Origin and Growth of Modern Photojournalism

The combination of photography and journalism is known as photojournalism. The term was coined by Frank Luther Mott, historian and dean of the University Of Missouri School Of Journalism. Photojournalism is a form of journalism that uses images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism. Photos used for journalistic purpose must have timeliness and objectivity. They must be narrative too.

1920-1990 The beginning of modern photojournalism took place in 1925, in Germany. The event was the invention of the first 35 mm camera, the Leica. Before this, a photo of professional quality required bulky equipment. With the invention of Leica, photographers could go just about anywhere and take photos easily.

Added to this was another invention originally from Germany, the photojournalism magazine. Editors and photographers begin to work together to produce an actual story told by pictures and words, or cutlines. Germany’s photo magazines established the concept, but Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 led to suppression and persecution of most of the editors, who generally fled the country. Many came to the United States.

During the Second World War, ‘Life’ launched Nov. 23. 1936, was probably the most influential photojournalism magazine in the world. The most dramatic pictures of the conflict came not so often from the newspapers as from the weekly photojournalism magazines, photos that still are famous today. Many began using handheld cameras made by Graflex camera company during the 1960’s; two have become legendary: the Speed Graphic, and later, Crown Graphic.

Successor to the Graphic by the 1950s was the 120-format camera, usually a Rolleiflex, which provided greater mobility at the expense of smaller negative size. You looked down into the ground-glass viewfinder. But in newspapers, by the Vietnam War era, the camera of choice was the 35--film got better, making the camera easier to use, and the ability to use telephone, wide-angle, and later, zoom lenses made the 35 indispensable, as it still is to most photojournalists today.

The golden age of photojournalism ranged from about 1935 to 1975. Television clearly had a huge impact--to be able to see things live was even more powerful than a photo on paper. Even so, many of the photos we remember so well, the ones that symbolized a time and a place in our world, often were moments captured by still photography.

By the 1990's photojournalists gave up making actual prints, but use computer technology to scan film directly into the design. And by the beginning of the new millennium, photojournalists were no longer using film: digital photography had become universal. Since it is both faster and cheaper it fitted well in an industry preoccupied with both speed and profit. Colour became the standard for “legacy media,” newspapers and magazines, as well as for web news sites. Because colour printing technology requires a higher quality image, photojournalists have had to adapt their methods to accept fewer available light images.

Earlier we used analog cameras which use film as recording medium. Now we have digital cameras which use digital sensors instead of film and flash cards as storage medium. Today’s cameras use glass lenses to focus and capture light much more quickly and to allow us to magnify images. Today’s cameras also have shutters that control the light from reaching the film or sensor with the touch of a button and have powerful flashes to help illuminate scenes. The camera has come a long way from its humble beginnings, but it is still just a box that controls the amount of light that reaches a piece of film. 

In today’s world, photojournalism isn’t something that is heard or spoken of much anymore. With the Internet providing us with places such as YouTube, Deviant Art, and other online sources created just for sharing amateur photography, it’s really no surprise that photojournalism is slowly becoming a dying form of art as well as media.

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History of Hollywood Film Industry

At the start of the First World War, French and Italian cinema had been the most globally popular. The war came as a devastating interruption to European film industries. The American industry, or "Hollywood", as it was becoming known after its new geographical center in California, gained the position it has held, more or less, ever since: film factory for the world and exporting its product to most countries on earth.

By the 1920's, the United States reached what is still its era of greatest-ever output, producing an average of 800 feature films annually. This development was contemporary with the growth of the studio system and its greatest publicity method, the star system, which characterized American film for decades to come and provided models for other film industries. The studios’ efficient, top-down control over all stages of their product enabled a new and ever-growing level of lavish production and technical sophistication. By the end of 1929, Hollywood was almost all-talkie, with several competing sound systems (soon to be standardized). Total changeover was slightly slower in the rest of the world, principally for economic reasons.

