The Washington herald., 1922-04-03
100000 PICK UP
CONCERT BY RADIO
KDKA Music Heard as
Far South as Cuba;
West to Denver.

Broadcating station KDKA of the
Westinghouse Electric and Manu-
featuring Company at East Pitts
burgh, Pa. occupies the unique po-
sition Of being the first broadcast
ing station in the world operated
entirely for the transmitting Of ra-
dio concerts and features for the
public This station which started
December 23. 1920. to broadcast reg
ularly, has during its term of oper-
alton. become known to thousands
and thousands Of people.
Without a doubt the great inter-
est now being taken in radio broad
casting is largely due to KDKA. the
pioneer broadcasting station. for in
the time of its operation, the radio
telephone has grown from a baby
of the amateur into a giant enter
ing the homes of the lay public.
Antensa on Many Housetops.
When KDKA started only a few
amateurs had receiving stations and
the greater portion of these were
boys without sending license.
That is to say. few sntennas had
been strung up on the roof tops by
there have been during the past
fifteen years. OF course. the mem
bers of the American Radio Relay
League were among the interested
audience but these amateurs COM
prise a comparatively few citizens
among the 10000. 900 people of the
United States
Now. any traveller who looks out
Of his car window coming into the
Pittsburgh district can see the prog
ress Of radio. There is hardly a
housetop in the suburban districts
that does not have its antenna on
the roof. Even in the downtown
section the familiar wires can be
seen in the sky waiting. 1t seems,
10 net the wireless concerts.
Entertsins Vast Audience.
One day in January Of this year
some 1.soo letters were received. all
coming from KDKA's audience.
These letters bear postmarks from
points all over the United States,
Canada, even from Cuba. This
means that a man in Havana, Cuba,
can hear a church sermon sent from
Pittsburgh and at the same time an
amateur in Denver. Colo. is an in
terested listener, while perhaps
100000 people between the two
noints all have their ears to re-
CCivers.
KDKA had to experiment at first.
For the initial concert phonograph
records were used exclusively for
music. There was also an announc-
er who spoke into the transmitter,
telling OF local news and weather
reports. 1t was decided that real
singers should be substituted for
the record. rather than take the
chance that the canned" music
pail on the invisible audience which
as il grew in size also became more
critical. In other words, the radio
division had to offer real entertain
ment after the amateurs first flush
Of rapture had worn OF, to hold him
in their audience.
First Glass Artists Engaged.
Musicians. dramatic readers
everything that had entertaining
value, was broadcasted SO that the
invisible audience really were given
something not readily obtainable
otherwise. When symphony orches-
tras came to Pittsburgh their mu-
sic was broadcast. The same thing
occurred with the concert star and
vaudeville singer. Sunday church
services are broadcast and three are
sent out from East Pittsburgh-a
morning service at IL o'clock, a ra-
dio chapel at 3 o'clock and evening
service at the regular time.
KDKA was the first station in the
world to broadcast church services,
the speeches of public men. such as
Secretary Herbert Hoover. who
came to Pittsburgh in the interest
Of Eastern relief; sporting events.
football and baseball games. The
Chicago station broadcasted grand
opera The other two stations both
have made their own history.
Has Unbounded Possibilities.
Today radio broadcasting occu-
pies a promfnent place in the heart
Of the public. People are installing
radio receivers to hear the concerts.
More broadcastinE stations are be-
rnE opened for the beneft of the
public. II is the first time that
Americans have been offered some
thing good in the way of entertain
ment for nothing.
II has been said that the radio Of
the future will all be broadcast
from one central station or perhaps
only powerful enough for a commu-
nifty and that all music will be
played from one point so that every
body can listen in, Perhaps the
community singer. lecturer or opera
will be a thing of the future. All
that can be seen at this time is
that radio telephony is the big
thing of the day and that unbound
cd possibilities await it in the fu-