Radios

The invention of the radio

Who? When? Where? Why?

There is a debate about who invented the radio regarding two men: Guglielmo Marconi and Nikola Tesla. 

It is most commonly said that the radio was invented in 1895 by an Italian man named Guglielmo Marconi at the age of 21. Whilst experimenting in his parents attic, he invented what he called "the wireless telegraph" and the instrument he used to transmit Morse code via radio waves became known as the radio. Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American scientist and in 1884 he emigrated to the U.S. It was here he invented a device which was essential to sending and receiving radio waves and it was known as the induction coil or the Tesla coil. However, as he was preparing to send a radio signal approximately 50 miles to West Point, N.Y, a fire destroyed his lab in 1895. This means there are still debates regarding who invented the radio depending on the person and the different evidence they have read about. 

Guglielmo Marconi 



Nikola Tesla


Case study example: KISS FM

Kiss FM is a UK radio station which broadcasts on FM and National DAB and it plays at a frequency of 100.0 MHz in London. It is owned by Bauer Radio which is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group that is divisible in two main groups: The Bauer City&National Portfolios and Passion. The first air date of Kiss FM was 1 September, 1990 but it first began in the October of 1985 as a pirate radio station. According to the internet site, Hoovers, Kiss FM makes $2.3 in revenue. 

Kiss FM is clearly a popular radio station because it has been listed number eight in the top ten radio stations with the most listeners. It has 4.9 million listeners every week which seems much less when compared to the top radio station, BBC Radio 2 which has 15.3 million listeners every week. The genre of music that Kiss FM plays is hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music so it is likely to attract young people who are enjoy listening to these genres and an audience of elderly people are less likely to enjoy it. The Bauer Media Group quotes: "Dedicated to music and lifestyle, KISS is designed to unite listeners around their passions. KISS audiences are characterised by the emotional connection they make with the music, presenters and everyday life. A mobile audience, reseach shows they use every platform available to engage, from FM and DAB, online, social media, mobile and TV, creating unique and powerful ways for advertisers to emotionally engage with listeners." Personally, I do not listen to KISS FM as it genre of music does not appeal to me and I would rather listen to X fm as I prefer indie/alternative rock music. 

Kiss FM make money through advertisements, special events, celebrity endorsement by having celebrities host a show and by call ins or competitions which cause people to spend their money.