"The Golden Age of Hollywood", which refers roughly to the period beginning with the introduction of sound until the late 1940's. The American cinema reached its peak of efficiently manufactured glamour and global appeal during this period creatively, however, the rapid transition was a difficult one, and in some ways, film briefly reverted to the conditions of its earliest days. The late 20's were full of static, stage talkies as artists in front of and behind the camera struggled with the stringent limitations of the early sound equipment and their own uncertainty as to how to utilize the new medium. Many stage performers, directors and writers were introduced to cinema as producers sought personnel experienced in dialogue-based storytelling.

After exploration of the potential of the medium, film started to grow as an independent cultural / entertainment industry, attracting millions of people world over.

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Growth and Development of Cinema

Photography made the possibility of capturing still images. The next attempt was to capture moving pictures. Auguste and Louis, better known as Lumiere brothers patented a camera on February 13, 1895 which could also project films. They made the first film which was later screened on March 22, 1895 at a hall in Paris.

Cinema is the Latin spelling of the Greek word kinema, meaning a motion. According to Webster’s dictionary, the word derives from Cinematography. The use of the word comes about in the 1899 in Britain. It is the British word for a movie theater.

Cinema, or motion picture, is the art of moving images; a visual medium that tells stories and exposes reality. Created in the tail end of the 19th century, cinema is the world’s most recent art form. The history of film began in the late 19th century, with the invention of 'magic lantern' optical toys such as the Phenakistoscope and the Zoetrope, which presented short, repetitive animations exploiting the eye's persistence of vision. Coleman Sellers modified the Zoetrope, replacing its hand-drawn images with photographs, creating the Kinematoscope in 1861. Henry Renno Heyl then projected a series of Kinematoscope photographs, using his Phasmatrope device, in 1870. Projection speeds for silent films were not standardised. The first film the Lumieres projected was La Sortie Des Usines Lumiere A Lyon, in Paris at the very end of 1895.

Early movie cameras were fastened to the head of their tripod with only simple levelling devices provided. These cameras were thus effectively fixed during the course of the shot, and hence the first camera movements were the result of mounting a camera on a moving vehicle. The Lumière brothers shot a scene from the back of a train in 1896. The first decade of motion picture saw film moving from a novelty to an established large-scale entertainment industry. The films became several minutes long consisting of several shots. The first rotating camera for taking panning shots and the first film studios were built in 1897. Then Special effects were introduced and film continuity, involving action moving from one sequence into another, began to be used. In 1900, continuity of action across successive shots was definitively established by George Albert Smith and James Williamson, who also worked in Brighton. Most films of this period were known as "chase films". The first use of animation in movies was in 1899. The first successful permanent theatre showing only films was "The Nickelodeon" in Pittsburgh in 1905. By 1910, actors began to receive screen credit for their roles, and the way to the creation of film stars was opened. Regular newsreels were exhibited from 1910. Overall, from about 1910, American films had the largest share of the market in Australia and in all European countries except France. Regular newsreels were exhibited from 1910 and soon became a popular way for finding out the news

By 1910, the French film companies were starting to make films as long as two, or even three reels, though most were still one reel long. This trend was followed in Italy, Denmark, and Sweden. In Britain, the Cinematograph Act 1909 was the first primary legislation to specifically regulate the film industry.

New film techniques like the use of artificial lighting, fire effects and low-key lighting (lighting in which most of the frame is dark) for enhanced atmosphere during sinister scenes were introduced in this period. As films grew longer, specialist writers were employed to simplify more complex stories. Genres began to be used as categories.

