full chapter 5

Telegraph

Invented in the 1940s, it sent electrical impulses through a cable from a transmitter to a reception point, transmitting Morse code.

Morse code

A system of sending electrical impulses from a transmitter through a cable to a reception point; developed by the American inventor Samuel Morse.

Electromagnetic waves

Invisible electronic impulses similar to visible light that radiate in space at the speed of light, including electricity, magnetism, light, broadcast signals, and heat.

Radio waves

A portion of the electromagnetic wave spectrum that allows signals to be sent from a transmission point and received at a reception point.

Wireless telegraphy

The forerunner of radio; a form of voiceless point-to-point communication preceding broadcast transmissions.

Wireless telephony

Early experiments in wireless voice and music transmissions that later developed into modern radio.

Broadcasting

The transmission of radio waves or TV signals to a broad public audience.

Narrowcasting

Specialized electronic programming or media channel aimed at a target audience.

Radio Act of 1912

The first radio legislation passed by Congress that addressed amateur radio operators and their use of airwaves.

Radio Corporation of America

A company developed during WW1 to pool radio patents with government approval, controlling the emerging mass medium of broadcasting.

Network

A broadcast process linking radio or TV stations to share programming produced at a central location.

Option time

A now-illegal business tactic where a radio network would pay an affiliate station for control of programming and advertising.

Radio Act of 1927

The second radio legislation that stated licensees did not own their channels but could license them for the public interest.

Federal Radio Commission (FRC)

Established in 1927 to oversee radio licenses and negotiate channel conflicts.

Communication Act of 1934

An act that established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a federal regulatory structure for U.S. broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission

An independent U.S. government agency regulating interstate and international communications across various mediums.

Transistors

Tiny technology pieces invented in 1947 that receive and amplify radio signals, making portable radios possible.

FM

A type of radio transmission that offers static-less reception with greater fidelity than AM by accentuating the pitch of waves.

AM

A type of radio transmission that stresses the volume or height of radio waves.

Format radio

The concept of radio stations developing and playing specific styles geared to listeners’ demographics.

Rotation

The practice in radio programming of playing the most popular songs multiple times throughout the day.

Top 40 format

The first radio format where stations played the forty most popular hits based on record sales.

Progressive Rock

An alternative music format that arose as a backlash against Top 40's popularity.

Album-oriented Rock

A radio format featuring album cuts from mainstream rock bands.

Drive time

Periods between 6-10 A.M. and 4-7 P.M. with the largest listening audiences due to commuting.

News/talk/information

The fastest-growing radio format in the 1990s, dominated by news programs and talk shows.

Adult Contemporary (AC)

An old and popular radio format featuring a mix of news, talk, oldies, and soft rock.

Contemporary hit radio (CHR)

Originally called Top 40, it's a radio format appealing to teens and young adults with a variety of genres.

Country

The most prevalent radio format in the U.S. with subdivisions including old-time, progressive, and country-gospel.

Urban contemporary

A popular radio format targeting African American listeners with dance, R&B, and hip-hop music.

Pacifica Foundation

Established by Lewis Hill in 1949 in Berkley, California, that created the first nonprofit community radio station KPFA.

National Public Radio (NPR)

Non-commercial radio established in 1967 to provide an alternative to commercial radio.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

Noncommercial television established in 1967 by Congress to provide alternatives to commercial television.

Public Broadcasting Act of 1967

The act establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, overseeing PBS and NPR.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

A private, nonprofit corporation created in 1967 to funnel federal funds to nonprofit radio and public television.

Satellite radio

Pay radio services delivering various formats nationally via satellite.

HD radio

A digital technology allowing AM and FM broadcasters to multicast additional digital signals within their analog frequency.

Internet Radio

Online radio stations that stream on-air broadcasts over the web or are created exclusively for the Internet.

Podcasting

A method of distribution enabling users to download audio program files from the Internet for playback.

Payola

The unethical practice of paying deejays or programmers to favor specific songs, not always illegal.

Telecommunications Act of 1996

A major update of telecommunications law that spurred media consolidation.

Low-power FM

A class of noncommercial radio stations approved by the FCC in 2000, broadcasting to small community areas.