Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-31
By ROBERT MACK.

Reviewing the history Of radio for
the year 1925 is a task something akin
to listing the decisive battles of the
world. 1t is to write solely of turning
points.
Through the smashing of radio
prejudices, the definite establishment
of fundamental radio principles and
the advancement OF new radio the
cries, 1928 will go down in history as
the year in which was discarded all
doubt as to the eventual elimination
Of space as a factor in complete verbal
and possibly visual communications.
The entire world, with the United
States leading the way, has in the
past IL months accepted radio and ac-
corded It a very definite and impor-
tant place in its scheme of progress.
And this despite the fact that a FOOLS
cap was being made ready for it five
years ago.
In the United States 1t IS not of 50
great consequence in the end that the
radio industry in 1925 skyrocketed into
a business of a half billion dollars. OF
greater import are the factors behind
this sudden leap into a position with
the big 10 OF American industries.
And they are many.
Summary of Progress
Even a casual summary would list
the following:
Successful demonstrations Of trans
atlantic rebroadCasting, the transmits
sion and reception of messages half
way around the world through the me-
dunn of short waves: establishment
of permanent chain of broadcasting
stations connected by land wires: a
hundredfold increase IN power for
broadcasting purposes; the capitula-
ton of the worlds leading musical ar
lists to the power Of the microphone
a limited but important demonstration
of radio vision'-the transmission
and visual reception of reproductions
of moving objects; the development
and introduction to the public of radio
receivers capable of faithfully repro
ducing sounds; a promise of early
establishment Of a system of ship-to-
ship and ship-to-shore wireless tele
phony: general acceptance of the radio
compass as the future method of navi-
CATION; the establishment of a nation
wide program Of agricultural broad
casting: the trend of broadcasting sta
tons to covering" important news
stories for their listeners; the installa-
ton of numerous schools and univer-
stiles of the air, and finally and most
vital, the public's expression of a de
sire that the Government take over
the task of supervising it's system of
radio communication.
The very first day Of 1925 witnessed
one of the turning points in the his
tory of radio, when two of the world s
most famous singers led their fellow
artists in compromise with the
microphone. In the performances on
that day of John Mccormack and
Lucrezia Bori, for the benefit of a
radio audience estimated at 20,000.o00,
there was, it is true, an element of
publicity for the artists and the spon-
sors of the program. But there was
also the silent admission that radio
had demonstrated it's ability to provide
a faithful reproduction of the singers
voice over distances of hundreds of
miles. Since that debut of Mccormack
and Bori there remain only a few of
the first-rank artists who have not
followed them into the broadcasting
studio.
London Concert Rebroadcast.
Scarcely had this point been turned
when without advance notice the
listening public was surprised to hear
through it's receivers a concert played
United States through the facilities of
the Radio Corporation of America.
Prior to this event radio amateurs
had received dot-and-dash messages
from Europe, and occasionally the
voice of a foreign fellow amateur.
But never before had a transatlantic
program been made audible to the
owners of S. crystal sets in New York.
Schenectady and Washington, and to
the owners of tube receivers in all
parts of the United States.
Although these rebroadcaStS Of the
Spring of 1925 were spotty and imper
feet, there have since been made
agreements with the British Broad
casting Co. and the German govern
nient whereby rebroadcast concerts,
Through improved apparatus. will be