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EMPIRE OF THE AIR: THE MEN WHO MADE RADIO (TV)

Summary

This documentary examines the invention of radio and explores the lives of three of the men most responsible for the development and popularity of this medium in the United States. Executive producer Ken Burns uses still photographs, archival film footage, and interviews to explore the lives of Lee De Forest, Edwin Howard Armstrong, and David Sarnoff in this examination of their contributions to the growth of radio in the United States. The program is divided into two segments, the first of which is entitled, "The Men and the Idea." Historian Susan Douglas and engineer Gertrude Tyne discuss the controversial inventor Lee De Forest and the contributions he made to the radio industry; also noted are the patent disputes between De Forest and Guglielmo Marconi. The segment includes a clip from the television program, "This is Your Life," in which de Forest is profiled. This segment also examines the life of reclusive inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong; engineers Frank Gunther, Robert Morris, Loren Jones, and Armstrong's niece, Jeanne Hammond, discuss Armstrong and recall his legacy. Additionally, biographer Kenneth Bilby and historian Erik Barnouw remember the life of David Sarnoff. Among those who discuss the effects of radio on American society are writer Norman Corwin; writer and radio personality Garrison Keillor; announcer Red Barber; and radio broadcaster Helen Kelly. The second segment is entitled "Broadcasting" and explores that the ways the lives of these men became intertwined and entangled. Sarnoff and Armstrong, once virtual partners, became serious enemies; the rivalry developed as Sarnoff's Radio Corporation of America (RCA) gradually became the most powerful communications company in the world. Armstrong and De Forest struggled through numerous legal battles that caused both men a great deal of financial and emotional damage. The program concludes with a glimpse of the inception of television, and the way it has affected radio.

Acquisition and cataloging of this program was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

This selection from the Alan Gerry Cable Collection has been made available by the Gerry Foundation, Inc.

Details

  • NETWORK: PBS
  • DATE: January 29, 1992 Wednesday 9:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:53:45
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: T:23301
  • GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Radio - History; Radio - Technology
  • SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1992
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Ken Burns … Executive Producer, Writer
  • Morgan Wesson … Producer
  • Tom Lewis … Producer, Writer
  • Camilla Rockwell … Associate Producer
  • Susanna Steisel … Associate Producer
  • Geoffrey C. Ward … Writer
  • Jesse Carr … Music (Misc. Credits), Music Direction
  • Ken Burns … Music (Misc. Credits), Music Direction
  • Robards, Jason (See also: Robards, Jason, Jr.) … Narrator
  • Edwin Howard Armstrong
  • Barber, Red ("The Old Redhead")
  • Erik Barnouw
  • Kenneth Bilby
  • Norman Corwin
  • De Forest, Lee
  • Susan Douglas
  • Frank Gunther
  • Jeanne Hammond
  • Loren Jones
  • Garrison Keillor
  • Helen Kelly
  • Guglielmo Marconi
  • Robert Morris
  • David Sarnoff
  • Gertrude Tyne