During the First World War, there was a complex transition for the film industry. The exhibition of films changed from short one-reel programs to feature films. Exhibition venues became larger and began charging higher prices. By 1914, continuity cinema was the established mode of commercial cinema. One of the advanced continuity techniques involved an accurate and smooth transition from one shot to another. Innovations like sound recording, sophisticated cameras, editing techniques, exhibition pattern, production styles and narrative methods made cinema more impressive and attractive. Earlier history of cinema can be divided into ‘Silent Era’ and the ‘Era of Talkies’. Silent era refers to the period during which films were produced without sound due to the absence of adequate technology. The power of the cinema during the silent era was the power of their stories. Talkies mean the films with sound.

Films of the 1890's were under a minute long and until 1927 motion pictures were produced without sound. Until 1927, motion pictures for films were produced without sound. This era is referred to as the silent era of film. During late 1927, Warners released ‘The Jazz Singer’, with the first synchronized dialogue (and singing) in a feature film. By the end of 1929, Hollywood was almost all-talkie, with several competing sound systems.

Another categorization of the history of cinema was on the basis of the color of visuals. Earlier films were produced in black and white films. Color film revolutionized the medium as the audiences were hugely attracted to color film as it provided them with a colorful real life visual experience.

The desire for wartime propaganda created a renaissance in the film industry in Britain, with realistic war dramas. The onset of American involvement in World War II also brought a proliferation of films as both patriotism and propaganda. During the immediate post-war years the cinematic industry was also threatened by television, and the increasing popularity of the medium meant that some film theatres would bankrupt and close. Following the end of World War II in the 1940s, the following decade, the 1950s marked a 'Golden Age' for Non-English world cinema.

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Public Relations in India

Public relations began in India in the early 1990's. India came with many advantages in the scenario of public relations. The consistent and high growth rate of the economy made India a notable area for public relations companies. 

By the early 1990's, after the opening up of the Indian economy, several public relations agencies, notably Perfect Relations, 20:20 MSL, Text 100 and Genesis started with a core focus on public relations alone. This decade also saw the advent of Indian IPO (initial public offerings) agencies like Ad factors PR began to offer PR services free along with their IPO services. These recent past b2p (business to people) relations have been emerging as a best public relations practice in Chennai.

In 2012, the public relations market has slowed down due to the overcrowding of the market. The recession of 2008 &2009 gave birth to another terminology in India called regional public relations. India and similar paced economies have become favoured destinations for global public relations firms keen to extract their share of growth from this market. In 2012, the PR market has slowed down due to the overcrowding of the market with too many fighting for too few.

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History of Public Relations

The formal practice of what is now commonly referred to as public relations dates to the early 20th century. Most historians believe public relations became established first in the US by Ivy Lee or Edward Bernays, and then spread internationally. Many American companies with PR departments spread the practice to Europe when they created European subsidiaries as a result of the Marshall plan. The second half of the twentieth century is considered the professional development building era of public relations. Trade associations, PR news magazines, international PR agencies, and academic principles for the profession were established.

Public relations became a profession in 1903 as Ivy Lee undertook to advise John D. Rockefeller on how to conduct his public relations. Rockefeller owned coal mines and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Miners were on strike and the railroad hushed up the facts when its trains were involved with accidents. Lee advised Rockefeller to visit the coal mines and talk to the miners. Rockefeller spent time listening to the complaints of the miners, improved their conditions, danced with their wives, and became a hero to the miners. Public relations took the next step toward professionalism in 1918 as Edward Bernays advised the President of the new country of Czechoslovakia to announce independence on a Monday, rather than on a Sunday to get maximum press coverage. In 1923, Bernays published Crystallizing Public Opinion, in which he established several public relations principles.

During the 1990s specialties for communicating to certain audiences and within certain market segments emerged, such as investor relations or technology PR. New internet technology and social media websites effected PR strategies and tactics.

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History of Advertisement in India

The first Indian newspaper started by James August Hickey on January 29, 1780, was called the Bengal Gazette or Calcutta General Advertiser. It was full of informative advertisement. In 1785, The Bengal Journal published with Government advertisement free of charge. In 1790 Courier of Bombay carried advertisement. Though the newspaper was published in English, but advertisement was appeared in regional languages like Gujarati, Marathi, and Konkani. By the dawn of 19th century the pattern of advertising changed-and the power of advertising increased rapidly with the growth of trade and commerce. 

With the Industrial Revolution in India, the number of advertisements from British Business Houses rose considerably. The Times of India and The Statesman started their own facilities for layout and copy of the advertisement. The development of advertising agency was founded due to the development of Indian industries provided by the Swadeshi Movement of 1907-1977. The major advertising agencies were, The Calcutta Advertising Agency, Alliance Advertising Associates, Publicity Society of India, and J. Walter Thompson, Mumbai.

The 1970 was the important year of the growth of advertising in India. The Vividh Bharati and Doordarshan played a great role in the form of commercial broadcasting and telecasting. Now radio commercials made a real dent on the rural audience and urban working class. Besides these many periodicals and various film magazines made their appearance in Indian advertising. The role of tabloids in English and the Indian languages were very examples in the field of advertising in India.

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Brief History of Advertisement

The concept of advertising dates to early civilization. It had to undertake a long journey through the centuries, before it attained its present form. Actually advertising is directly related to the need of man to communicate his message and attract to each other. Our knowledge of advertising in ancient times naturally is fragmentary.

Early advertising can be traced back to the archaeological evidences available in Greece and Rome. In 3000 B. C. Babylonia merchants hired parkers to hawk their wares to perspective, customers and placed signs over their doorways to indicate what they sold.

The use of hand bills, posters and newspaper advertisements emerged after Gutenberg developed movable type in the 15th century. When Benjamin Franklin established the Philadelphia Gazette in 1729, it soon became a favorite medium of advertising. But all early advertisements were basically only announcement.

The Industrial revolution, discovery of the growth of transportation facilities, advent of radio and television and revolution in printing technology discovery of the steam power in England and America had a keen role to play in the development of advertising. With the beginning of 21st century, the advertisers themselves became more serious and their approach becomes more sophisticated. Print, Radio, T. V. and Internet Commercials have created deep impact on Indian advertising. Indian advertisement has no doubt to register a rapid growth and has acquired a certain amount of professional character.

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Milestones in History of Internet

The invention of internet has revolutionized the entire communication systems and computer technology than any other inventions of digital world. Internet integrated the qualities of most of its predecessor technologies like telephone, radio, television, computer etc. The popularity of internet technology boomed in the nineties after the advent of World Wide Web by Tim Berners lee. This enabled coordinating websites and provides information and resources to common users. Milestones in the history of internet are:

- Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) was formed under the US department of defense in 1957. ARPA was responsible for the development of new media technology.

- Advanced Research Project Agency Network (ARPANET) came into existence in 1969. The first operational host to host ARPANET connection was made between university of California and Stanford research institute on October 25, 1969.

- In 1972 ARPANET began email communications.

- The digital communication technology was named as internet in 1973.

- The term World Wide Web was coined by Tim Berners Lee in 1990.

- Internet registration in 1992 for .com, .net, .org, .edu and .gov.

- In 1993 the first web browser was created with the name MOSAIC web browser.

- Java, the independent programming language was created by Jim Gosling in 1995.

- Yahoo! was founded in the same year, which provided web search engine, email service, etc.

- Google was founded in September 4, 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

- Wikipedia was launched in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry singer.

- In 2004 Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg which opened a new era of social networking.

- In the same year Gmail, the email service of Google, was created by Paul Buchhiet.

- Video sharing website YouTube was launched in 2005.

- Social networking site Twitter was found in 2006.

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Brief History of Computer

The first use of the word ‘computer’ was recorded in 1613 in a book called “The young man’s gleanings” by English writer Richard Braithwait. It referred to a person who carried out calculations, or computations, and the word continued with the same meaning until the middle of the 20th century. From the end of the 19th century the word began to take on its more familiar meaning, a machine that carries out computations.

