ipl-logo

How Did The Radio Impact The 1930's

737 Words3 Pages

The 1930’s was a time of rebirth for America. It was a start of a whole new era of art, music, technology, and so much more. American’s had a remarkable fresh sense of pride because of the modern innovations that changed the way of life for them. One of the most influential creation of the time was the radio. The invention of the radio was not only an outstanding innovation that impacted the 1930’s, but it also helped inspire the way we use technology 85 years later. Although the radio was in high demand in the 30’s, its popularity was gradual. The first known broadcast in America was a Christmas Eve program that played violin music, phonographic records, and various speeches. It was hosted in Brand Rock, Massachusetts with little to no audience. …show more content…

The most common radio sold for $60 in 1920, which is equal to $600 today. Two years later, Crystal radio sets gained attention. They were sold with headphones, and only one person could listen at a time. Later, technology improved and multiple people could listen at once. Radio become a source of news and entertainment for Americans. Newspapers decreased in sales because of this. They refused to print radio ads or schedules because it was taking their business. Radio prospered by the financial support of advertisers that used to gain recognition for their products in the newspaper. Everyone was addicted to the new invention that influenced the nation. There were over 30 issued broadcasting licenses in 1920 and that soon multiplied to 600 in 1923. The most famous networks were AT&T, CBS, and NBC as of 1927.Another influential station was KDKA. It claimed many firsts for the radio. They were the first commercially licensed station, first to broadcast a national figure, and much more. KDKA was the station that first launched the radios popularity by introducing the new technology to the public. Everyone fought for airtime, which was $100 per 10 minutes, which would be $1000 in …show more content…

Broadcasts were now used as conversation starters, and were something everyone could relate to nationwide. It enabled easy communication, which people enjoyed. Their broadcasts were based on what people liked to read about in the newspaper, and had music that interested every taste. With shows like music, comedy, drama, mystery, crime, news, gossip, documentaries, and children's programs, they had something that appealed to everyone. Some of the most popular broadcast genres were comedies, soap operas, and music. In comedy, Jack Benny and Fred Allen fought for the top broadcast. They both delivered their hilarious personalties that everyone was entertained by. Women everywhere reserved the radio for when their favorite soap opera aired, “Our Gal Sunday”. Week after week, they tuned in to hear what happens next for a small town girl and her english boyfriend. In the music genre, jazz became increasingly popular. Along with jazz, the nation loved to hear pop performers like the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, and Shirley

Show More
Related
965 Words | 4 Pages

All five of these inventions shaped and paved the way to the America we know today. The radio was a huge deal to many Americans. These magic boxes allowed Americans from all different parts of American to hear the same exact thing that they were. This idea of mass media started to emerge with this invention.

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

Jazz was a big part of the 1920’s and still is today. The jazz music relates to today because it helps us to relax when people are stressed. Music also helps people release their emotions whether it be a good day or even a bad day. In the 1920’s jazz was very popular and people would go to parties and dance to the jazz music and have a good time. The two artists that were popular in the 1920’s were King Oliver and Louis Armstrong.

Read More
221 Words | 1 Pages

When KDKA transmitted the first commercial radio broadcast on November 2, 1920, that sound could travel through the air to a location many miles away must have seemed amazing for all Americans in the era. Unfortunately, few people heard the broadcast because there were not many radios during the late 1910s because it was not well known. There was about one thousand radios in 1920 and it cost about hundred and fifty dollars (1920’s Radio). Regardless, the novelty of the radio caught the public’s imagination and soon, manufacturers could not keep up with the demand for radio receivers.

Read More
1696 Words | 7 Pages

Employment in road construction increased, and the oil refinery industry became large and powerful. The automobile, as a staple of 1920’s consumerism, was a greatly positive impact on both the society and economy. The radio was another product that positively transformed American society. In Document D, a writer describes the wide variety of programs available on the radio. Hansen, the writer, compares the radio to “a sort of national rallying cry in America”: its programs were free, and you could listen to “symphonic music”, “sermons and exhortations”, and “speeches”, among other programs.

Read More
1153 Words | 5 Pages

Roosevelt’s involvement with the public during the country’s difficult times. A series of evening radio addresses were called fireside chats, given by Franklin D. Roosevelt, between 1933 and 1944. Engaging directly through the radio to communicate with the American public was one of the best ways Franklin found to reassure people that they were safe in their country and to keep them updated on the latest government news. Through the fireside chats, FDR was able to explain his policies and reasons to the public without the need for the newspaper which could twist his words or misinterpret them. “The prosperity of the Roaring Twenties had put radios in many households for the first time, allowing Roosevelt to communicate directly with US citizens” (studysmarter).

