A Short History of Radio Events

Radio continues to be a relevant form of mass communication and remains one of the few free services to anyone with a receiver.


Image by Jose Pedro Santos

The first commercial radio broadcast in 1920, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh, under the call sign KDKA, broadcast the live returns of the Harding/Cox presidential election. Within just four years of the initial KDKA broadcast, 600 stations existed in the U.S. and radio’s rapid popularity contributed to our shared national identity by providing syndicated news, sports, and music.

Radio stations gradually phased out vinyl single and LP records in the mid 1980s and went to CDs. Huge turntables and tape recorders disappeared, replaced by smaller CD players.

Radio program formats differ by country, regulation, and markets. For instance, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission designates the 88 - 92 megahertz band in the U.S. for non profit or educational programming, with advertising prohibited.

Formats change in popularity as time passes and technology improves. Early radio equipment only allowed program material to be broadcast in real time, known as live broadcasting. As technology for sound recording improved, an increase of broadcasts programming used prerecorded material. Some stations now operate without direct human intervention by using entirely prerecorded material sequenced by computer control.

Image by Fringer Cat

In 1936, an experimental station authorized to Major Edwin H. Armstrong for experimental FM broadcasts at 40 kW power in Alpine, NJ, demonstrated FM radio technology to the FCC. In1937, The Federal Communications Commission issued its first AM construction permit. And in 1938,  Mel Allen announced the first World Series broadcast on CBS radio and War of the Worlds aired and caused mass panic when many radio listeners believed it was real.

Year	Establishments	Standard Broadcast	Frequency Modulation	Independent Stations
1927		681
1928		677
1929		606
1930		618
1931		612
1932		604
1933		598
1934	449	593
1935	569	623
1936		656
1937	629	704
1938	660	743
1939	705	778
1940	765	847	3
1941	825	897	56	2
1942	862	925	50	5
1943	852	912	55	5
1944	885	924	60	4
1945	969	955	65	5
1946	1555	1215	258	8
1947	3551	1795	918	52
1948	3967	2084	1020	103
1949	4085	2006	865	104
1950	3098	2144	788	86
1951	3129	2281	703	66
1952	3132	2355	650	56
1953	3393	2458	630	116
1954	3749	2583	580	123
1955	3875	2734	522	124
1956	4048	2896	656	51
1957	4276	3079	665	67
1958	4542	3253	703	93
1959	4802	3377	816	165

In 1961, WGFM in Schenectady, New York was the first station to broadcast in stereo. The first Telstar satellite was launched into space in 62. And in 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act, creating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Year	Establishments	Standard Broadcast	Frequency Modulation	Independent Stations
1960	4218	3483	906	218
1961	5269	3602	1075	249
1962	5558	3745	1213	279
1963	5749	3860	1341	294
1964	4777	3976	1425	306
1965	4867	4025	1569	338
1966	5008	4075	1605	381
1967	5100	4135	1806	405
1968	5236	4203	2026	387
1969	5309	4264	2198	442
1970	5584	4288	2393	464
1971	5708	4324	2258	527
1972	5826	4422	2468	559
1973	5936	4434	2560	616
1974	6136	4467	2713	678
1975	6228	4488	2847	703
1976	6339	4525	2947	713
1977	6316	4474	3007	741
1978	6462	4577	3206	777
1979	5769	4634	3300	835
1980	5875	4598	3292	1156
1981	9451	4634	3349	1177
1982	9842	4668	3380	1255
1983	10092	4377	3527	1285
1984	10374	4754	3527	1348
1985		4718	3716
1986	10975	4863	3944	1509
1987	11207	3902	4041	1577
1988	11271	4932	4155	1621
1989	11907	4975	4269	1666

Image by Sonny Mauricio

In1993, The Commission specified a stereo standard for AM radio. President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law. The Act sought to increase competition in the industry by lifting station ownership caps, easing rules applicable to broadcasters, and deregulating the license renewal process. The Creation of the Emergency Alert Service, a national public alert system, and auctions for the first two satellite based Digital Audio Radio Service licenses were in 1997. In 2000, the FCC created the Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service to provide highly local noncommercial educational broadcasts. In 2001, XM Satellite radio launches. In 2002, Sirius Satellite radio launches and HD radio In band On channel (IBOC) system, allowing hybrid digital/analog operations on an interim basis.

Year	Establishments	Standard Broadcast	Frequency Modulation	Independent Stations
1990	10830	4987	4392	1438
1991	10830	4985	4570	1507
1992	11334	4961	4785	1588
1993	11577	4994	4971	1662
1994	11710	4913	5109	1715
1995	11987	4150	5730	1805
1996	12112	4857	5419	1850
1997	12227	4762	5542	1906
1998	12373	4793	5662	2000
1999	12615	4783	5766	2066
2000	12717	4685	5892	2140
2001	13120	4727	6051	2259
2002	13331	4804	6161	2354
2003	13563	4802	6207	2552
2004	13525	4770	6217	2533
2005	13660	4758	6215	2672
2006	13837	4754	6266	2817
2007	13939	4776	6309	2892
2008	13997	4786	6427	3040
2009	14253	4798	6479	3151
2010	14420	4782	6526	3311
2011	14952	4766	6542	3644
2012	15128	4745	6580	3803
2013	15358	4728	6613	3989
2014	15432	4705	6652	4075
2015	26471	4702	6659	4081
2016	17007	4680	6715	4096
2017	17456	4666	6754	4112
2018	17649	4633	6741	4125
2019	17685	4613	6762	4139
2020	17637	4546	6704	4196

For more information:
Vinyl’s much-hyped return to radio
Celebrating 100 Years of Commercial Radio
Radio broadcasting
Amateur radio
International Amateur Radio Union


The International Amateur Radio Union or IARU, is an international confederation of national organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern to amateur radio operators worldwide. The IARU was founded in 1925 and as of July 2021, it is composed of 172 national member societies. About 830,000 amateur radio stations are located in IARU Region 2, the Americas, followed by IARU Region 3, South and East Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with about 750,000 stations. A significantly smaller number, about 400,000, are located in IARU Region 1, Europe, Middle East, CIS, Africa.


Download data:
For radio establishments in america
For radio advertising and expense since 1934

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