Radio in the 1920s 

My dad played his harmonica on a Toronto radio station in 1926 when he was 6 yrs old. He was so short they had to hold him up to reach the microphone!

Great video. I collect and restore old radio sets from the 1920's to the 1940's. Listening to an old radio is a great way to connect with a decade. You're hearing and looking at the same radio someone did 80, 90 or 95 years ago. Thanks for the video, it may help someone get bit by the radio history bug.

Ok, so there's one correction I need to make. At 1:14 I said that the first commercial radio broadcast on made by the KDKA station, but this is an often-repeated myth. There were at least 2 other stations making regularly-scheduled broadcasts to relatively large numbers of people before that time. So while the KDKA broadcast was a notable example of early commercial radio, it was not actually the first. This is a fact I will bring up again later in a future video, so don't forget it!

As someone who has been in radio full-time since 1990... THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

Just like today, the main reason to broadcast is to advertise. Some things never change. Great videos!

I WISH I COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND MEET LOUISE BROOKS.

A great and enjoyable video about American Radio in the 1920s. I especially like your use of real '20s music. However, there was also a huge amount of radio broadcasting elsewhere in the world. It is a shame this video assumes that America is the only place anything ever happened in the 1920s and a simple statement or addition of the word American to the title would help to eliminate the impression of American bias or arrogance. Unlike in the cinema, where American film had come to dominate the world cinemas, radio was very successful in other countries and often followed a quite different model to the American commercial model. Programming was often quite varied and interesting from the onset, with regular news, sports, weather reports and forecasts, drama, religion, children's shows, gardening, cooking and other interest shows as well as music. Many of these developments would influence the direction American radio would take and many of the firsts happened elsewhere in the world with American radio stations making overseas innovations their own. Music on radio - at least here in New Zealand, could include the full spectrum of what was played at the time, from serious symphonic music and opera to light classical and salon music, from banjo, mandolin and guitar orchestras to brass bands and choirs, from selections from the latest musical hall acts and musicals, to the latest in popular dance music. Here in New Zealand the first regular broadcasts started in Dunedin in 1921. Within a year all the major cities had radio stations although the number of listeners would remain small until the end of 1923. Broadcasting was regular but not always daily. The number of people listening in increased substantially after the introduction of more affordable loud speakers and because most radio sets were battery operated in the early '20s, the availability of batteries in some places also influenced who would spend up on a radio set - w3hich would be virtually useless without. By 1924 there were stations in most large towns and in the bigger cities the radio stations often had their own house orchestras and dance bands. They'd feature a large quantity of live local performers, both from the studio and broadcast live from concert halls and night clubs as well as the occaisional gramophone record. The news broadcast in the 1920s in NZ was mostly compiled and edited by secretaries, from cuttings out of the local newspapers and it wouldn't be until about mid 1929 that stations here started employing radio journalists rather than just relying on new readers reading editing newpaper articles. Our stations here were a combination of private and government controlled stations until 1935 when the Labour Government nationalised all the private stations. Private stations of this era were often run as a side line by local business - such as books shops, music shops and similar. The private stations were partially commercial - featured advertisements, but shows tended not to be sponsored in the way they were in the US. The government run stations followed a similar model to the BBC of the same era with no advertising or commercial interests. Many of the private stations would continue to feature advertising after nationalisation. Some really important points about American radio that you've missed out on would be a mention of Coon Sanders Nighthawks and their fan club the Nighthawks club. This was band and its broadcasts were a huge development and sensation at the time and set the scene

I love the 1920's and OTR. Your videos combined the best of both worlds. Thank-you!

“In an age that has nothing to say, the loudspeaker has been invented.” - George B. Shaw.

Awesome stuff, really excellent. Very well presented. Impressive.

Excellent; thanks for making and posting this interesting and historically informative video!

I am just thrilled with this video , as a kid our picture tube went out on our television so when I got home from school and went to watch my favorite shows such as My Three Sons I would listen to the shows as if they were radio program, of course now on RU-vid I enjoy listening to the old-time radio shows such as Suspense, Johnny Dollar,Etc. I also love black and white movies.

