Then:
Radio first started to come about in the late 1800s. It started when "German physicist Heinrich Hertz discovered radio waves, a type of low-frequency electromagnetic energy outside the visible light spectrum"(Andrea and Neel 2011, p.758). Then Guglielmo Marconi took those radio waves and used them to send Morse Code. In 1906, Canadian born Reginald Fessenden put voice with radio and broadcasted it (Kayak 2009). This allowed the world to communicate messages during World War 1. This invention was helpful, but most voice broadcasts were fuzzy and hard to understand. That's when Lee De Forest came along and invented his vacuum tube in 1910. His invention reduced static and helped to amplify radio signals (Andrea and Noel 2011, p. 758).
After years of inventing and perfecting the way radio works one guy decided it would be best used to send entertainment into homes, not just private messages. That guy was David Sarnoff. With the help of RCA (Radio Corporation of America) and AT&T the first commercial station was aired from Pittsburgh in 1920. From then on, radio was commercialized. In 1922 radios were being produced for sale like the one pictured above. Families would get together to listen to sports, music, the news, politics, etc. Radio became an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Now:
Times have changed. 2016 is a much more advanced year than 1922. Because of this, radio had to change. It had to adapt to the differing audiences. It started by crossing over to cars. In most vehicles there is a radio that tunes to any channel in range. Spending money on a portable radio was no longer necessary because it was on the go with you. Next radio went digital. Digital radio was different than the original analog radio in that it was a higher quality. Both analog and digital radios are still around because digital radio never made analog obsolete. It simply made old technology better, and no one was forced to switch over if they didn't want to.
When digital radio was put into cars, it received channels that you didn't necessarily have to be in range to hear. Stations also became personalized. In a car with digital radio, an all 80's station could be played if that was your preferred music. Radio has also appeared on the Internet. Most radio stations now have a presence on the Internet. The live feed can now be streamed from any device that has connection. Radio also appears on the Internet in the form of streaming services. Such services include things like Spotify and Pandora which play music that suits your preference.
Later:
Radio is no longer what it used to be, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Today most teenagers use some sort of online app to access music, but most is not all. There is still a large majority of physical radios in use. In the future these might actually become obsolete, but for now, they are still a large part of listeners lives. Another large part of listeners lives is the option of personalization. That is why a majority of teenagers prefer online sources. It allows them to listen to music they are "in the mood for". Maybe the future of radio makes this mood music choice easier. A device could be created like a mood ring that tells our mood and translates that into knowing what music a listener would prefer at that moment.
The government has had a lot of involvement in radios development, so one can only assume it will affect the future of radio as well. Radio could develop into a means of brainwashing an audience into voting a certain way in an upcoming election. Many teenagers don't vote, so if the government could put ads in places that are more likely to be seen by teenagers, maybe they could be persuaded. Who knows? Paul Sawers believes that the way radio perseveres depends on future listeners. "Radio won’t just survive, it will go from strength to strength and could become bigger than ever. However, you may have to completely rethink what ‘radio’ actually means" (2013).
References:
http://ktaylor2020.blogspot.com/2016/10/radio-references.html
