Radio Research

First licensed radio was the KDKA in 1920 in Pittsburg which broadcasted a 18 hours marathon about the election results between presidential candidates Harding and Cox. Harding ended up becoming the first president to broadcast over radio with a international address heard by people in europe, japan, south and central america. in 1922 political conventions were broadcasted over the radio during the nomination season. By 1924 the number of licensed stations was 500, from the previous 5 in 1921. By 1930 more than 40 percent of American households owned a radio, by 1940 it doubled. Some saw radio as a good thing, as a national town meeting, while others saw it as a threat, saying it would go under control of things such as fascism, communism, and corrupt capitalism. While the radio became popular during the great depression, many worked to get one due to it being a form of endless entertainment. In the 1930s the average listeners spent more than 4 hours a day listening to the radio. Some of the first politicians to adopt radio were Huey Long and Floyd B Olson. The radios eventually became the newspapers source for stories due to its quick delivery.