Nice episode...I'm really digging your channel & content...Many thanks my friend

This was my first video of yours, and certainly not my last, because I enjoyed this. I'm a lifelong comedy-fan-and-history buff, as well as record collector, so I think this is very well done. The rest is long, and it's just me geeking out immediately after watching... (EDIT: I looked through yer list, so most of what I wrote seems redundant, but I'll leave it anyway...) You may have a 'part 2' if you connect records (with recording history) to radio, especially a direct connection to how Amos & Andy became popular. In late '27 into '28, a series of 78s called The Two Black Crows (Parts 1 through several) came out on Columbia Records. Comedians George Moran and Charles Mack were already Vaudeville stars, and developed what became the radio show's famous catchphrases. The Amos & Andy show was directly lifted from Moran & Mack's act. I have parts 1 through 8, with the 'part 7/8' record autographed by both. The 1920s radio shows were indeed live, although when recording went electric, huge developments were made in all media involving sound by mid-decade. Vitaphone's new theater system used a then-ridiculously-slow record speed of 33&1/3 (with "telephone-inspired amplification", and running on the same motor for record and film) to reliably match audio and film, soon to be adopted by the Warner Brothers film studio. Many shows stayed live for decades, though the "transcription disc" (at that new, weird, slow speed) was obviously used in the 20s as well, which is why those very few examples of 20s-era radio survive. All the best to you, I'm off to check yer channel out!

The 1920's Channel, I take my hat off to the Narrator and his most informative video. His narration is Excellent and his vocal too. Keep up the good work and channel too. RCJ/LEO

"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea!"

I think you are doing a good job of conveying the zeitgeist of the 1920’s, and there is no end of relevant material. I bet people were more amazed at radio than they were at the advent of the internet. I guess we have become used to what SHOULD be amazing innovation. Just as no one in 1870 could imagine radio, no one in 1970 could imagine powerful computers the size of a tiny notebook, that was a phone, but barely used as one.

Great video about an often overlooked time period!

love your shows - im currently indexing newspaper articles from the 1920s and have been collecting every local radio ad from the entire decade in Saskatoon SK Canada

You do such wonderful videos!

Really great show. Thanks!

Very interesting video. I have enjoyed having a 1925 Atwater Kent Model 20 which has been working since 1982 when I built a power supply from a kit to replace the batteries. It is interesting to note that scientists were also experimenting with television in the 1920’s. The January 1925 issue of National Geographic, in an article on astronomy, mentions experiments with “radio movies “, which today we know as television. According to the article, scientists were predicting that the public would be able to watch the 1929 presidential inauguration in the comfort of their home. As it turned out, television was first demonstrated at the 1939 Worlds Fair and became available to the public after World War II. That same issue of National Geographic advertises my 1925 Atwater Kent.

The first radio broadcast from a remote location took place Sunday evening November 19, 1922 when Roxy Rothafel narrated the evenings performance at the Capitol Theatre, New Your City from the wings of the stage over WEAF.

Can you cover some of the social aspects; like weird things(by modern standards) that were normal back then? I am interested in the social environment of the 1920’s.

Thank you - i always wanted to know about this!!!!! I love your channel & everyone should be watching it!!!!!!! ☮️❤️

I feel that the importance of radio in unifying the U.S. is often overlooked in history. For the first time everyone in an entire country, even a huge one like the U.S., could hear the same thing at the same time. News now happened almost instantly, music and entertainment could happen nationally, and it led to more national brands of products. Some books say this didn't happen until television but it seems like television was more an enhancement of what radio had already created.

I'm not really into the broadcasting at the time, but rather the radios themselves (I restore them). Although I don't have any from the 20's, my oldest is from 1932

Great show - appreciate the info!

