The Evolution of Radio in the 20th Century and Into the Television Age

Since the beginning of history, humans have been searching for ways to more effectively communicate with one another. Into the 19th century, Americans searched for more efficient ways to communicate than through letter and newspaper. The invention of the radio and subsequent revolution it caused forever changed the ways in which we interact with each other. Up until the invention of the radio, Americans were isolated in their homes and communities and news spread relatively slowly. In the words of Howard Smith, “Radio had converted America from being isolationist to internationalistic,” in more ways than one (Keith, 12). Homes were no longer quiet: they were now filled with the sounds of radio plays, sports games, music, talk shows, and much more. America blissfully accepted the radio and radio reached its peak well into the 1940s (3). However, another up and coming medium of communications was beginning to form from the funds radio brought in. Television, originally called “Radio-vision,” by its developer David Sarnoff, was to replace radio altogether and change not just America, but the world forever (10). To a certain extent, Sarnoff was correct. Radio was the first step in bringing media into the homes of Americans, but television was much more personal. By the 1950s, radio took a beating as ½ of the United States had televisions in 1953 (12). However, radio adapted and persevered through it’s adaptability and endless possibilities of subject matter. Radio had, and still does, hold a place in the hearts of Americans and people around the world for what it brought to the lives of everyone. Radio brought entertainment and excitement into the hearts of everyone, and it is the remembrance of this legacy that allows radio to live o...

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...household name again for music, instead of talk radio. In the present day, internet and satellite radio have developed as a modern adaptation to the medium that is so beloved by Americans everywhere. Radio, truly, is here to stay despite all the complications that came in its way.

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Keith, Michael C.. Talking Radio: An Oral History of American Radio in the Television Age. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2000. Print.

Maltin, Leonard. The Great American Broadcast: A Celebration of Radio's Golden Age. New York: Dutton, 1997. Print.

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Wilk, Max. The Golden Age of Television: Notes From the Survivors. New York: Delacorte Press, 1976. Print.