The Evolution of Radio as a Medium for Delivering Music to Listeners - Essay Sample

Radio is a communication system that uses radio waves. During its discovery, radio communication included person-to-person communication and radio as used for mass communication (Daly, 1996). Both versions of radio communication are practiced today. Commonly the mention of radio is associated with a radio station that broadcast to the public. Radio wave technology is applied in most technology invention like the television and cell phone and hence a basic concept in communication. The radio technology has evolved over the years from the first invention by Marconi to the current version of technology available.

The Evolution of Radio as A Medium for Delivering Music to Listeners

The invention of the radio is credited to Guglielmo Marconi who was a young man living in Italy. Marconi read a biography of Heinrichs Hertz about experiments that Hertz did with the early wireless transmission. Marconi was captivated by the experiments and duplicated them in his home where he successfully sent transmissions to and from different sides of his attic. As a result, he felt that it could be a potential technology and presented it to the Italian government. The Italian government was not interested, and hence he moved to England and partnered the idea. He further enhanced it with inventions experimental findings from other scientists to create an effective communication tool. The invention was perceived as a means to transmit person-to-person communication among naval ships and with the land stations. Later the device was developed to, and it was realized that it could broadcast to a large group of potential listeners. Sixty percent of American families purchased radios. It was common for families to gather around and listen to radios as they would offer nighttime entertainment. With increasing ownership of radio in households, there was a need to increase the number of stations. According to (Burtner, 2003), by 1920 KDKA was not the only radio station in operation. Most studies by historians inform that broadcasting commenced in 1920 after the historic broadcast by KDKA. Only people within close range of the broadcast station would hear the voices and music clearly due to the width that radio received at the time. However, the first broadcast awakened deep curiosity and interests in the public. The frequency modulation or fine music broadcasting was invented in the 1930s by David Armstrong in the USA (Lott, 1970). He pioneered some FM stations in America, and by the beginning of the world war II, there were 400 000 sets beings used. The giant RCA Corporations resisted FM but didnt have critical patents for controlling the industry. However, RCA managed to delay the introduction of FM when it conned its regulators to change the FM bad form 42-50 MHz band to 88-108 MHz since Armstrong was using the former.

How Did Approaches and Markets in Radio Differ From 1920-1959?

Radio was seen as a potential medium for various broadcasts including sending voice messages. Business people regarded advertising as a perfect scene to inform potential customers of their products. The military also used radio waves to communicate with other ships and land stations. In the later years, the development of radio broadcast encompassed delivery of World War news and entertainment.

Advertising strategies involved the primary owner of the business-like record shop, retail store or hotel creating a portfolio for their business. However, most stations disappeared soon as they could not afford to pay operational costs. The studios were hand-built and operated with power only sufficient to run a reading lamp.

The global spread of the radio occurred in the mid-1920s with France and Soviet Union airing broadcasts in 1922. The first Chinese broadcast appeared in 1922 and other countries like Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Spain, and Germany. In 1925, other countries like Japan, Norway, Mexico, and Poland started broadcasting. The authorizations for broadcasting varied with each nation. Stations all over were challenged on what programs they should broadcast to attract and maintain the audience. There was a need to have a constant and sufficient supply of funds to support broadcasts. The basic strategies used were having a warm human voice and airing any music whether classical, instrumental or vocal as long as it was popular (Burtner, 2003).

Between 1920-1922, radio had become a product of the mass market. Most manufacturers were impressed by the overwhelming demands from customers as a result of radio advertising. Customers would stand in line completing order forms since dealers would often sell out even after increasing their initial stock. At the beginning of 1922, there was a mushroom of radio stations in the United States with the number revolving around 600 stations.

Some Methods Adopted by Artists to Maintain Marketability

Advertising: By 1920s radio had firmly been established as the most reliable advertising medium. Airtime started being sold in set blocks depending on the length of the advertisement. Commercial firms and business owners found the advertisement segments useful as they get exposure to a wider market at a low cost. Real estate and offering apartments were common among other adverts. Early ADs focused on promoting an institutional image to the public to attract listeners. Advertisers would combine their names with a name of the start or the title of a program being aired (Burtner, 2003).

Entertainment: The entertainment industry saw its development through radio as most would air daytime shows like soap opera and program targeting children for about fifteen minutes. A popular network series was the work Amos n Andy by the National Broadcasting Corporation which resumed the modern-day drama series involving two black taxi operators in Chicago. Other shows would have the public schedule their activities to spare time to listen to the entertainment shows and children programs. Some famous program during the time includes The Lone Ranger and Hollywood Hotel (Lott, 1970).

Introducing news and shows about WW II: The World War II made radio a necessity as people would have a chance to get updates on the war. Shows were created along with the aim of meeting this need, and this characteristic made them more marketable.

The Relationship Developed Between the Recording Labels and Disc Jockeys.

In the 20th-century radio stations operated as monopolies that belonged to business tycoons like Rockefeller and Carnegie. Disc jockeys became independent monopolies in the 1950s with the power to control the songs that consumers were exposed to. Disc jockeys had a chance to bargains on would gouge different labels because of the high prices they demanded form them. The arrangement with record labels and discs jockeys was structured to guard trust of ownership and copyrights. In 1930s stations would pay bribes to band leaders to play hit songs during the day. When rock and roll gained the most popularity as a famous music genre, record label saw the need to have Disc play their songs on air. This practice was famous in the 1950s with two famous DJs Dick Clark and Alan Freed participating in culminating trials (Daly, 1996).

The competition for record labels to have their songs played was becoming stiff, and hence they invented independent promoters. Independent promoters were signed up for an agreed commission to convince disc jockeys to plays a song from a record label company that had paid.

Some Positive and Negative Outcomes of The Relationship

The relationship between disc jockeys and record labels yielded both positive and negative effects. Some effects included providing entertainment to the public. The relationship puts both parties in a position determine the music that would be popular depending on the monetary price that potential labels gave. This relationship also created the path under which the recording firms like sonny, ABC and CBS would use later to found a firm foundation for themselves. Lastly, the relationship enhanced the use of broadcasting for financial gains. However, all these advancements occurred at the expense of some parties. The role of disc jockeys was manipulated and later record label engaged in bribery to advance their music which corrupted the societys moral standards and gave label record an unfair advantage to dominate the music and entertainment industry in general.

References

Burtner, M. (2003). Regenerative Feedback in the Medium of Radio: Study 1.0 (FM) for Radio Transceiver. Leonardo Music Journal, 13, 39-42. doi:10.1162/096112104322750764

Daly, R. A. (1996). Evolution of Powerful Extended Radio Sources. Extragalactic Radio Sources, 319-320. doi:10.1007/978-94-009-0295-4_113

Lott, G. E. (1970). The pressradio war of the 1930s. Journal of Broadcasting, 14(3), 275-286. doi:10.1080/08838157009363596