Question 1

Congress passed the Radio Act of 1912 in response to the sinking of the Titanic.

Accepted Answer

The Radio Act of 1912 was passed in response to the Titanic disaster, which highlighted the need for regulations and standards to ensure the safety of ships and passengers at sea.

Question 2

Competition among media meant that with the arrival of television, radio became obsolete.

Accepted Answer

Although some radio shows decreased in popularity with the rise of television, radio did not become completely obsolete. Radio adapted and still remains a popular medium for news, music, and talk shows.

Question 3

Inventor Lee De Forest developed a vacuum tube capable of detecting and amplifying radio signals.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Lee De Forest is credited with inventing the Audion, a vacuum tube that could amplify radio signals and make long-distance radio communication possible.

Question 4

Because of the role of the navy in early broadcast history, the United States today has a national broadcasting system both controlled and supervised by the government.

Accepted Answer

While the navy did play a role in early broadcast history, the United States does not have a nationally controlled and supervised broadcasting system. Broadcast media is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, an independent government agency.

Question 5

The word broadcasting derives from the steel industry, in part because KDKA in Pittsburgh was one of the first stations to begin using radio as a mass medium.

Accepted Answer

The word broadcasting actually derives from agriculture, specifically the practice of scattering seeds widely over a broad area. While KDKA in Pittsburgh was one of the first radio stations to begin regular broadcasts, it did not give rise to the word broadcasting itself.

Question 6

Network radio helped modernize America by deemphasizing local in favor of national programs.

Accepted Answer

National network radio programs brought a sense of unity and common experience to listeners across the country, helping to break down regional differences and promote a more unified national identity. Local programming was still important, but it became less dominant as national networks grew in popularity.

Question 7

In its entrepreneurial phase, radio was marketed as a ship-to-shore communication device.

Accepted Answer

During its early days, radio was primarily used for ship-to-shore communication, particularly for maritime safety and navigation purposes. It was later developed and commercialized for entertainment and broadcasting.

Question 8

During his lifetime, Nikola Tesla received much recognition for his wireless inventions.

Accepted Answer

During his lifetime, Nikola Tesla did not receive much recognition for his wireless inventions and struggled financially, with many of his ideas only gaining recognition posthumously.

Question 9

The Radio Act of 1927 created the Radio Corporation of America.

Accepted Answer

The Radio Act of 1927 established the Federal Radio Commission, not the Radio Corporation of America, which was formed earlier in 1919.

Question 10

The aim of early radio networks such as CBS and NBC was to serve the public interest.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The aim of early radio networks such...

Question 11

The Titanic sank in 1912, resulting in the loss of about fifteen hundred lives; had it not been for radio, seven hundred additional lives would have been lost.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The radio was crucial in sending out distress signals and calling for help, ultimately leading to the rescue of many passengers. Without the use of radio, it is likely that more lives would have been lost.

Question 12

During the 1920s, the United States was the only country that allowed commercial interests to control broadcasting.

Accepted Answer

The United States was the only country that allowed commercial interests to control broadcasting during the 1920s.

Question 13

Alexander Popov was a Russian academic whose experiments in wireless communication occurred at roughly the same time as Marconi's.

Accepted Answer

Popov conducted his first experiments in wireless communication in 1895, just a few months after Marconi.

Question 14

The American Marconi Company had trouble developing as a business after World War I in part because the U.S. Navy did not want a foreign-controlled company wielding so much power in the field of emergent radio technologies.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. The American Marconi Company faced hurdles in its development due to concerns about foreign control in the radio technology industry, particularly from the U.S. Navy.

Question 15

In the 1920s, CBS operated two radio networks, CBS-Red and CBS-Blue.

Accepted Answer

CBS did not operate two radio networks named CBS-Red and CBS-Blue; it was NBC that had the Red and Blue networks. CBS was a separate entity with its own single network.

Question 16

Guglielmo Marconi envisioned wireless telegraphy only as point-to-point communication and not as a one-to-many mass medium.

Accepted Answer

Marconi focused on the development of wireless telegraphy for point-to-point communication, such as between ships at sea and their home port. He did not envision it as a mass medium for broadcasting to many receivers simultaneously.

Question 17

Under the Radio Act of 1927, broadcasters were allowed to own their radio channels.

Accepted Answer

The Radio Act of 1927 established that radio frequencies were public property and could not be owned by broadcasters; instead, they were licensed to use them.

Question 18

Guglielmo Marconi is credited with creating FM radio.

Accepted Answer

Guglielmo Marconi is credited with inventing the first practical radio communication system, but FM radio was actually developed by Edwin Armstrong.

Question 19

In the 1940s, NBC willingly sold its Blue network because it was losing money.

Accepted Answer

NBC was forced to sell its Blue network due to antitrust concerns raised by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), not because it was losing money.

Question 20

The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed after World War I to give the United States an early worldwide monopoly over radio broadcasting.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. RCA was formed in 1919 as a result of a merger between several radio-related companies with the goal of establishing American dominance of the emerging radio industry.

Quiz 5: Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting