Background to the history of radio

From 1911-1930 radio popularity began to grow at a breakneck speed. Within this time radio broadcasting was born in America with every day a new radio was born. From then onwards battery powered receivers with valves were beginning to become ready available in France. The next 20 years played a important part in the growth of radio. On June the 19th 1934 the first censorship were brought into play governing the use of offensive material available on the radio waves. This was later followed by the BBC first radio news story regarding the great fire which has taken hold of the crystal palace in London this included a on the spot commentary. By 1938 the number of radio receivers in the reached in excess of 26 million with 650 transmitters in America alone. By this period of time radio had changed the world becoming a powerful weapon in the way of advertising. On Oct 30 1938 Orson Wells program based on the book by HG wells War of the worlds was broadcasted causing wide spread panic leading listeners to believe that earth had been invaded by aliens.

By the beginning of WW11 radio had become an important way of life as far as information was being transferred to the general public regarding up to date news flash’s of how the war was being won. While radio was becoming more of a entertainment fixture for the children and adults, a darker use of propaganda was being used by the Germans to lull the Germans into a fulse sense of security regarding who would win the war. Whilst in occupied France Hitler had put a ban on the use of radio transmitters. This caused the French  to use unauthorised radios to get back secret information to the allied forces.