Still broadcasting today, the world's first radio station was invented by Charles Herrold in 1909 in San Jose, California. His accomplishment was first documented in a notarized statement written by him and published in the Electro-Importing Company's 1910 catalog: "We have given wireless phone concerts to amateur wireless men throughout the Santa Clara Valley." Being the first to "broadcast" radio entertainment and information to a mass audience puts him at the forefront of modern day mass communication. This biography of Charles Herrold focuses on how he used primitive technology to get on the air. Today it is a 50,000-watt station (KCBS, in San Francisco). The authors describe Herrold's story as one of early triumph and final failure, the story of an "everyman," an individual who was an innovator but never received recognition for his work and, as a result, died penniless. His most important work was done between 1912 and 1917, and following World War I, he received a license and operated station KQW for several years before running out of money. Herrold then worked as a radio time salesman, an audiovisual technician for a high school, and a janitor at a local naval facility, still telling anyone who would listen to him that he was the father of radio. The authors also consider some other early inventors, and the directions that their work took.

An in-depth look at a century of radio history—and its continuing relevance in a radically changed world. A century after Marconi’s experimental transmissions, this book examines the history of radio and traces its development from theories advanced by James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz to the first practical demonstrations by Guglielmo Marconi. It looks back to the pioneering broadcasts of the BBC, examines the development of broadcast networks in North America and around the world, and spotlights radio’s role in the Second World War. The book also features the radio programs and radio personalities that made a considerable impact on listeners during the “Golden Era.” It examines how radio, faced by competition from television, adapted and survived. Indeed, radio has continued to thrive despite increased competition from mobile phones, computers, and other technological developments. Radio Broadcasting looks ahead and speculates on how radio will fare in a multi-platform future.

Mexican Waves is the fascinating history of how borderlands radio stations shaped the identity of an entire region as they addressed the needs of the local population and fluidly reached across borders to the United States. In so doing, radio stations created a new market of borderlands consumers and worked both within and outside the constraints of Mexican and U.S. laws. Historian Sonia Robles examines the transnational business practices of Mexican radio entrepreneurs between the Golden Age of radio and the early years of television history. Intersecting Mexican history and diaspora studies with communications studies, this book explains how Mexican radio entrepreneurs targeted the Mexican population in the United States decades before U.S. advertising agencies realized the value of the Spanish-language market. Robles’s robust transnational research weaves together histories of technology, performance, entrepreneurship, and business into a single story. Examining the programming of northern Mexican commercial radio stations, the book shows how radio stations from Tijuana to Matamoros courted Spanish-language listeners in the U.S. Southwest and local Mexican audiences between 1930 and 1950. Robles deftly demonstrates Mexico’s role in creating the borderlands, adding texture and depth to the story. Scholars and students of radio, Spanish-language media in the United States, communication studies, Mexican history, and border studies will see how Mexican radio shaped the region’s development and how transnational listening communities used broadcast media’s unique programming to carve out a place for themselves as consumers and citizens of Mexico and the United States.

Tells how Blacks used radio

Who were the 35 actors that performed with stars Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in radio's The Abbott and Costello Show? Do scripts survive for the old Burns and Allen shows or the children's crime fighter series The Green Hornet? Serious researchers and curious browsers interested in Golden Age radio will find a wealth of information in this reference collection. Most are from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, though subsequent decades are included for long-running shows. Crime series, whodunits, romances, situation comedies, variety shows, soap operas, quiz show series and others are included. Casual browsers will find tidbits on the radio careers of notables from other media (Humphrey Bogart, Ginger Rogers), mention of adaptations by famous authors (Jack London, Ray Bradbury), curious episode titles ("The Gorilla That Always Said Yeh-ah") and series titles (Whispering Streets), and interesting sponsors (Insect-O-Blitz). The first section is an alphabetical list of T.O. Library's significant radio script collections, with notes on their content and format. The second section is the guide to series scripts by program title. Entries include title and basic information, including collection(s) in which they are found; producers, directors, writers, musicians and regular cast; sponsors; and holdings by date, episode number and title. Increasing the book's usefulness for researchers are indexes by name, program and sponsor.

