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Good evening multitudes, and welcome to another standing-room only evening here at the Max Rowley Media Academy. My name is Stefan Sojka, and tonight is my 34th radio program in my journey towards media excellence. Tonight is a special night, because I am looking into the History of radio itself. Yes the very medium you are now listening to has evolved enormously since it’s very humble beginnings and even as you listen to this program is undergoing even more radical evolution as it shifts from the old analogue format to the new digital transmissions which promise to take radio to a whole new level. So lets go back to where it all began, 1844… MORSE CODE Yes over 150 years ago, the seeds of radio were sown by the transmission of Morse code over telegraph wires. Like every development in communications, like the postal service, or the steam engine, this one was to make a huge impact as all levels of society began to realize the benefits of instant information. The first words ever transmitted by Samuel Morse were “what hath god wrought” and this question was an ominous one and Morse’s invention opened up a whole world of communication for personal, business and of course military purposes. The enthusiasts of telegraphy saw it in much the same way we see the Internet. They were inspired by the possibilities and they even referred to the telegraph network as a “WEB”. It took many years of scientific research to develop radio, and ultimately radio that could carry the human voice. In 1887 Heinrich Hertz created the world’s
first man-made radio waves and in 1895 Gugliemo Marconi found that he
could increase the distance at which wireless waves could be detected
by using an aerial for reception and another for transmission. Very soon, the politicians realized the power of radio. This presidential speech was broadcast in 1912. PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH. Yep, he’s square alright. Real square. As you can hear, the Max Rowley Media Academy had not yet opened it’s doors, so the quality of vocal delivery at the time ranged from bad to ridiculous. Around this time the creative geniuses got to work to wring every last ounce of possibility out of the radio phenomenon. TIME CALL It wasn’t until someone decided to try broadcasting music that things really started to change. RAGTIME Although the quality of sound was naturally nowhere near as good as we are used to now, radio began broadcasting entertainment and music to wider and wider audiences, and it became almost a ritual for families to gather round the wireless and tune in to advertisement-sponsored programs. It was an ideal combination, and much to the detriment of the local entertainers and promoters, network stations began putting big name artists on the air to increase the numbers of listeners. BING CROSBY Stars were born and during the great depression, spirits were lifted, as the marketing juggernaut drove into more and more living rooms, tapping into the collective consciousness, making everyone feel good in those difficult times. KRISPIES Not only was radio a great tool for the commercial world, it made it very easy for governments to influence entire populations to certain ways of thinking. In Germany, Hitler arranged for everyone to get a wonderful new “Peoples Receiver” and Goebles, the minister for Propaganda arranged for entertaining programmes to be broadcast to get everyone in the habit of listening, after which Hitler would find it much easier to tap in to the eager and attentive audience’s minds. HITLER Adolph Hitler there, wishing the German People a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Every country used radio to rally the people to their particular ideals. It could be said that radio itself was the reason why World War two was so catastrophic. The propaganda from both sides was so pervasive and persuasive, that the population at large didn’t have a hope in hell of questioning the motives, the reasons or the general direction the world was heading. This speech from Churchill threatens us all with an instant passage to the abyss of eternal damnation if we didn’t support the war effort. CHURCHILL Of course we all know that war is big business, and World War two was the biggest economic boom of the century. People got rich making the weapons, and after the war, they would get rich rebuilding all the damage. Since the war, which apparently Churchill won, Germany and Japan have prospered like never before and there has been more killing, torture and genocide than any time before or during World War two. By the 50s, TV began to take off in a big way and radio was forced to shift focus, as many of the popular radio plays became overshadowed by the much more appealing TV shows. But not before this little radio play managed to shake the world at its foundations. WAR OF THE WORLDS Radio plays were still very popular because
not everyone could afford televisions, but it wasn’t long before
TV became affordable to the masses, and radio began its gentle shift towards
the formats that we are now familiar with. Current release top 40 music,
news, weather, information and rather than having shows sponsored by advertisers,
the short and snappy jingles were played in between the music and the
fast-talking DJ’s to create an exciting formula that helped rocket
new artists to stardom, whilst still managing to sell plenty of products
and deliver up-to-the-minute information. WOLFMAN JACK During the 60’s radio became synonymous with the new generation, as cars were fitted with radio, and transistor radios meant that you could take your music anywhere. I can remember getting my first radio when I was 9 years old lying on the beach during summer holidays and being transfixed by the tunes that were being played at the time. SUMMER BREEZE By this time radio had really evolved a long way. IT began to find its footing as radio stations diversified and varied their styles to suit different market segments. Golden Oldies, Love songs, Underground beats, Talk-Back, comedy, classical, jazz, youth culture. While all this was going on, Technology evolved and FM radio gave radio its biggest boost yet, with superb stereo quality sound lifting the medium to new heights. FREESTYLER Finally, in this look at the history of radio, we are at yet another milestone. The advent of digital radio and other digital forms of communication promise to revolutionize the industry as much as any other development that has come before. Media is merging, diversifying, metamorphosing, evolving into something even the most imaginative speculators are having trouble guessing. Will mass media fragment completely into niche markets? Will radio become totally individual? Will phones, TV, radio, Internet, newspapers and all other mediums merge in a massive computerized info-sphere in which we will all slowly drown, or for that matter, rise to the surface and come out culturally, socially and personally more fulfilled and enlightened? All we can say at this point it that it is anyone’s guess. The big players are certainly trying their best, while phenomenons like Napster and portable MP3 players seem to be throwing the media juggernaut in a bit of a spin. One thing is for sure, radio is here to stay in one form or another, and we students here at the Max Rowley Media academy are going to be a part of the revolution. Yes, the millennium has arrived and now, to end this show, I’d like to present to you, the culmination of 150 years of radio history, the pinnacle of media evolution, the ultimate radio experience… STEFAN LESSON ONE Yes, Stefan Sojka has hit the airwaves! Thank you for your attention this evening. Next week I present a free form show, which is always a lot of fun. Until then , this is Stefan Sojka saying good night! MORSE CODE
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