The origins of radio broadcasting are still a topic of debate, with several key figures claiming to have been the pioneers in the field.
Some believe Nathan Stubblefield, an eccentric inventor from rural Kentucky, was the first to transmit the human voice wirelessly. Stubblefield claimed to have made a transmission as early as 1892, but he didn’t demonstrate his invention publicly until January 1, 1902, in his hometown of Murray, Kentucky. Witnesses reported that voices and music were sent through the air. However, his later years were marked by tragedy, as Stubblefield was found dead in 1928 in the shack where he had lived alone, reportedly from starvation.
Meanwhile, Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, a Canadian-born electrical engineer, made a historic transmission on Christmas Eve 1906. Broadcasting from a station at Brant Rock, Massachusetts, Fessenden transmitted the human voice over hundreds of miles, reportedly reaching ships at sea. Known for his contributions to wireless transmission, Fessenden invented the continuous-wave principle and the heterodyne system, which laid the foundation for many later radio and communication technologies. He passed away in 1932 at the age of 65.
Another key figure in early radio is Lee de Forest, an inventor and Yale-educated minister’s son, who made several notable early broadcasts. He transmitted phonograph records from the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1908 and broadcast a performance of Enrico Caruso at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1910. De Forest, who is credited with inventing the three-element vacuum tube in 1906 (a crucial development in radio, long-distance telephony, sound movies, and television), continued his work in radio throughout his life, leaving behind a legacy of patents and several fortunes gained and lost before his death in 1961.
In 1909, Charles David Herrold from San Jose, California, set up a radio-telephone station primarily for experimental purposes and as a promotional tool for his school of engineering and wireless. His station, which broadcasted music and news, later grew into KQW in 1921 and eventually became KCBS in 1949, now a major CBS-owned station in San Francisco. Herrold, a noted microscopist and inventor, also contributed to numerous fields, including electrical devices for dentistry and surgery, and developed equipment for pearl fishers and salvage operations.
Earle Melvin Terry, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, helped establish 9XM in Madison, Wisconsin, now WHA, which claims to be the nation’s oldest broadcast station. Terry’s encouragement of his student C. J. Jansky Jr. led to the development of three-element power vacuum tubes that were used in Wisconsin’s first radio-telegraph station. In 1917, the station broadcasted its first transmissions of voice and music. Terry’s pioneering work and that of his students contributed significantly to the early development of radio broadcasting.
The Scripps family, originally from England, made a significant contribution to radio with the establishment of station 8MK in Detroit. On August 20, 1920, 8MK became what is claimed to be the first station to broadcast regularly scheduled programs. The station’s inaugural broadcast included the words “This is 8MK calling,” followed by music and an announcement asking listeners, “How do you get it?” This broadcast is believed to have reached about 30 homes in Detroit. The station eventually became WWJ, which continues to broadcast today. The Scripps family’s interest in radio began after they financed an experimental wireless operator’s work in 1902, and their son, William John Scripps, a passionate ham radio enthusiast, helped turn WWJ into a significant force in early radio broadcasting.
The early history of radio broadcasting is marked by a series of groundbreaking efforts and claims, making it a complex and fascinating story. Each of these innovators contributed to the development of radio as we know it today, though the precise order of their achievements remains a subject of debate, much like the comedy sketch “Who’s on First?”—a humorous mix-up of names and events that has become legendary in its own right.