3rd Blog Assignment

Technology as an Influencing Factor of Radio

I think that one of the main influences shaping the radio industry during the 1920's was technological change because without the technological developments of the century, radio would not of been used for various purposes such as broadcasting.


Technology has been a major force in the radio industry since the beginning. It has played a major role in turning radio into a broadcasting outlet and has even saved lives. In 1906, the vacuum tube was invented which permitted the sound of voice, music, and sound and thus began the broadcasting age. The wireless telegraph also played a major role by saving many passengers and spreading the news during the Titanic tragedy in 1912. Soon, radio became a household utility and played a major role in families' entertainment and source of information thanks to improved technologies.


The force of technology effected radio in the 1920's when Frank Conrad began the first regularly scheduled radio broadcasts in the United States in 1920. This soon began to change attitudes and attract interest and newspaper coverage. Soon, a department store in Pittsburg decided to sell radios to pick up Conrad's broadcasts. This caused ideas to circulate and Westinghouse opened station KDKA in Pittsburgh in order to help sell more radios. Stores soon started radio stations simply to promote their products, churches and schools used it as an educational outlet, and newspapers utilized it for news. This broadcasting evolution was made possible by the technological advance of the vacuum tube.


-Jacy Schleier