The computer as we know it today had its beginning with a 19th century English mathematics professor name Charles Babbage. He designed the Analytical Engine and it was this design that the basic frame-work of the computers of today are based on. The first substantial computer was the giant Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) machine by John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert at the University of Pennsylvania.

Computers can be classified into three generations. Each generation lasted for a certain period of time, and each gave us either a new and improved computer or an improvement to the existing computer.

First generation: 1937 – 1946 - In 1937 the first electronic digital computer was built by Dr. John V. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. It was called the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC). In 1943 an electronic computer name the Colossus was built for the military.

Second generation: 1947 – 1962 - This generation of computers used transistors instead of vacuum tubes which were more reliable. In 1951 the first computer for commercial use was introduced to the public; the Universal Automatic Computer.

Third generation: 1963 - present - The invention of integrated circuit brought us the third generation of computers. With this invention computers became smaller, more powerful more reliable and they are able to run many different programs at the same time. In 1980 Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-Dos) was born and in 1981 IBM introduced the personal computer (PC) for home and office use. Three years later Apple gave us the Macintosh computer with its icon driven interface and the 90's gave us Windows operating system.

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History of Television in India

The first television transmission in India started with the experimental telecast on 15th September 1959 in Delhi. A single transmitter and a makeshift studio were the only equipment used for this purpose. The regular daily transmission started in 1965 as a part of All India Radio. The television service was extended to Bombay and Amritsar in 1972. It was later extended to seven more Indian cities in 1975. Television services were separated from radio in 1976. National telecasts were started in 1982. Color television sets and small screen programs were launched in the Indian market in the same year. At that time there was only one national channel Doordarshan which was owned and run by the central government.

The Ramayana and Mahabharata were the first major television series produced. Due to overwhelming interest of the people the government opened up another channel DD 2 which was later renamed DD Metro. Both channels were broadcast terrestrially. During the mid-eighties Doordarshan introduced a number entertainment programs which included music, arts and soap operas. The first Indian television serial was Hum Log in 1984. Waglekiduniya(1988), Buniyad(1986) were some of the popular serials of that time. Mythological serials like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Chandrakantha and Sword of Tipu sultan gained more audience for Doordharshan. Doordharshan also telecasted Hindi film songs programmes like Chithrahaar, Super hit Muqabla and Rangoli. VikramBetal, Malgudi days, Tenali Rama were some of the shows for children. Doordarshan includes regional language satellite channels, state networks, international channel and all India channels like DD National, DD News, DD Sports, DD Gyandarshan, DD Bharati, Loksabha Channel and DD Urdu.

PrasarBharathi

PrasarBharati is a self-governing body formed by an act of parliament. It comprises of Doordharshan television network and All India radio and is the largest public broadcaster of India. The act which grants autonomy for PrasarBharathi was passed in 1990, and it was enacted on 15th September 1997.

Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE)

SITE is a landmark experiment in the Indian television history which was a community television programme. Community television is a type of system which transmits television programmes exclusively for a selected community of people. It was conducted between August 1975 and July 1976. Under this programme villages were given educational programmes through television sets using ATS-6 satellite. Six Indian states were given this privilege in the beginning. The telecasts happened twice a day, in the morning and evening. Other than agricultural information, health and family planning were the other important topics dealt with in these programmes. Entertainment was also included in these telecasts in the form of dance, music, drama, folk and rural art forms.

Gyan Darshan is a satellite based TV channel devoted to educational and developmental needs of the society. It offers distance education through Virtual Class Room mode and interactive learning.

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History of Television Broadcasting

The first experiments with television broadcasting were conducted in the 1920's and 1930's in Great Britain and the United States. The British Broadcasting Corporation or BBC started the world’s first television broadcast in 1936. A number of television stations were launched after the First World War in the United States. They were ABC, NBC and CBS. By the early 1950's television programs could be received throughout the United States. By 1960 television became widespread all over the world.

The first television sets were black and white. Black and white televisions functioned on a monochrome color platform, where the images were displayed in grey scale. This technology was upgraded by broadcasting three monochrome images, one of each in three colors of red, green and blue i.e., R G B. When displayed together they produced a full color image on the screen. These types of televisions were later called color television. It was introduced in the early 1950's. During the 50's and 60's the demand for TV sets increased all over the world. The big commercial stations held the monopoly of television broadcasting during that time. This monopoly was broken in the 80's with the rise of cable TV and satellite television. By the mid-1980's there were a variety of satellite and cable services throughout the world. In the 1980’s CNN or the Cable News Network started a new age in the history of television broadcasting. It was the first all-news TV channel in the world. CNN reached the height of its popularity during the Gulf War as the only TV station that was in Iraq covering the Gulf War.

Television stations started giving more emphasis on entertainment programs during the end of 1990's. The reality shows like ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’, ‘Survivor’, ‘Big Brother’, etc., became an immediate success during this time. Versions of these shows are being shown in many countries all over the world.

Reality shows based on dancing and singing also gained popularity over the public during this period.

In the beginning of 21st century new innovations flooded in television manufacturing. One of them is the digital television. In Digital television or D T V the transmission of audio and video is by digitally processed and multiplexed signal, which is entirely different from signals used by analog television sets. The advent of digital television allowed innovations like smart television. Smart television sets are the product of hybrid or convergent technology. It is a combination of television broadcasting and internet. Smart television requires integrated set-top boxes for internet and other facilities. The advent of technology also improved many inventions like 3 D television and made it easily accessible for the public.

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History of All India Radio

The radio broadcasting service was later designated ‘All India Radio’ (AIR) and was placed under a separate Ministry-the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The AIR is controlled by a Director General, who is assisted by several Deputy Directors and a Chief Engineer.

Broadcasting, in its significance, reach and impact, constitutes the most powerful medium of mass communication in India. Its importance, as a medium of information and education is particularly great in a vast and developing country like India where the reach of the printed word is not very wide or deep. While the total circulation of all the newspapers in India, including both English and Indian language papers, is around 8 million, there are, according to a recent estimate, nearly 400 million (out of a total population of 625 million) potential listeners to All India Radio.

Broadcasting in India is a national service, developed and operated by the Government of India. All India Radio (also known as Akashvani) operates this service; over a network of broadcasting stations located ail over the country.

Starting with 6 broadcasting stations in 1947, the AIR today has a network of 82 broadcasting stations.

• External Services

AIR made its first broadcast to listeners outside India on October 1, 1939. Today the External Services of AIR broadcast in 25 languages for about 50 hours daily round-the-clock, reaching listeners in widely scattered areas of the world.

• VividhBharati

A self-contained service of popular entertainment, known as VividhBharati was started in October 1957 to meet the growing demand for popular music and light features.

Commercial advertising was introduced on AIR in November, 1967, from the Bombay-Nagpur channel of Vividh-Bharati on an experimental basis. It was gradually extended to Calcutta (1968); Delhi and Madras-Tiruchirapalli (1969); Chandigarh-Jullundur- Bangalore, Dharwar, Ahmedabad- Rajkot, Kanpur-Lucknow-Allahabad (1970), Hyderabad-Vijayawada (1971) and Bhopal, Indore, Cuttack, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Patna, Ranchi and Trivandrum (1975). Advertisements are accepted in any language as tape-recorded ‘spots’ of 15 seconds or 30 seconds duration.

VividhBharati, an alternative national service of All India Radio, now forms a part of the Central Sales Unit of the Commercial Broadcasting Service. It has also started originating programmes.

• National service

Started in July 1952, the weekly National Programme of Music provides an opportunity to listeners to hear well-known exponents of Hindustani and Karnataka music. At suitable intervals, programmes based on recordings of old masters are also featured in this programme.

