Radio in the United States

Radio broadcasting in the United States developed from early experimental transmissions into a nationwide medium for news, entertainment, advertising, and public communication.

KDKA: A Pittsburgh radio station that began regular commercial broadcasting in 1920. Its 1920 election-night coverage became an emblem of radio’s shift from experiment to public broadcasting.
Amplitude modulation: A radio transmission method that encodes information by varying a carrier wave’s amplitude. AM made early voice and music broadcasting practical over long distances.
Radio drama: Fictional storytelling written or adapted for performance through radio sound. Serialized and dramatic programs made radio a central form of home entertainment.
Golden Age of Radio: The period, chiefly from the 1930s through the 1940s, when radio was a leading U.S. mass-entertainment medium. Network programming and household listening reached their cultural peak during this era.
United States presidential election of 1920: The U.S. presidential election in which Warren G. Harding defeated James M. Cox. KDKA’s broadcast returns demonstrated radio’s capacity for live national news.
Frequency modulation: A radio transmission method that encodes information by varying a carrier wave’s frequency. FM offered clearer sound and less static than the dominant AM service.
Orson Welles: An American actor, director, and writer known for his work in theater, film, and radio. His 1938 broadcast of The War of the Worlds became a landmark in radio’s cultural history.
Radio in World War II: The use of radio for news, propaganda, entertainment, and military communication during World War II. Wartime broadcasts made radio a vital link between events overseas and U.S. households.
Radio Act of 1927: A U.S. law that established federal licensing and created the Federal Radio Commission. It responded to crowded frequencies by giving the federal government authority over broadcasting.
Radio network: A system of stations connected to distribute shared programming across multiple locations. Networks let national programs reach local stations across the country.

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