Radio In The 1920's

Despite the Phonograph and the Gramophone’s success, the invention of the radio in 1906 was a threat to the recording industry. The major record companies had a hard time keeping their own sales up due to the radio, but the later invention of the LPs and 45 rpm records made the sales rocket. By the 60s and 70s, the records had taken America by storm.

Newspapers had once been the only mass communication & entertainment. The demand for new products that emerged in the 1920s created a new industry, advertising, which enticed buyers to purchase new products, and now that the radio had emerged, advertising was integrated into this media outlet . Radio shows like Amos n' Andy, became a nationwide hit. The advertising industry grew with the emerging industries of mass culture, especially radio and cinema. For the first time, from coast to coast, Americans experienced the same shows and used the same advertised products due to mass culture. The first commercial radio station aired in 1920 and broadcast music to a few thousand listeners. By the end of the decade, thirty-three

Many changes in the 1920s in day to day life happened. In the 1920s most of it was under President Woodrow Wilson. During this time many Americans challenged past traditions and created their own. Many people became interested in new popular culture. New traditions such as listening to the radio, and watching film brought new thrills about news, sports, and made party’s better.

Many people bought radios, as they were cheap and effective. The radio was a useful tool for emergencies. If a weather emergency took place, people nearby would be warned hours before it hit due to the radio. It was also important in that the range of radios was limited. That way, the entire world would not know about a small thunderstorm in a small town. However, the reverse could be true. The radio also worked long range, and was important in telling the United States population if war had started, or about other big news, like the Stock Market Crash. The radio was also a very important form of communication in war. World War II was the first war that was a technology based war. The war had soldiers and commanders communicating and forming a strategy on the radio. The radio also sent propaganda to increase production for the war. The radio also had a huge impact on the 1920s because it spread religion, culture, and society news. The radio was the reason that the flapper lifestyle became popular, because it was broadcasted frequently on the radio. It also let people know about the Harlem Renaissance, a Black gathering of music and art, the Red Scare, where America tried to exterminate communism , and new laws such as Prohibition. A hugely important example of the radio was the Scopes Trial. This was a major debate between Scopes and the State, where Scopes broke the law by teaching evolution. Many expressed that the law banning the teaching of evolution

     The technology and science during the twenties was very important. Many new ideas and inventions were introduced to Americans that influenced their lives. Henry fords automobile changed American life. Ford wanted to “democratize the automobile”. He wanted to everyone to be able to afford an automobile and have one. To help this he paid his workers five dollars a day, for doing this he was known as the friend of the worker. Ford also lowered the price of his cars. The model t ford became the “family pet of the nation” (Gales research, 1998). By 1929, 23.1 million passenger cars were in use in the United States. The privacy and mobility offered by the car would transform the Americans lived. The spread of technology affected consumerism. The United States economy went through a steady growth and expansion during this time. The radio became very popular in the twenties. By 1922, 3 million Americans households had radios. Many new electric appliances such as: vacuum cleaners, toasters, washing machines, televisions and refrigerators were introduced. These appliances helped the American housewife. Women became America’s greatest consumer. People started going to see motion pictures. The first movies were called silent screens.

The economic boom of the 1920’s enhanced the everyday life of Americans. Mass production of goods made prior tasks, such as washing clothes, simple and allotted woman to have leisure time. The assembly line utilized by Henry Ford made the production of automobiles cost less lowering the price for consumers. The amount of cars sold from 1921-29 went up from 1.5 million to 4.5 million. (Document 9) With more leisure time because of useful inventions people sought activities to occupy their free time. Radios grew increasingly popular and steadily increased to be in 10 million households in 1929. (Document 9) The economic power held by the U.S permitted technological advances to be attainable, which unconstrained the daily lives of many Americans.

