, religious view, and cultural values differentiated their lives. Above all, its author is sensitive to the fact that in this space it is only possible to scratch the surface of a topic that should be explored in greater depth and detail” (Kyvig, x). Kyvig goes on to state that, “This book is offered in th...

    Read More

  • Empire of the Air: Invention of the Radio

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Radio waves were first discovered in 1887, but radio itself was initially invented by Italian Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 (1). His biggest mentioned success was in 1901, when he managed to broadcast the letter “S” across the Atlantic Ocean (1). However, he focused primarily on point-to-point transmissions, not large scale broadcasts from one point (F). As such, three American inventors - Lee De Forest, Edwin Howard Armstrong, and David Sarnoff - took credit for making radio as it is today a success (F). De Forest was born and raised in Alabama and he thought of everything in terms of patents and eventually held more than 300, but many claimed that he simply stole the inventions of others (2). In 1900, he patented a device to enhance weak signals and in 1902, he formed the De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company (1). In the same year. Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian, invented the “electrolytic detector”, which later became the spade detector that brought De Forest so much fame (F). In 1904, John Fleming invented the oscillation valve, which later became De Forest’s audion, and De Forest won the gold medal at the St. Louis World’s Fair for his “spade detector” (F). De Forest gained quite a bit of fame by broadcasting music live from the Eiffel Tower and from the Metropolitan Opera; however, many believed that this was a scam and that he had actually had the device broadcasting the signal only a few blocks away (F). In 1906, he envisioned bringing music and voices to all American households, but as it turns out Canadian inventor Fessenden had already broadcasted a Christmas greeting and music to the crew of a ship off the coast of Canada on Christmas Eve a year earlier (F). In 1912, Armstrong became prominent by inventing regeneration, wh...

    Read More

  • The Faculty Senate at Truman State University

    3088 Words  | 7 Pages

    "American Cultural History - The Twentieth Century." Lone Star College-Kingwood Library Home Page. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. .

    Read More

  • Television in the Fifties

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    Technology in the 1950s started with many great innovations that shape the way we live now. Probably the most important innovation of television was the introduction of cable T.V., television broadcasting, sitcoms and talk shows. Television went though many changes in its younger years. The way T.V. Developed in the early years is the foundation for what we watched now days. Transitory radios became very popular in the fact that Music could be heard in any location because it was now portable. Still T.V. Innovations were what the 1950s were all about from a technology and the birth of the T.V. show.

    Read More

  • Entertainment In The 1920's Essay

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Entertainment in the 1920s began changing after World War I. Because people had more money and were more prosperous, they were able to go to theatres, clubs, and sporting events. Although the greatest form of entertainment had been motorcars, it was a form of freedom that people had never experienced. Sports began to become more popular. “Baseball became popular with the great mass of people for the first time”(Fischer). Because of another form of entertainment gaining popularity, the radio made it easier for fans to keep up

    Read More

  • Country Music from the 1940s Through the 1950s

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    -In the 1930s there were basically three types of radio stations: the large networks, the network afilliates,and the idependent stations.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Television In The 1950's And 1960s

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    The role of the television in the late 1950’s and 1960’s played a significant role in American households. In fact, never before had a media captivated audiences since the inception of the radio. While the earliest televisions were black and white, households that could afford this luxury were mostly, white, middle class. Towards the mid 1950’s the first color television broadcast aired by CBS. Moreover, the television dramatically influenced the social, political, and economical landscape of American households in this era.

    Read More

  • Postwar America: The Golden Age of Television

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ‘Golden Age of Television’ is what many refer to as the period between the 1950s and 60s when the television began to establish itself as a prevalent medium in the United States. In 1947, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and the Du Mont Network were the four main television networks that ran stations with regular programming taking place. (Television, 2003) While regular television programming was a new innovation, the television itself had been commercially available for over twenty years prior to the 50s. It was conceived by many worldly innovators and went through several testing stages before it was finally completed in the late twenties. The three main innovators were Niplow - who first developed a rotating disk with small holes arranged in a spiral pattern in 1884, Zworykin - who developed the Iconoscope which could scan pictures and break them into electronic signals (a primitive form of the Cathode Ray Tube) in 1923, and lastly Fansworth - who demonstrated for the first time that it was possible to transmit an electrical image in 1927. (Rollo, 2011) However, one of the many reasons why this medium was successful in the 50s was due to the fact that it became more accessible to the public. Television sets were more affordable to middle class citizens which created further interest in the new technology. Through an historical account of the medium, the spread of television across America throughout this particular decade will be examined.

    Read More

  • Bluegrass Music Essay

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1930s, the United States was recovering from the Great Depression, and the urban audience needed products that would bring comfort and get-away opportunities. At the same time, radio broadcasting became more common in the country, bringing affordable entertainment to the public. In one account, ordinary southerners would listen to the radio on Saturday night as “there wasn’t nothing else doing.” Producers travelled in the South, including the Appalachian region, to record the rich, local, and traditional mus...

    Read More

  • American Influence Promotes Canadian Identity

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rutherford, Paul. “Radio Programming.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 8 June 2014. .

    Read More

  • Roaring Twenties In America

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    The additional incomes for families caused the living standard to rise for the wealthy. “From 1922 to 1929, the national income increased more than 40 percent, from $60.7 billion annually to $87.2 billion” (“The Roaring Twenties” Worldbook). The reason for this is because products were being made faster and cheaper. The items being made were household items and cars (“The Roaring Twenties”History). A lot of people could not actually afford these products on their salaries, but a new idea of credit came up. Buying on credit is when someone pays for an item over time. This was good short term, but an evil long term solution (Mr. Martin). Radios were a big hit during the Twenties because for the first time ever, families could get together and sit around the table. With this, came advertisement. Advertisement really helped businesses because it would get their product out into the public. Advertisement was actually present before the Twenties, it just was not as big as in the Twenties. The reason for the advertisement boom was because companies were competing with each other and took it too far. These companies were using new techniques that made the victim think the he/s/ needs that product (“Consumer”UShistory).

    Read More

  • Media And Civil Rights

    2735 Words  | 6 Pages

    ... newspaper had first came around and that was on the first ways to read about information. Then we have the radio on the other hand to where we can listen and hear the news and important information in their cars and at home. So people could basically hear the news wherever they went. Having the radio in your car could be a plus and people would automatically be attracted to what was being said in their cars. Lastly we have the tv which had attracted people to discrimination first hand in their homes. Having all these different types of media had helped discrimination because people could see or hear it first hand at home or on the go. Media influenced the civil rights and caught people's eye so therefore more people knew about it and the people in office were more likely to make a change faster to if the discrimination and civil rights wasn't in the media.

    Read More

  • The Influences of Playwright Eugene O’Neill

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whitley, Peggy. "American Cultural History - The Twentieth Century: 1910 - 1919."American Cultural History. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Invention of the Radio

    1444 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many inventions have impacted the world throughout history but in my opinion one of the most impactful one’s was the invention of the radio . This invention provided society with many things which include entertainment, communication, and easier access to information. Radio is still a central part of the society today but just like any other invention radio has an interesting history of how it progressed through time.

    Read More

More about Radio in the 1930's

Open Document