The National Programme of Features attempts to mirror the progress made in different spheres of development in the country and to project various aspects of its social and cultural life. The original broadcast of this feature might be in Hindi or English, but these are invariably translated into all regional languages and presented from the regional stations.

Programmes for the youth in YuvaVani are broadcast from Kolkatta, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jammu, Patna and Srinagar stations.This service provides a forum to the youth between the ages of l5 and 25 years, who present their viewpoint by participating in a wide range of programmes-talks, discussions interviews, plays, features and music. A youth news bulletin is also broadcast by the youth themselves.

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The history of Radio broadcast in India

The history of radio broadcast started in India with the setting up of a private radio service in Chennai, in the year 1924. In that same year, British government gave license to the Indian Broadcasting Company, to launch Radio stations in Mumbai and Kolkata. Later as the company became bankrupt, the government took possession of the transmitters and began its operations as the Indian State Broadcasting Corporation. In the year 1936, it was renamed All India Radio (AIR) and the Department of Communications managed it entirely. After independence, All India Radio was converted into a separate Department. All India Radio has five regional headquarters in New Delhi, for the North Zone; in Kolkata, for the East Zone; in Guwahati, for the North-East Zone, in Mumbai, for the West Zone; and in Chennai, for the South Zone.

In the year 1957, All India Radio was renamed Akashvani, which is controlled by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. During the period of independence only a mere 6 radio stations existed throughout the country. But during the late 1990s, the network of All India Radio extended to almost 146 AM stations. Moreover the Integrated North-East Service focused on reaching to the population in northeast India. All India Radio offers programmes in English, Hindi and numerous regional and local languages. In the year 1967, Commercial Radio services started in India. The initiative was taken by VividhBharati and Commercial Service, from the headquarters in Mumbai. VividhBharati accumulated revenues from widespread sponsorships and advertisements. During the mid-1990s, broadcasting was carried on from 31 AM and FM stations.

Indian radio was particularly designed and programmed to provide support to the procedure of social improvement, which was a vital prerequisite of economic enhancement. The leading development beliefs of the time analysed the problems and hindrances in development as the primary ones in the developing nations. The function of broadcasting paved a way for the surge of modern concepts. Later, with the modernisation of the country, television was introduced and broadcasting achieved new status. But by then, radio had become a popular medium in India. Diverse programmes including entertainment and melodious songs were also transmitted nationwide. Akashvani or All India Radio still stands as one of the biggest radio networks around the globe.

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History of Radio

The radio was the mass communication device, which enabled information to be transferred far and wide. The development of radio began in 1893 with Nikolai Tesla’s demonstration of wireless radio communication in St. Louis, Missouri. His work laid the foundation for those later scientists who worked to perfect the radio now we use. The man most associated with the advent of the radio is Guglielmo Marconi, who in 1986 was awarded the official patent for the radio by the British government.

Europe’s most famous broadcasting station, the British Broadcasting Corporation or BBC, began its operations locally in London in 1922. In fact, Marcony was one of the founding members along with other prominent leaders in the field of wireless manufactures. By 1925 the BBC broadcast was spread to most parts of the United Kingdom. The station aired plays, classical music, and variety programmes. However, the newspaper industry maintained a strong hold over the new. In 1926 this all changed due to a newspaper strike in England. With no news being published it fell on the BBC to supply the information for the public.

When the Second World War began all the television stations shut down and it fell on the shoulders of the radio to cover the war. But, following the Second World War the radio entertainment began focusing on musical programmes. AM stations played a top-40 time and temperature format, which they meant they played popular three minute sons in constant rotation. All the programmes were aimed at youngsters and newly emerging ‘middle class’. The sixties and seventies saw the rise of FM radio.

The radio broadcasting has undergone tremendous change since the year 2000. Editing and broadcasting has now become easier with the advent of computer-aided technologies. Satellite radio stations and internet radios are now blooming along with the traditional terrestrial radio stations.

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