BROADCASTING:Historical Facts about Radio, Wireless and Radio

CLASSIFICATION OF PROGRAMS:NEWS, Language, Sensationalizing >>

Introduction to Broadcasting MCM 411

LESSON 01

BROADCASTING

The subject of broadcasting has assumed a global recognition. With so much advancement

being done in the field of mass communication, the use of air waves for putting the message

across is now a reflex matter in our daily life. Study of the subject gives us clear guidelines as

how best a society can benefit from the gains of these advancements.

Beginning with FOUR BASIC questions

Why to broadcast?

The foremost thing coming to mind is why it is so essential to broadcast something. Well,

growth in the size of societies requires some mechanism to keep people informed about a

number of developments taking place around them to make their life organized, smooth and at

times, to relieve them of their routine anxieties. Such rapid communication helps societies to

improve their quality of life as well.

What to broadcast?

This is a sensitive area. The selection of programs for the purposes of broadcast leads to all

sorts of complications at the later stages. Broadly speaking, the presentations could be

categorized in the following pattern:

Programs for religious affairs, children, women, forces, farmers, business community,

curricula-based-education, sports, whole spectrum of people like plays, music, shows,

interviews, news and views, comic, and live commentary on a range of daily life activities. ...

and still room available to think of more.

To whom to broadcast?

It is a haunting question for a producer of different broadcasts. But there must be a good

amount of distinctness in his, or her, mind as who is targeted for a certain program. Others

(outside the target listeners) may benefit from the program but it essentially remains focused

for a particular segment of people.

This greatly helps the producers in the selection of script and presenters (we shall discuss this

in detail in coming lectures). Otherwise, he will remain confused all the time in shaping the

program. For example, a program addresses the youth; - its script, anchor background music

and choice of quotes to stress different aspects of the topic would be peculiar for the young

people... though other than youth can also enjoy it.

Likewise a program meant for women will be designed as to address the fair sex, but others

are not barred to listen to it. This makes matters easier for the production team.

When to Broadcast?

Not all times are fit for all types of transmissions. A long sight has to be given to various

categories and types of programs for drawing a time schedule for them. Usually religious

programs are aired in the morning by most broadcasting houses which is very logical.

Normally programs for women are broadcast at 11 am or around, assuming that they are free

after having done their early morning chores like making breakfast and sending children to

school etc. News are broadcast traditionally right at the start of an hour so that people can get

them. Dramas are broadcast at a time when presumably every one is at home and want to

Introduction to Broadcasting MCM 411

relax. In countries like Pakistan, which are predominantly agrarian, programs for farmers are

aired when they have finished their field job and now gathering around for gossip or can spare

time to listen to things of their interest. The point to emphasis here is that there should be a

reason in the selection of time to make maximum out of the broadcast, which we all

understand is made possible by putting in so much effort of so many people.

Historical Facts about Radio

Radio developed as a logical next step from telegraph - the need to find a way to send

telegraph signals over land or water without cables.

But the discovery process goes back much further than that.

Discovering radio waves (1864) An amazing piece of math's

The story of radio began almost 30 years before Marconi with a Cambridge professor called

James Clerk Maxwell. Though he had never seen or experienced radio waves, Maxwell

successfully forecast most of the laws that govern their propagation, calculating their speed

and noting their resemblance to light waves.

Maxwell showed how radio waves could be reflected, absorbed and focused like the beam

from a torch - and could change the very nature of the object on which they were focused.

In 1887, German scientist Heinrich Hertz carried out a famous set of experiments that proved

Maxwell had been right all along.

Wireless and Radio

Wireless is the generic term for any transmission that is made without using wires between

points, although it frequently is used to describe radio.

Radio is the term used first in the USA, derived from radiation - the principle that governs radio

waves.

It's a characteristic of all electromagnetic waves that both the electric signal and the magnetic

field that accompanies it cycle many times a second. Think of a cork on a pond - as waves

pass it, it goes up and down.

The frequency of the wave is simply the number of times per second the cork goes up and

down as the peaks and troughs of the wave pass it. Electromagnetic waves cycle a lot faster

than this, and are measured in Hertz, where 1Hz is one cycle per second.

The wavelength is the distance between each consecutive peak or trough, so if you multiply

the wavelength by the frequency, you get the speed of the wave. A 100Hz wave with a

wavelength of 1 meter travels at 100 meters per second.

Marconi's first wireless signal (1893) Three dots that made history

In June 1896 a 22-year-old Italian physicist called Guglielmo Marconi, who had settled in

London the previous year, called upon the Engineer-in-Chief of the Post Office to demonstrate

his new system of 'telegraphy without wires'. He had already approached the Italian

government - but it showed no interest.

The Post Office was more receptive and allowed Marconi to set up his transmitter on the roof

of the Central Telegraph Office, and a receiver on the roof of a building called 'GPO South' in

Carter Lane, 300 yards away.

Introduction to Broadcasting MCM 411

On July 27 Marconi succeeded in sending the signals between the two locations. It was the

world's first recorded wireless message. The following month The Post Office gave Marconi

backing to experiment with wireless apparatus on Salisbury Plain and in coastal locations.

The first transatlantic radio message (1901) Cornwall to St. John's

Following the successes of his British and Italian experiments at home, Marconi became

obsessed with the idea of sending messages across the Atlantic. He built a transmitter, 100

times more powerful than any previous station, at Poldhu, on the southwest tip of Cornwall and

in November 1901 installed a receiving station at St. John's, Newfoundland. On December 12,

1901, he received signals from across the ocean - three dots representing the letter 'S' heard

out of the background static.

The achievement has long been controversial - in theory, medium wave radio signals cannot

carry that far during the day. But it is possible that Marconi may unknowingly also have been

transmitting on the short waves as well.

Whatever the truth of it, news of Marconi's reported feat spread rapidly around the world, and

he was acclaimed by outstanding scientists, including Thomas A. Edison. From now on,

telegraphy and telephony would no longer be reliant on cables to cross oceans, or span

continents.

Alum Bay, Isle of Wight (1897) Marconi's first wireless station

Guglielmo Marconi revolutionized communications with his radio system and he made most of

his early experiments at Alum Bay, Isle of Wight. Alum Bay was a deserted and beautiful

stretch of coastline that provided open water straight to the mainland just as far as his

equipment's top range.

Marconi established his first radio station in sight of the famous 'Needles', where he managed

to transmit two hired ferryboats and another station in Bournemouth.

Then, in August 1898, Marconi was invited by Queen Victoria to demonstrate his equipment

aboard the Royal Yacht. During his presentation he amazed his audience by contacting the

royal home at Osborne House and the Alum Bay station.

Cape Cod Marconi station (1903) an ocean view

At the turn of the century Marconi searched for a wireless station on the east coast of America

to tackle his next big project - communicating across the Atlantic. He needed somewhere with

a clear view right across the ocean and found Cape Cod.

Cape Cod was a desolate headland with a raised plateau looking out over the ocean. In March

1901 he discovered the perfect spot at South Wellfleet, a favourite site for holidaymakers. On

the other side of the Atlantic he established its opposite station at Poldhu in Cornwall, not far

from Goon hilly.

Disaster almost struck when a poorly built aerial collapsed in a gale, but it was rebuilt in time

for Wellfleet to play host to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, to make the world's first

official two-way 'trans-ocean' communication with King Edward VII at Poldhu on January 18,

1903.

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