"It was not a matter of propaganda ... black and white ideological broadcasts ... What made [Radio Free Europe] important were its impartiality, independence, and objectivity."---Vaclav Havel "Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty were critically important weapons in the free world's competition with Soviet totalitarianism---and without them the Soviet bloc might even have not disintegrated ... The account in this book of their activities is therefore not only informative, but critical to understanding recent history."---Zbigniew Brzezinski "The studies and translated Soviet bloc documents published in this book demonstrate the enormous impact of Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Voice of America during the Cold War. By promoting democratic values and undermining the monopoly of information on which Communist regimes relied, the Radios contributed greatly to the end of the Cold War."---George P. Shultz "I know of no other mass media organization that has done more than RFE/RL to help create the Europe in which we live today---a Europe not divided into two opposing camps."---Elena Bonner Examines the role of Western broadcasting to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe during the Cold War, with a focus on Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. It includes chapters by radio veterans and by scholars who have conducted research on the subject in once-secret Soviet bloc archives and in Western records. It also contains a selection of translated documents from formerly secret Soviet and East European archives, most of them published here for the first time.

Is it worth doing a podcast if nobody listens? You started your podcast because you want to: - Spread an important message - Share your passion - Make money But your podcast hasn’t quite taken off like you thought it would. What happened? This book is for podcasters who can’t quite figure out what they’re doing wrong (and are ready to do things right). You’ll learn: - Why your “natural personality” may be repelling to people and how to make it attract listeners to your podcast like a magnet (See p198) - What to do when a company tries to “lowball” you on advertising fees (do nothing, except send them the email on p424) - It’s easy to screw up an interview. To be sure you don’t run into any problems, use my “guest contract” on p311. - A six-word “trick” (learned from a 20-year radio veteran) that will instantly make you a better host (it’s on p210) - 9 reasons to kill an interview before it happens – ignore these “red flags” and you’ll be sorry (p299) - What Victoria’s Secret models know about podcasting (even though you never hear them talk) – this lesson starts on p208! - Nervous on the mic? You have lots of company – 75% of podcasters to be exact. I give you a 5-step way to cure your “stage fright” on p229. - If you’re scared of getting bad reviews, don’t worry – I have three simple ways to handle critics on p236 (two of which can turn critics into fans) - Why copying top podcasters may be killing your podcast (I share the story on p116) and how to develop a podcasting style that works for you (and will attract more listeners) - My 3-step “episode teaser” formula – it’s boring, but it works (get it on p110) - Thinking of doing a “daily” podcast? You must read p103 before you start. - Want to impress a guest? See the chapter starting on p321 for my 3-step followup “ritual” that will make being on your podcast unforgettable (and encourage guests to promote your episodes) And that’s just the start … This book contains my complete system on how to attract listeners, deliver your message effectively, and build a big podcast. You can't build a big podcast on "hope." But you can build a big podcast. And if you’re ready to do just that, read this book.

Walter Benjamin was fascinated by the impact of new technology on culture, an interest that extended beyond his renowned critical essays. From 1927 to ’33, he wrote and presented something in the region of eighty broadcasts using the new medium of radio. Radio Benjamin gathers the surviving transcripts, which appear here for the first time in English. This eclectic collection demonstrates the range of Benjamin’s thinking and his enthusiasm for popular sensibilities. His celebrated “Enlightenment for Children” youth programs, his plays, readings, book reviews, and fiction reveal Benjamin in a creative, rather than critical, mode. They flesh out ideas elucidated in his essays, some of which are also represented here, where they cover topics as varied as getting a raise and the history of natural disasters, subjects chosen for broad appeal and examined with passion and acuity. Delightful and incisive, this is Walter Benjamin channeling his sophisticated thinking to a wide audience, allowing us to benefit from a new voice for one of the twentieth century’s most respected thinkers.

The Radio Station offers a concise and insightful guide to all aspects of radio broadcasting, streaming, and podcasting. This book’s tenth edition continues its long tradition of guiding readers to a solid understanding of who does what, when, and why in a professionally managed station. This new edition explains what "radio" in America has been, where it is today, and where it is going, covering the basics of how programming is produced, financed, delivered and promoted via terrestrial and satellite broadcasting, streaming and podcasting, John Allen Hendricks and Bruce Mims examine radio and its future within a framework of existing and emerging technologies. The companion website is new revised with content for instructors, including an instructors’ manual and test questions. Students will discover an expanded library of audio interviews with leading industry professionals in addition to practice quizzes and links to additional resources.