Old Radio

December 24, 1906: In his first radio broadcast in Brant Rock, MA, Professor Reginald A. Fessenden broadcast a short rhyme, violin play, and a speech (there are several accounts of such events, according to some sources) Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (October 6, 1866 – July 22, 1932) was an inventor who performed pioneering experiments in radio, especially transmission of voice. Later in his career he received hundreds of patents for devices in fields such as high-powered transmitting, sonar, and television.

  December 23, 1947: The invention of the transistor in 1947 revolutionized the field of electronics and communication. The transistor was considered to be one of the best inventions in the 20th century. It was essentially a device consisting of at least three electrodes and a semi-conductor, used as an amplifier and rectifier. It is incorporated into almost all electronics available today.

December 22, 1920: A fight between Joe Lynch and Peter Herman for the title in the welterweight 118 pounds, held at Madison Square Garden, was won by Joe Lynch.  The prize fight was the first boxing match that aired live from the edge of the ring , broadcast by WEAF NYC. In this radio boxing match , both boxers could possibly make mistakes due to the presence of microphone near the arena. That fight was a memorable fight for Herman, because on that fight he lost his welterweight title after fighting for 20 rounds with Joe Lynch

December 21: Happy Birthday, Paul Winchell Paul Winchell was a talented radio ventriloquist , voice actor, and comedian whose career reached its peak in the 1950’s and 60’s. From 1950 to 1954 he hosted The Paul Winchell Show and from 1965 to 1968 he hosted Winchell-Mahoney Time. Winchell’s initial dream was to become a doctor, but the lack of money in his family prevented him from initially pursuing that dream. At age 13, he happened upon a magazine advertising a ventriloquism set while recovering from polio. He decided, with guidance from his art teacher, Jerry Magon, to create his own dummy for class credit. When he finished, he dubbed it Jerry Mahoney in honor of the teacher who helped him. Winchell quickly developed a comedy routine with his creation, and he made an appearance on Major Bowes ’ Amateur Hour, winning the program. This became his pathway into the entertainment world. Winchell’s first show was on radio with Jerry Mahoney in 1943. The program, however, was

December 19, 1932: This day marks the start of the overseas transmission of the British Broadcasting Corporation with its Empire Service to Australia. Since the launch of the BBC Empire Service on this day, BBC started their world service to listeners outside the UK. The BBC had provided services by radio direct broadcasting and re-transmission contracts, and later on continued through television and the internet. BBC World Service at that time still shared some of the facilities of the domestic services, but for the news and current affairs programs, BBC World Service had their own Managing Director. BBC World Service was funded by the British government for their operational cost. The source of the funding was from a domestic licensing fee.