This is a great video! Bravo!! 👏

Great vid!! thanks. but hey! we had TV in the ‘5O’s and the shows were terrific and innovative Sid Caesar, Omnibus - BUT! we still listened to the radio. all those great shows and soap operas - i loved them. i remember listening when i was 10 and 11 in the very late 1950’s. so it took a while to fade away. and after the shows like ‘The Shadow’ and ‘Gunsmoke’ went away, we still had the music stations. AM and FM, which was a big deal. DJ’s became part of our lives way into the ‘70’s like Cousin Brucie and Wolfman Jack. there were big personality morning shows, The Arthur Godfry Show, Art Linkletter, and the very incredible story teller Jean Shepard, (who wrote The Christmas Story - “You’re gonna shoot your eye out kid.” and the famous lady leg lamp). really one of the best films ever! anyway, it took a long time before radio lost its magic. and now we listen to audiobooks, music and stuff on RU-vid and podcasts, iTunes and Spotify. Listening and letting your imagination free is still with us. :) ⚡️💿🌷🌱 i really miss CBS, NBC, snd ABC plus the local TV stations. great kid shows. Thanks for this vid - really brought memories and it was interestingly interesting. LOL 🌷🌱 you should have mentioned “and here’s the President, Hoobert Heever. poor Harry vonZel. lol

A classmate of mine from the 1960's was a ham operator and spent all his adult life in that venue.

Great story shows how the electronic age began and the end of the Victorian age by 1916 1919 as radio made it when movies came to life then radio is used again to make movies talk by 1929.....thanks.

Rudy Vallee sang the college shool song for the University of Maine. We still love it.

Pretty good video on radio! ;-) Tesla vs Marconi... I guess that depends on what you read. I say they both did. First to patent isn't always first to invent or discover. That old equipment is super rare now. I'm 56 and I grew up in a house of Ham radio operators. The changes I've seen in my life with radio.. I Wonder how many people realize their smartphone has several radios in it? One to talk to the cell tower, one for WiFi, one for Bluetooth, one for NFC and one to receive GPS. Maybe even more than that. One thing you pointed out that hasn't changed. Advertising. Looking forward to the next video!! 73s from KC4BGA

this seems like a good channel, I am a first time viewer....I will try other videos on this channel...thanks for your efforts

The author is in error with regards to who first filed for wireless patents. Nikola Tesla was the first to file and received a number of fundamental patents with regards to the transmission and reception of what we now call radio signals. Furthermore; Tesla gave the first public demonstration of radio transmission and reception in a lecture in St. Louis MO on the evening of March 8th 1893. In the end the US Supreme Court upheld Tesla's claims and struck down the Marconi patents in July of 1943 but sadly Tesla had passed away in January of that year.

Guglielmo which is the Italian equivalent of “William” is pronounced /goo-lee-el-mo/. In Italian “gli” is pronounced as /lee/ with a silent “g” which is a diachronic aphthong as “gh” is in words like light, night, tight. We have silent “g’s” in words like sign, gnat, gnome, align. Silent “K” in knight, know, knot and silent “W” in answer or sword. Other languages are no different.

👍🏻🥂 From the Rudy Vallee Fan Club!

"...had it's roots in an earlier show called Sam and Henry, which began in January 1926 on the Chicago network WGN, owned by the Chicago Tribune newspaper." WGN, by the way, stands for World's Greatest Newspaper.

A great time in history, thanks

I love you channel and have subscribed! You mentioned Old Time Radio, I'd also like to suggest RadioDismuke that broadcasts 1920s-1930s music.

Great topic!!! I have radios but finding suitable channels is tough!!!

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!!!

When radio became a widely accepted and available medium, many in the newspaper businesses feared it would replace them. Well, radio actually stimulated newspaper sales and the advertising revenues. Many newspapers bought their own stations. Then came post WWII and television and again there was concern that TV would replace radio entirely. And it did cause a major shift in radio formats but thanks to the automobile manufacturers there are more radio stations in operation today than ever before. People in cars need radios to get the news and local information such as weather and sports. And let's not forget about pure audio entertainment of all types of music. As people began to spend more time driving, the demand for radio got even broader. You can't really watch TV or read a paper while driving so listening is the next best thing. Now we have newer mediums of entertainment and who can predict what that's going to lead to. Personally I listen to old time radio plays on thumb drive plugged into my car radio. Especially when I have to take a long trip.

Fantastic stuff!!!! Well done!!!!

From what I read, the patent wa latr changed to state Tesla as the first - Marconi was using things from several of Teslas earlier parents, after all, without asking, and it is known that he has seen those patents.

