Radio Media

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how, in 1894, the entire world was changed when a young Italian, Gugliemo Marconi, adapted the technology that made the use of the telegraph possible in order to transmit actual ambient sounds across wires over several miles. It examines how Marconi's discovery revolutionized the world of media and changed the world forever. Several of the many facets of the world of radio media are discussed in an effort to ultimately provide a more thorough understanding of the topic.

Outline:
Introduction
The Origins of Radio
Initial Effect of Radio on United States Culture
Early Influences/Government Regulation
Cooperation and Competition with Other Media
Its Role in/Response to Social Responsibility
Where it Stands Today in Regard to Democracy
Future Evolution
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"After Marconi's discovery, the world of radio moved forward with surprising rapidity. For the first few years following Marconi's original discoveries, he was forced, after receiving no interest on the part of the Italian government, to travel to London, finding support for this emerging technology by the British government, who began to use the wireless technology as a means of broadcasting messages with previously non-existent speed and portability. By the early 1900s, wireless radio technology found its way to the shores of the United States in the hands of an electrical engineer from the University of Pittsburgh by the name of Reginald Fessenden, a man who worked with Thomas Edison himself. With Fessenden's knowledge of electricity, he was able to soon discover that in order to be able to broadcast over a wide area with any level of strength, he would need an improved transmitter, which he commissioned General Electric to build for him. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Keith, M. C. (2000). Talking Radio: An Oral History of American Radio in the Television Age. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
• Labunski, R. E. (1981). The First Amendment under Siege: The Politics of Broadcast Regulation. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• MacFarland, D. T. (1997). Future Radio Programming Strategies: Cultivating Listenership in the Digital Age (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• McChesney, R. W. (1994). Telecommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy: The Battle for the Control of U.S. Broadcasting, 1928-1935. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Smith, F. L., Wright, J. W., & Ostroff, D. H. (1998). Perspectives on Radio and Television: Telecommunication in the United States (4th ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

More papers on Radio Media:

• Essay # 7571 : "Talk Radio and Modern Media"
• Research Paper # 28593 : "The New Convergence Media"
• Essay # 7178 : "Radio Journalism"

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