Trends in the Radio Industry - Research Paper Example

Before the advent of Television and other electronic mediums, Radio for more than half a century was the most popular entertaining system available for people from all strata of the society, with maximum households all over the world enjoying the space occupied by radio. America was no exception to that trend with American radio industry was considered to be one of the thriving industries in mid 1900’s. This is the case even now with radio through various ‘avatars’ are still occupying the airwaves and thereby the mind waves of the people.

“Radio reaches into every American home and place of business — a reach that exceeds that of any other medium. Given its role as a source of entertainment and news, the "ownership" of the airwaves is a significant issue” (Gongol 1). The technology of transmitting wireless messages or signals through the air over ground or water in the form of sound or magnetic waves became a near possibility, soon after the invention of telegraph and Morse code by Samuel Morse. Before that innovation, transmission of messages over long distances was impossible.

This innovation and the discovery of electromagnetic waves by Heinrich Rudolf Hertz in 1877 mainly led to the invention of radio and the resultant transmission of wireless messages. In 1894, using a different and much superior wireless telegraphy system, an Italian, Guglielmo Marconi, used discontinuous waves to send Morse code messages through the air for short distances over land. (Scott). Then, he sent the messages across the Atlantic Ocean. However, he could not commercially tap his invention in Europe because European governments had a kind of monopoly for message delivery through postal services, thereby allowing Marconi to develop wireless systems that can only transmit messages over sea.

However, even after the governments withdrew its restrictions and allowed using radio technology for commercial purposes, Marconi could not tap it fully because once the details of