Thanks. Very interesting

I find it really interesting that your understanding of 1920's radio is essentially the programming from the period (as evidenced by the ending of the video where you refer those "who are interested in vintage radio" to a site that contains examples of radio broadcasts of the period), rather than the actual devices of the period, radio transmitters and especially receivers, and related accessories. To me it's all of it, with more of an emphasis on the devices of the period. I collected radios from the 1920's, but I don't think that I had a single recording of a radio broadcast from that time. I did have many records, though, and still do. Go figure...

“I don’t hold with furniture that talks” - Fred Allen Show

The patents that Marconi stole from Tesla were restored to Tesla 6 months after he died in 1943.

I saw a Cygnet horn in one of the photos being used for a loudspeaker.

15 June 1920...Dame Nellie Melba ( Helen Porter Mitchell) was the first person & Australian to be heard broadcasting her singing via Marconi works factory in Chelmsford. She features on the Aussie $100 note. Auckland New Zealand. ZL1MPU

and in 2020 in a hundred years the whole world is in the palm of your hand in little computer )

Smiles are beautiful

The thumbnail of this video, the gentleman who is wearing the headphones looks like Sid Caesar.

_Invisible airwaves crackle with life_ _Bright antenna bristle with the energy_ _Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength_ _Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free_

Spark wireless and Radio are very different things. The first Radio Broadcast, the very first, is properly credited to a Canadian Citizen living and working in America. Prof Reginald A. Fessenden broadcast a program of live music and talk Christmas Eve 1906 from Brant Rock, Massachusetts. His signal was picked up by wireless telegraphy operators nearby and at a considerable distance. Like so many inventions Radio Broadcasting originated in North America.

It's been decades since I heard an article about early radio (probably on some NPR show) so I may not be remembering correctly, but I think it said ALL radio was once public radio (like the channels now found on the left end of the FM dial) supported voluntarily by community donations just because people wanted to keep their local stations on the air. I assume that was before radio went full-bore commercial. About the original Amos 'n' Andy: I knew they were white men speaking white America's idea of a black dialect, but I had no inkling that the theme music came from Birth of a Nation - that's creepy! Btw I think a lot of people don't realize the "silent" movies of the 1920s weren't really silent. Soundtracks hadn't been invented yet but films were accompanied by music scores played by orchestras in the large theaters and by an organ or piano in the smaller ones. Charlie Chaplin composed his own scores in the 20s and continued to do so after sound recording became part of the films themselves.

Radio signals were developed in the late 19th century, but audio modulation wasn't embedded until 1920 by an inventor engineer in Pittsburgh.

I always thought Detroit (WWJ), made the first radio broadcast on August 31, 1920.

Radio was revolutionary, TV is evolutionary.

That makes the station - which became CFCF in 1922 - the first in Canada, and possibly the first in the world. “The Americans will say they had the first,” said Dufour.

One of the first radio stations here in San Antonio, WOAI (one of the few radio station west of the Mississippi that began with a W), was primarily a station for news and agriculture (weather, prices at the stockyards, shipping). Thus its call letters: WOAI - World Of Agricultural Information. It was primarily that even into the 60s.

What's funny, while watching this, all I could hear was, "tv killed the radio star".

i enjoyed this, but let's be clear, Amos n Andy was indeed a racist caricature of African Americans. it doesn't matter if whites didn't think it was.

Yep I heard that KDKA in Pittsburgh was the first or one of the first stations on radio air waves

Amos 'n' Andy, Easy Aces, Ethel and Albert, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Goldbergs, The Great Gildersleeve, The Halls of Ivy, Meet Corliss Archer, Meet Millie, and Our Miss Brooks Most interesting. 😎 Thanks.

The idea that radio was over by 1955 and the arrival of television is totally incorrect. It is only true where the radio serials were concerned. Radio for music and news broadcasting remained very popular and every car had a radio built in as standard equipment. By the late 1950s, the transistor radio, which replaced tubes with transistors made small portable radios possible. I was born in 1952. The radio was always on in the car, and often at home. I had my first transistor radio at 12 years of age. I made a crystal radio that year in the 6th grade. Radio continued as the dispenser of pop music and news for a long time after, with FM arriving in the late 80s and opening up stereo broadcasting for the Boomers. I still listen to FM radio during the daytime whenever I'm working on my computer or around the house. Plus I have a radio out in my shop and even one in the chicken coup; all tuned into the local classical radio!

