Broadcast radio crosses the century mark

We'll admit, there's not a whole of gizmos invented 100 years ago that we still rely on (and bicker about) on a near-daily basis, but broadcast radio has managed to stay in our homes, cars, hearts, and complaint letters for a full century. Exactly one hundred years ago today, Reginald Fessenden fired up his transmitting station at Brant Rock, Massachusetts in order to broadcast a "brief speech," followed by an Edison phonograph recording of Handel's Largo." He also sent out a few other holiday jams and well-wishes to those spending Christmas "onboard US Navy and United Fruit Company ships equipped with Fessenden's wireless receivers." Fessenden earned more than 500 patents in his lifetime, including credit for the "radio telephone, a sonic depth finder, and submarine signaling devices." So while the FCC tries to regulate it, and we prefer the cleaner, less ad-filled satellite rendition of radio, we're still raising our glasses to a technology that's changed technology over the past hundred years, and here's to a hundred more.

[Via Slashdot]

[Zach @ Dec 24th 2006 4:43PM]

Oh, not so true for all. I haven't turned on a radio in probably about a year. I don't even have it installed in my new car (after market radio, never bought the attachment). It's so nice just to flip my iPod on in my car, put it on shuffle, and listen to my music. I've tried Satellite - the fact that I still am listening to the DJs music bothers me.

[Michael From The Future ! @ Dec 24th 2006 5:11PM]

spam me: [e-mail]

[YankInOz @ Dec 24th 2006 5:15PM]

Nicola Tesla is now created with the invention of the radio, radar, AC electrical generation and several other patents that were "confiscated" by Edison and his cronnies. Check it oout: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

[Jorge F. @ Dec 24th 2006 5:27PM]

Nikola Tesla is the true father of radio, it's him we should be thanking!

[Ian @ Dec 24th 2006 5:43PM]

Tesla invented radio, Marconi mainstreamed it, but it was Reginald Fessenden that managed to transmit voice over the medium. He also devised the format - with both live and recorded content making up a 'show'. Incidentally he was also Canadian.

[Perry @ Dec 24th 2006 5:55PM]

As one who is a fan of the movie "Contact", I wonder just how far into space that first transmission has gone... :)

[granny down east @ Dec 25th 2006 12:34AM]

Read "The Waveries" by Frederic Brown. Short story about when EMF comes back. Heh

[Mike @ Dec 25th 2006 7:06PM]

Easy - 100 light years!

[Robert @ Dec 24th 2006 5:59PM]

Gives us technophile jews something to celebrate tonite. I'll put some candles next to my stereo and listen to NPR while I eat my wonton/eggdrop soup and sweet and sour chicken.

[Daven @ Dec 24th 2006 6:05PM]

As long as you're comparing apples-inventors (Fessenden) to or oranges-inventors (Marconi), don't forget Hertz, who discovered radio waves.

[Arthur Greeenwald @ Dec 24th 2006 6:36PM]

Nice article but the REAL centennial of broadcasting as we've come to know it will be November 2, 2020 -- the hundredth anniversary of the first KDKA Radio broadcast off the roof of the Westinghouse Electric plant in East Pittsburgh, PA. I had the pleasure of meeting the staff announcer who read the Harding-Cox election returns on that historic night: Leo Rosenberg, then a young marketing exec who happened to have a decent voice. When I met Mr. Rosenberg he was 92, sharp as a tack, and being honored by several broadcasting organizations.

[Mike @ Dec 24th 2006 8:40PM]

Perry said: "As one who is a fan of the movie "Contact", I wonder just how far into space that first transmission has gone... :)"

I would guess 100 light years or so. :)

[Perry @ Dec 24th 2006 9:11PM]

Yeah, but I have no idea how far that is. Hell, I don't even do metrics... :)

[idunno @ Dec 24th 2006 11:21PM]

I think it's somewhere around 946,080,000,000,000 kilometers. I think...

[AndrewNeo @ Dec 25th 2006 12:14AM]

Wouldn't it have passed the century mark in 2000? *buh dum tsch*
Jokes aside, Google sez "100 light years = 9.4605284 × 10^14 kilometers"

[Thai Radio @ Dec 26th 2006 6:55PM]

Yeap, Radio does still have a long life ahead!

In emerging countries radio stations are even blossoming.
It's especially true in Thailand.

Have a look at:

http://mog.software.free.Fr/Thai/Radio.html