Without belief and public support in a product, it is difficult to promote, publicize, and create demand for any product. While several factors influenced the creation and rise of popularity of the radio in the 1920’s, I believe the most influential factor to be industrial interest.
The radio in 1920’s America became the central medium in households for many reasons. The Effectiveness of Marconi’s wireless telegraph during the tragic titanic calamity sparked interest of the use of radio waves and their possibilities. The great potential available with the radio raised industries interest in the plethora of opportunities it had to offer. The patent pool in 1920, which allowed several companies to make functioning radio transmitters and receivers, gave several companies the opportunity to establish successful broadcast stations.
With the increasing interest from industries came the popularity of the radio. The radio could provide entertainment with soap operas, suspense, sports, or detective dramas, leisure with a variety of music, and current events with local, national and international news. As Americans became better informed on issues involving not only their small communities but also nation wide issues, their sense of belonging to a nation grew stronger. AT&T, who had the first station with advertisements, boosted the popularity of companies to buy airtime, making for the rise to a more lucrative radio industry.
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