1924 in radio

1924 in radio details the internationally significant events in radio broadcasting for the year 1924.

Events

• 5 January – The British Broadcasting Company makes its first broadcast of a religious service from a church (St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, with Rev. Dick Sheppard).
• 15 January – The world's first radio play, Danger by Richard Hughes, is broadcast by the British Broadcasting Company from its studios in London.^[1]
• 8 February – John Joseph Carty, vice-president at American Telephone & Telegraph Company, speaks on the first nationwide radio hookup in the United States, between New York's WEAF, Washington, D.C.'s WCAP and Providence's WJAR. He is heard by an estimated fifty million people.
• 12 February – Calvin Coolidge makes the first presidential political speech on radio. Broadcast from New York City, it is carried by five stations. It is listened to by an estimated five million people.
• 2 March – MIRAG, the Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk Aktien-Gesellschaft (Central German Broadcasting Co. Ltd), begins radio transmissions from Leipzig in Germany.
• 30 March – The Deutsche Stunde in Bayern GmbH (German Hour in Bavaria Ltd), begins radio transmissions from Munich in Germany.
• 1 April – SWR, the Südwestdeutsche Rundfunkdienst A.G (South-west German Broadcasting Service Ltd), begins radio transmissions from Frankfurt am Main in Germany.
• 2 May – NORAG, the Nordische Rundfunk Aktien-Gesellschaft (Northern Broadcasting Co. Ltd), begins radio transmissions from Hamburg in Germany.
• 12 May – SÜRAG, the Süddeutsche Rundfunk Aktien-Gesellschaft (South German Broadcasting Co. Ltd), begins radio transmissions from Stuttgart in Germany.
• 26 May – SFAG, the Schlesische Funkstunde Aktien-Gesellschaft (Silesian Radio Hour Ltd), begins radio transmissions from Breslau in Germany (now Wrocław in Poland).
• 10 June – ORAG, the Ostmarken-Rundfunk Aktien-Gesellschaft (Eastern Marches Broadcasting Co. Ltd), begins radio transmissions from Königsberg in Germany (now Kaliningrad in Russia).
• 2 August – The Deutsche Stunde in Bayern opens its second station, in Nuremberg.
• 15 August – The British Broadcasting Company's Hull relay station, 6KH, goes on air.
• 27 August – URI, the Unione Radiofonica Italiana, Italy's first licensed broadcasting company, is formed in Turin with backing from the Marconi Company.
• 14 September – 2BE Belfast, operated by the British Broadcasting Company, opens as the first official radio station in Northern Ireland.
• 6 October – URI makes its first broadcast from station 1RO in Rome.
• 10 October – WEFAG, the Westdeutsche Funkstunde Aktien-Gesellschaft (West German Radio Hour Ltd), begins radio transmissions from Münster in Germany.
• 14 November – Station EAJ-1 Radio Barcelona, the first radio station to receive an official licence from the Spanish government, begins regular broadcasting.
• 15 November – NCRV (the Nederlandse Christelijke Radio Vereniging) is established in the Netherlands.
• 30 November – NORAG opens its second station, in Bremen.
• 1 October – RAVAG, the Radio-Verkehrs-Aktien-Gesellschaft (Radio Communication Co. Ltd) – a collaboration between government and private industry – is given responsibility for all radio broadcasting in Austria.
• 12 December – The British Broadcasting Company's Swansea relay station, 5SX, goes on air.

Debuts

• 12 February – The Eveready Hour debuts on WEAF. It is considered the first commercially sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting.
• 4 March – KFOR in Lincoln, Nebraska, begins transmitting. The station is still on the air today.
• 17 March – The A&P Gypsies musical program begins regularly scheduled broadcasts on WEAF. The group had appeared unsponsored in 1923.^[2]
• 8 July – WNYC, New York City's municipally owned and operated station, officially goes on the air.^[3]
• 16 September – WEBK in Grand Rapids, Michigan, begins transmitting. Because its original owners were backed by the Furniture Manufacturers Association of Grand Rapids, the station later receives the appropriate WOOD call letters.
• 30 September – WAHG (now WCBS) in New York City begins transmitting.
• 13 October – 774 ABC Melbourne begins transmitting.
• 24 October – WGBS (now WINS) in New York City is signed on by the Gimbel Brothers department store.
• 20 December – First broadcast of the Norwegian children's radio programme Lørdagsbarnetimen ("Saturday children's hour") – still on the air today on NRK radio, making it the world's longest-running radio show.

Births

• 21 August – Jack Buck American sportscaster (d. 2002)

References