The History of Radio
For national radio day, we’re going to take a deep dive into the history of radio and the birth of modern broadcast advertising. From live reads by your favorite disc jockeys to the advertising potential unlocked through the rise of podcasting, radio advertisements have become ingrained in our society and are a popular tool amongst marketers. With 92% of Americans listening to AM/FM radio – a figure higher than TV viewership and PC, smartphone, and tablet use – radio is an incredibly valuable tool for reaching audiences. However, radio had to undergo a decades-long evolution to reach the potential we know it has today, so let’s dig in.
In 1895, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi developed what would eventually become modern-day radio when he sent a wireless telegraph using Morse Code to a source over half a mile away. For the next 26 years, our concept of radio revolved around dots and dashes beeping over the airwaves.
Then, on a frigid Christmas Eve off the coast of New England in 1906, an unexpected voice interrupted those dots and dashes. Wireless ship operators were bewildered to hear a reading from the Gospel of Luke with an accompanying violin playing “Silent Night.” This seemingly transcendental experience concluded with a “Merry Christmas” and the expected dots and dashes resumed.
The voice that broke through the Morse Code belonged to Canadian scientist Reginald Fessenden who had dedicated his work to producing voice radio since Marconi’s first broadcast decades earlier. Fessenden continued his efforts to make voice radio practical with other inventors following suit until Lee de Forest invented the Audion, which became standard radio equipment to be improved upon by others for increased clarity and power. So, with voice radio invented, when was the first radio advertisement?
In the U.S., most researchers point to the early 1920s for the birth of radio advertising. However, there are reports that radio advertising appeared even further back in history, with a telephone broadcasting service from Hungary selling 12-second advertising slots in 1893. For 1920 Americans though, radio was a lot like the early age of the Internet: a miraculous marvel of technology that obviously had potential for monetary value, but no one knew how to make it pay – except for a small company you’ve probably never heard of… AT&T.
Jokes aside, AT&T had an early understanding of what radio could sell: time. In 1913, they patented a vacuum tube that became a key piece in radio broadcasting, giving them a headstart in the golden age of radio race. AT&T provided the vehicle to carry messages to any place at any time for callers who only needed to pay for the time to talk.
Thus, in 1922 AT&T opened its first radio station – WEAF. WEAF had no interest in promoting or representing itself like other stations at the time; instead, it had the sole purpose of exchanging time for money. Hawthorne Court Apartments in Jackson Heights, New York bought the very first advertisement at 10 minutes for $50. With that single commercial, modern broadcast advertising was born.
From dots and dashes to modern broadcast advertising, the fascinating history of radio has led to one of the most powerful marketing tools we have today. Radio advertising is a potent medium that allows marketers to reach their target audiences easily. As we move further into the digital age, there are sure to be new inventions and technologies that will change how advertisers approach marketing campaigns on the airwaves. But no matter what comes next, one thing is certain: radio advertisements have become ingrained in our society and will continue to play an essential role in driving sales for businesses worldwide.