Excellent video

You saved my life. I have a speech about this subject🙏🙏🙏 tyyyy

Two most influential decades of the 20th century was the 20s and 60s

Thanks my brother

Great channel!

AM radio bounces off the atmosphere and comes back down. With enough power AM can go around the Earth.

You can pay cash for a radio, but you still have to charge the battery. 😃

You dont really need to do a program on it, but as your channel is all about the 1920s, you would enjoy reading the book, "Dandelion Wine", by Ray Bradbury. He touches on new areas for you! I found this elsewhere, but what kids listened to after school in the 1920s was not the jukebox of course, but the Player Piano! Neat stuff, history!!! 📯

I was just thinking about how nice your voice is, then I read how bad it is. I like it.

Cool insight 👄👄😊👍👍

I want to go there.

Very interesting!

Amos and Andy were great!

The international silver string submarine band (in person)

By 1943, another radio network joined in. The American Broadcasting Company aka ABC when it was used to be called the blue network.

It’s National Radio Day in the U.S., but it’s time Canada claimed its place in radio history

I've been searching endlessly for video or radio of my papa trav aka vern Rollin Traver who won 1st & second place on these radio shows from that era he was from McPherson Kansas New York Seattle Chicago & los Angela's dinuba died in Fresno he did a skit called the telephone I believe possibly Columbia I can't find him although he looks alike like Robert young can u please help me find him??

I live in Jerusalem and care for the elderly. An elderly lady rented an apartment that had a 60 year old radio with all original parts that worked well.

EXCELLENT PRODUCTION>

Enjoyed!

Bing Crosby? Eddie Cantor? Rudy Vallee wasn't the only big name performer. Just saying. Btw I already saw the later video where you corrected the KDKA myth. Thanks. 👍👍

I thought this was really interesting & the commentator had a good “radio voice”.😊 I was wondering if you already haven’t, if you could talk about religion in the 1920’s. Keep up the good work, these videos are great!

WGN (Chicago) Is STILL owned by the Tribune and the call letters came from the Tribune's slogan "World's Greatest Newspaper".

You said "Amos & Andy" used as their theme song something from the film "Birth of a Nation". Wasn't that a silent movie, so no music?

I love this video. But I think there was a lot more programming right at the start of commercial broadcasting than I think you are saying. I know there were regular shows in 1922 including radio dramas, and that the pace of radio set sales was so fast then that Weston Electric couldn't make enough speakers and people had to listen on earphones. Have I misunderstood you?

You are incorrect on who first patented wireless technology as the basis of the lawsuits that finally was settled by the US Supreme Court in July 1943 and struck down the fundamental patents held by Marconi. Nikola Tesla while he may have had his quarks and odd behavior; he was an incredibly gifted engineer and not some spoiled rich kid like Marconi playing around with wires in his attic. Tesla full well knew what he was doing when he began working with what we now call radio in the early 1890s and even gave a public demonstration of wireless communication before an audience of over 5000 people in St. Louis MO in 1892.

Thank you!!

Great stuff -- to see the styles and trends that time so clearly presented! Very interesting that people recognized radio as a way for businesses and corporations (and governments by the same token) to program the public for profit. The internet now presents a way for every man to be a broadcaster -- hence the severe totalitarian censorship we are now seeing on line.

Tesla didn't like patenting his discoveries, because he wanted them to be easy for people to get and share. He was an extraordinary man.

Wrong Tesla did patient the wireless radio Markconi bought the patient when he was just 16 and the patient was locked away for nearly a century till someone found it it had Tesla's name on it

For the record, Marconi used 7 of Tesla's patents to send Morris code by wireless. Prior to that, Tesla had demonstrated complete mastery of a radio controlled model boat that observers insisted "must have had a trained monkey inside." You got a fine channel, your historical understanding is elevating......... but your scientific understanding needs work. All the best to you.

He also looked similar to Walter mcgrail.I know he sang with Dorris parker in the uso with Dorris parker in San diego at the mission beach ballroom..I have sum on tape recordings lol