Read More
973 Words | 4 Pages

The radio in itself is a mass means of communication that promotes social growth and development. O’ Brother Where Art Thou’s repeated focus on its prominence throughout the time period urges viewers to zero in on the positives of the time, with Roosevelt’s inclusive fireside chats and the emergence of unity regardless of appearance or race with technology eliminating the factor of looks. This history lesson disregards the not-so-golden aspects of the time period

Read More
1382 Words | 6 Pages

Alan Freed’s Impact on the Rise of Rock ‘n’ Roll 1950’s America was an era where most radio listeners could enjoy the sounds of Big Band music, Frank Sinatra style crooners, and a few pop tunes. This was typical on the playlists at the time, however, this style of music was slowly opening the way towards a new genre of music. This new genre of music was being introduced on the radio in Ohio by a disc jockey by the name of Alan Freed. Alan “Moondog” Freed started out by playing a mixture of rhythm and blues radio; music that was performed by black musicians and intended for black audiences.

Read More
447 Words | 2 Pages

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a TV in the 1950’s? The invention of the television had a puissant impact on the ideas and values of the 1950’s The values that TV changed was family life. TV impacted this by showing what a near-perfection family looks like. in the article The Impact of TV on the Economy in the 1950s by Michael Stratford it states “television created a view of what the perfect family life should look like, though few actual families could live up to that ideal.

Read More
378 Words | 2 Pages

The television network segment discusses the role of the big three during the classic network era. The classic network era lasted through the mid-1940s until the mid-1980s when the multi-channel era was born (Mittell, p. 10). The classic network era began when the radio industry transitioned into the television industry (Mittell, p. 10). NBC, CBS, and ABC emerged as the major networks during the classic network era, also known as the big three (Mittell, p. 10). During this era, the big three controlled most of the programming across the nation.

Read More
1098 Words | 5 Pages

The Importance of “American Bandstand” on African American Culture “We 're goin ' hoppin ', we 're goin ' hoppin ' today, where things are poppin ' the Philadelphia way, we 're gonna drop in on all the music they play, on the bandstand!” These are the lyrics to “Bandstand Boogie,” written by Barry Manilow for ABC’s long running dance show American Bandstand. Barry Manilow’s version of “Bandstand Boogie” was American Bandstand’s opening and closing theme song from 1977 until its last show on ABC in 1987. (Manilow, Album.)

Read More
3018 Words | 13 Pages

​Numerous events throughout American history have allowed for the overall growth and advancement of the United States culture. Regardless of whether this progression was initiated by a negative or positive event, all of the occurrences significantly impacted the societal evolution of the United States. From experiencing and, then, revising key mistakes that occurred in negative instances—such as the events responsible for sparking the Civil War—to the positive examples of constructing and improving new technologies, such as the “Radio System” or “Television,” these critical turning points greatly influenced the cultures of their respective time periods. Arguably, one of the most influential actions of the twentieth century was the development

Read More
1589 Words | 7 Pages

How did the radio stations Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contribute to the democratization of the Eastern Block? In October 2017 it will be 24 years since Radio Free Europe stopped broadcasting to Hungary. The generations – our fathers and grandfathers, the millions of people regardless their social status, whether they were peasants, working or middle class, even members of the Communist / Socialist leadership - they all listened to Radio Free Europe. People had two sets of radios. One was a Soviet-made one that one could listen to shortwave broadcasts.

Read More
997 Words | 4 Pages

From receiving heavy criticism due to a variety of factors to being the most popular musical genre for Canadians during the Great Depression, jazz music has been responsible for uplifting people’s spirits, shaping cities and changing the face of music. Prohibition and racial tensions in the United States attracted talent, whether immigrants were seeking employment in film or pursuing a career in jazz. The Golden Age of Radio also contributed to jazz’s success, leading jazz to be the most popular genre of the 1930s. It is often forgotten that Canada is home to some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, like Oscar Peterson. Jazz is not only an American concept, contrary to popular

Read More
192 Words | 1 Pages

The demonstration of television was in New York City at the world’s fair in 1939. Soon after with WWII Americas attention was elsewhere. It wasn’t until the post war of WWII in the 1950’s that the television industry was reborn and introduced to Americas main stream. American’s at that time that owned a television in the early 1950’s was 10 percent2. By the late1950’s there were 90 percent of Americans owning a television that’s an 80 percent increase2.

Read More
302 Words | 2 Pages

The shows I listened to were Suspense and Dark Fantasy. Suspense was a CBS radio drama that ran from 14942 to 1962 and Dark Fantasy was a short lived suspense/thriller anthology series that debut on WKY, a radio station based on Oklahoma, and then played on Fridays nights on NBC stations. The series lasted from 1941-1942. Suspense and Dark Fantasy both presented mysterious, suspenseful and dramatic content meant to enthrall and entertain audiences, Suspense was even considered a part of the “golden age of radio” and featured the most popular Hollywood actors and actresses of its time. I was not only captivated by the content, but I thoroughly enjoyed the flexibility it gave me.

Read More

More about How Did The Radio Impact The 1930's

Open Document