The First Commercial Radio Broadcast In The 1920's

During the mid-1900's, daily newspapers and magazines were important sources of information. In the 1940's, the radio supplied another source of media and broadcast to the masses. Individuals spent their evenings tuned into radio stations to listen to accounts of the ongoing war. During this era, daily newspapers were still accessible and still utilized by most people. In the 1950s, television was invented and subsequently became a primary media communications tool. The information broadcast through television was a combination of information from the radio and the daily newspaper. In 1962, satellites offered access to world news. From that point to now, Americans have expanded mass communication to include smart phones and the Internet, as new technology

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

Similar to businesses standardizing in making and advertising consumers goods, the practice of mass-producing culture standardized and sped up in the 1920s. Radio became a national obsession. What started out as only a few

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

The Roaring Twenties was a time of change and innovation with the rise in new technology. Even though electricity was available to Americans before the 1920s only a small percentage of American household had electricity. By the height of the Roaring Twenties about two thirds of American households had electricity. With the rise of electricity came the popular household items such as the electric vacuum cleaner and the automatic washing machine. As the twenties proceeded the automobile because extremely popular. The young generation used the automobile to escape from the watchful eye of the older generations. Often, the automobile was used for scandalous meetings between lovers. Another innovation of the Roaring Twenties is film. Film became one of the main sources of entertainment for Americans during the 1920s. “By the mid-1920s movie theatres were selling 50 million tickets each week, a sum equal to roughly half the US population” (Zeitz). The movies theatre not only served as a source of entertainment, but the theaters also served as a classroom for the young generation. The young adults learned about love and sex is scandalous movies such as Flaming Youth. Movie theatres also served as a source of news and a place for propaganda and advertisements. Radio also experienced a vast expansion during the 1920s. Radio sparked a radical change the country’s awareness. News such as election results could be broadcasted live across the nation so that citizens could be more aware of what was going on in the country. Radio also provided a source of entertainment by broadcasting sporting events like the World Series. Radio contributed to liberalism by broadcasting “‘race music’, ‘hillbilly’ sounds, and ethnic recordings” into

Harold Arlin made history as radio’s first announcer during the 1920 presidential election. “He was a Westinghouse electrical engineer who announced and earned some extra money” (Folkart, 1986). Arlin’s popularity grew fast, “He was said to have become radio station KDKA” (Covil). KDKA located in Pittsburgh was the first commercial radio station in America and began broadcasting in 1920.

At the beginning of the decade the nation was still groggy from waking up to a new decade after fighting in World War I. In 1921 President Harding took office and set the course for economic prosperity and a self-propelling nation. The decade of 1920 presented many national shifts of aspects in economy and culture that would include outrageous activity in the stock markets, the use of the radio as a mass media tool, the artistic movement known as the Harlem Renaissance and the age of prohibition. With such changes occurring on a national level the decade became known as the Roaring 20’s.

The radio when it was invented by Guglielmo Marconi in 1913 people were unsure of it until it makes a bigger impact in the 1920s it became an American pastime, it majorly helped the rapid growth women getting out of their normal work roles, bringing music sports and politics into the home lives of many Americans, and the brining of many new radio stations.

Radio was the lifeline for Americans in the 1940’s, providing news, music and entertainment, much like television today. Programming included soap operas, quiz shows, children’s hours, mystery stories, drama and sports. Kate Smith and Arthur Godfrey were popular radio hosts. The government relied heavily on radio for propaganda. Like the movies, radio faded in popularity as television became prominent. Many of the most popular radio shows continued on in television, including Red Skelton, Abbott and Costello, Jack Benny, Bob Hope and Truth or Consequences.

The 1920s is remembered as one of the most culturally significant decades of our culture, and our research project is focused on examining the reasons this decade was important for entertainment. Many new mediums of entertainment arose in the form of movies, radios, and sports. Nearly four billion dollars a year was spent on entertainment between 1919 and 1929. Movies became integrated into everyday American society, and radio became a popular platform for voices and music. Spectator sports also gained popularity. These breakthroughs in entertainment coincided with the social changes swept the nation, such as the rise of consumerism. These mediums grew to define the American culture of the 1920s.

Growing up, I never fit the mold of being the average kid. While most kids were playing outside and playing sports I was going to yard sales, antique shops, and auctions buying everything from coffee tins to 1940s tin toys. I always see kids who rebel against their parents for the most random and stupid reasons such as not taking them somewhere or because the parents did something the kid didn’t like. I however really never argued with my parents on any matter except when I wanted to buy something. I would nag them to let me buy something, they would tell me no, then I would continue on with the rest of my day without bringing it up again. However, that all changed when I decided to buy a 1940 floor radio. I was previously instructed not to

During the 20th century was the roaring twenties, meaning a lot of things happened to like The Stock market Crashed, Many great inventions were invented, the Harlem Renaissance and jazz period happened, one of the greatest inventions that we use still to this day was invented and that was the Automobile and it also promotes what this article is about because a car has a radio and radios were also invented in the roaring twenties. The radio was invented in 1895 by a man named Guglielmo Marconi he was an Italian inventor by 1899 his invention(The Radio) was wireless. One of the first radio stations know was KDKA which was located in Pittsburgh,PA. One of the greatest stories involving radios

During World War II, a variety of US radio companies were effective in arranging special services, such as creating different radio shows and sending information. The radio was able to give everyone an update about the war, allowing people to be prepared if anything was to happen. It was the greatest type of medium at the time to provide amusement, and to broadcast propaganda.

The radio is one of the most influential pieces of technology ever invented. From political debates to Taylor Swift’s latest hit, with the help of the radio, society stays informed on a plethora of topics. Freddie Mercury wasn’t lying when he said, “and everything I had to know, I learned it on my radio.” In almost every country in the world, there is at least one radio station used to broadcast news to it’s people. Since the creation of the FM radio, it has been used to reach out to people over a certain area and keep them informed about the society they live in. During the 1930s and the 1940s, the radio played a very important role in history; it was a tool used during World War II by America, Great Britain, and Nazi Germany. By sending

"News is not reality, but a supply of sources' potrayals of reality, mediated by news organisations."