The radio went from being a novelty to the most demanded thing in stored between 1923 and 1930. The stores just can’t keep up with the amounts of demand from Canadians. “Every day after dinner we all gather around the fire place and listen to what’s on the radio,” states a father of two. “It is the best thing I own in the house.” Since the number of families with radios increases so does the number of radio station. Foster Hewitt is the most famous sportscaster and Canadians just love to hear him on the radio. About 6 percent of income Canadians get are being spent on

Due to this there was more to do. Entertainment was becoming popular at this time. Entertainment consisted of movies, music, sports, etc. In 1919, the first radio station was started and radios became a huge hit broadcasting news, entertainment, and advertisements. Movies quickly became a part of American society and was one of the biggest forms of entertainment during this time era. Music (epecially jazz) was a very big hit during the 1920s. Sports (mainly baseball) actualy ended up becoming a gateway for celebrities and heroes during the 1920s. Americans often looked up to and admired these celebrities as role models in a way. Suprisingly, these heroes are still respected and recognized today in

After the First World War, many people were looking forward to good times. The 1920’s presented people with this time of fast-paced fun and adventure. Entertainment was the foremost part of everyday life during the 1920’s. Radio introduced a whole new practice of entertainment to people’s everyday lives. Likewise, through the utilization of the radio, people were able to experience a new medium to entertain themselves. Furthermore, the radio changed the face of society’s culture through its widespread use. In addition, radios provided people with a new, effective and efficient means of communication. Radio was a fundamental aspect in people’s lives during the 1920’s as it provided many people with news and entertainment in their

Also radio stations caused a bunch of people to do crazy things, like flying a airplane nonstop across the atlantic ocean.

Mass media allowed Americans to hear news as it was occurring and to hear news from across the country. “Radio drew the nation together by bringing news, entertainment, and advertisements to more than 10 million households by 1929. Radio blunted regional differences and imposed similar tastes and lifestyles. No other media had the power to create heroes and villains so quickly.” (Digital History). Another aspect of American culture that radios allowed to grow was the rise of celebrities and heroes. People were able to hear about the events that were occurring all over the nation involving famous individuals. It was the first time in American history where the most famous and well-known citizens were not politicians or war heroes. “One way to measure America’s shift away from a hero-oriented stance to an embrace of celebrity was...to survey the biographical articles that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and Collier… after 1922 over half came from the world of entertainment: sports figures like Joe Louis and Babe Ruth, and movie stars such as Gloria Swanson and Charlie Chaplin.” (OAH Magazine of History). Because these rising stars were not famous for their role in politics or war, they inspired Americans to work hard to achieve their dreams. This created a society of hardworking determined

Radio was a very important transmission mode. The radio’s main function was to deliver citizens the necessary information in a way that was easy to understand, while at the same time making sure the news agencies earned sufficient ratings and to profit. The radio companies had to make the radio programming easy to understand to the average citizen, because “[t]he education of many Americans had ended after freshman year in high school. (Horten, p.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt began broadcasting his speeches over the radio in 1933. These speeches gave hope to Americans that were suffering during The Great Depression. Americans found comfort in the speeches that Franklin gave and it was eventually given the nickname, Fireside Chats.(History chats). The radio was also used to push political campaigns. “In the 1928 presidential election campaign, networks sold more than $1 million in advertising time to the Democratic and Republican Parties(American).” The radio influenced American households in many ways, at times, not in a positive manner. In the Radio show Amos ‘n’ Andy, it portrayed African Americans with racial stereotypes(khan). This racial discrimination showed how the radio’s influence wasn’t always a good

The 1930s and 1940s are considered the golden age of radio (Feature Radio in the 1930s). Nearly everyone in every household in America, Germany, and Great Britain owned one to help them stay up to date on the events happening around them. Though this time was considered the “golden age” of the radio, it was not so golden for people around the world. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Hitler were all leaders of powerful countries during one of the most difficult times in history. In 1929, the American stock market crashed. This caused industries to collapse, banks to shut down, and millions of citizens to lose their jobs across the US; conditions continued to worsen as more and more people became homeless. In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt was elected as President of the United States and things began to look up. Before he could get America completely out of the depression, however, disaster struck again.

I will start by providing some background information to the topic ‘radio', namely by summing up the most important events in the history of radio. After illustrating the most interesting turning points of the development of radio in the