Introduction
Radio was the first wireless mode of communication. It sends messages by radio waves instead of wires. There were a lot of developments that lead to the capabilities that the radio has now. Whenever I get into deep thought about the concept of radio waves, I am baffled by their capabilities and how someone discovered them.
I think about how I may be driving down the road and a radio broadcast in my vehicle while the person on the other end could be thirty minutes away. The more I think about it the more confused and baffled I become, but in this blog post, I will be sharing my research on the history of the radio and discuss a research study about the current perception of radio broadcasting music.
History
In 1877, Heinrich Hertz discovered the ability to transmit radio waves. In 1894, Guglielmo Marconi uses discontinuous waves to send messages in morse code. Originally he sent these messages over land in a short distance and later sent them over the Atlantic. In 1904, Ambrose Fleming, inspired by Thomas Edison’s research, wondered if the Oscillation Valve could be used to detect radio waves, and it did. Lee de Forest developed receiver technology called a triode in 1906 but later became an amplifier in 1911.
During World War I, the direct conversion receiver was used to allow direct conversation through military circles, but the size and cost of the valves and batteries were a barrier to their use. There were many other challenges to radio use of radio during World War I and since it was a relatively new technology to work with, the radio had a short-range and was very bulky.
In the 1920s, crystal radio set sales boosted and the popularity of listening to radio broadcasts from home increased. The crystal set took away the need to have batteries or an electrical source because they used the tuning of a coil, a crystal detector, and headphones to work. Popular broadcasts included various news stations, sports broadcasts, and others. By 1934, 60% of households in the United States had radios. The radio shows broadcasted were like television shows now, except they were only in audio form.
While some shows died off, the most popular radio broadcast shows turned into television shows with the invention of the television. In the 1950s, radio communication became increasingly popular among groups such as the police or truckers. Their need for this type of communication made the invention of portable radios very popular.
Where is the radio now?
As far as radio broadcasting goes, the younger audiences have turned to stream music applications rather than live listening to the radio. The benefits of streaming are that with premium memberships, listeners can listen to any song, any time, and without commercials. These factors are appealing to millennials and younger audiences because they want to listen to a variety of songs, make playlists, and not listen to interrupting commercials. I read a study about millennials perceptions of substitutability and complementarity of these music streaming apps to broadcast radio.
The study shared the statistic that, “Almost 60% of millennials use two or more mobile apps to stream music, while less than 40% of consumers aged 35 or older do so.” Newer vehicles support this trend by being compatible with smartphones and mobile applications. Another change is where historically, before television and in the early television days, radio sets were in many homes. These days, I would be surprised if someone has a radio in their home that gets used.
The main study included 1,095 participants aged 18-36 and had listened to broadcast radio in the past two weeks. The survey identified their usage of audio media and social media then assessed the substitutability and complementarity of offline broadcast radio, broadcast radio apps, and music streaming services.
The researchers found that millennials perceive broadcast radio and music streaming apps as similar products, but there is still a differentiation between the two. The motivations for listening to one over the other include information, entertainment, socialization, and escapism.
Conclusion
Radio has made an impact on the world and has led to many developments over time. There are many contributions and developments that went into the radio and radio variations that we have today. The technological advancements throughout the years including the invention of the television led to a decrease in broadcast radio popularity with the younger generations and was shown throughout the research study.
Below is a list of sources used to create this blog post. Check out the links for more details and information on the history of the radio!
https://www.eh.net/?s=the+history+of+the+radio+industry+in+the+united+states+to+1940+
https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/history/radio-receivers/history-of-the-radio-receiver.php
Interested in reading another study about young adult audiences and radio listening trends? Check out this study!
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