Question 1

Which statement indicates why radio typically has its biggest audiences between 6 and 9 A.M. and between 4 and 7 P.M.?
A) Many people listen to the radio as they drive to and from work.
B) The funniest shows are on at those times.
C) The lucrative teenage audience listens most during those times.
D) Radio stations want it to be that way.
E) None of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

Many people listen to the radio as they drive to and from work, making these peak commuting times for radio audiences.

Question 2

Prior to the 1950s and 1960s, most radio listening occurred in the home because ______.
A) people didn't have televisions yet
B) radio sets before the invention of transistors used bulky and delicate vacuum tubes
C) automobiles weren't really widespread yet so most people couldn't leave home
D) radio programs used to be longer and required people's undivided attention
E) None of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

Before the invention of transistors, radio sets used bulky and delicate vacuum tubes, making them less portable and mostly limited to home use.

Question 3

Who set up a crude radio station above his Pittsburgh garage in 1916?
A) Edwin H. Armstrong
B) David Sarnoff
C) Ethan Zuckerman
D) Rush Limbaugh
E) Frank Conrad

Accepted Answer

Frank Conrad set up a crude radio station above his Pittsburgh garage in 1916.

Question 4

Which of the following statements about the news/talk/information radio format is true?
A) From 1987 until 2014, the number of stations with this format rose from just under 200 to more than 2,000.
B) It is more expensive to produce than a music format.
C) It appeals to advertisers looking to target working- and middle-class adult consumers.
D) It tends to appeal to listeners over thirty-five years old.
E) All of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

All of the options are correct.

Question 5

The act that first emphasized that broadcasters did not own their channels but were granted licenses provided they operated in the "public interest, convenience, or necessity" was the _________________.
A) Federal Communications Act of 1934
B) Radio Act of 1912
C) Radio Act of 1927
D) 1932 revocation of RCA's monopoly status
E) None of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

The Radio Act of 1927 established the principle that broadcasters did not own their channels but were granted licenses as long as they served the "public interest, convenience, or necessity."

Question 6

As a new network, CBS was able to compete with NBC by ______.
A) charging affiliates less for its programs
B) paying affiliates to broadcast its programs
C) being the first network to broadcast in high fidelity
D) advertising its programs on billboards
E) being the first to offer musical programs and quiz shows

Accepted Answer

CBS was able to compete with NBC by paying affiliates to broadcast its programs, which was a strategy that helped them gain a foothold in the market.

Question 7

Radio formats usually target specific audiences according to ______.
A) age
B) gender
C) race or ethnicity
D) income
E) All of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

Radio formats typically target specific audiences based on a combination of factors, including age, gender, race or ethnicity, and income. Therefore, all of the options are correct.

Question 8

One of the driving forces behind the adoption of format radio was that ______.
A) radio stations could charge an advertising premium for target audiences
B) paperwork became easier for program directors
C) disc jockeys had a chance to play a wider variety of music
D) it made it easier for record companies to promote new artists
E) radio stations could fulfill their public service requirements

Accepted Answer

Format radio allowed radio stations to cater to specific target audiences, making it easier for advertisers to reach their desired demographic. This in turn allowed radio stations to charge a premium for advertising, making it a driving force behind the adoption of format radio.

Question 9

Which of the following technologies did not cause major changes in the radio industry?
A) Television
B) The Internet
C) The transistor
D) FM transmitters
E) The telegraph

Accepted Answer

The telegraph did not cause major changes in the radio industry because it was invented and used long before the radio industry existed. The other options all had significant impacts on the radio industry. Television provided competition for radio as a form of entertainment, the internet has led to the rise of online radio and podcasts, the transistor allowed for the development of portable and affordable radios, and FM transmitters improved the sound quality of radio broadcasts.

Question 10

In the late 1920s, which of the following was not a part owner of the National Broadcasting Company?
A) RCA
B) General Electric
C) Westinghouse
D) CBS
E) All of the companies were owners of the National Broadcasting Company.

Accepted Answer

CBS was not a part owner of the National Broadcasting Company in the late 1920s. It was formed as a radio network and competitor to NBC in 1927, and did not become involved in the ownership of NBC until much later.

Question 11

What established the Federal Radio Commission?
A) The Radio Act of 1912
B) The Radio Act of 1919
C) The Radio Act of 1927
D) The Radio Act of 1934
E) None of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

The Federal Radio Commission was established by the Radio Act of 1927.

Question 12

When the radio industry was forced to reorganize in the 1950s, which of the following was not among the changes made?
A) A turn to format-driven radio
B) A greater dependence on recorded music
C) Featuring top deejays during prime driving periods
D) A move to reach national audiences
E) The repeated playing of top songs

Accepted Answer

The radio industry in the 1950s focused on local audiences rather than national ones, as television became the dominant medium for national broadcasting.

Question 13

What time period is considered the "golden age" of radio?
A) 1960s
B) Early 1900s
C) 1920s and 1930s
D) 1890s
E) 1990s

Accepted Answer

The 1920s and 1930s are considered the "golden age" of radio, as it was a time of great innovation and creativity in the medium. This was when many iconic programs, such as "The War of the Worlds" and "The Lone Ranger," were first broadcast, and when radio became a dominant force in American entertainment and culture.

Question 14

Which of the following indicates how radio listeners today are different from radio listeners in the 1930s?
A) Listeners today are loyal to specific stations or formats rather than to specific shows.
B) Listeners today tune in at a specific time to hear their favorite radio programs, rather than cruising through stations.
C) Peak listening occurs in the evening hours today, rather than during drive time.
D) Today, people listen to their radio at home more than people did in the 1930s.
E) None of these options are correct.

Accepted Answer

Radio listeners in the 1930s were more loyal to specific shows or performers, while listeners today are more likely to be loyal to specific stations or formats. This shift reflects changes in the structure of the radio industry over time, as well as changes in the ways that people access and consume media.

Question 15

Which of the following best sums up the advantages and disadvantages of FM radio versus AM?
A) FM included less static, had better sound fidelity, but traveled for shorter distances.
B) FM included less static, could travel longer distances, but had uneven results with pitch.
C) FM was an older, cheaper technology but did better with stereo sound.
D) FM was much better suited to the spoken voice because music sounded clearer on AM.
E) None of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

This option accurately summarizes the main advantages and disadvantages of FM and AM radio. FM has better sound quality and less static, but its range is limited compared to AM.

Question 16

Why did the public find it easy to believe that Orson Welles's broadcast of War of the Worlds was a real event?
A) Newspapers also printed the story as true.
B) It was done in the style of a real news broadcast.
C) A sizable meteor really did hit New Jersey that day.
D) The broadcast was never identified as fiction or a dramatization.
E) All of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

The broadcast was presented in the style of a real news broadcast, which made it convincing and led some listeners to believe it was a real event.

Question 17

The transistor made radio receivers ______.
A) portable
B) expensive
C) larger
D) stereophonic
E) disposable

Accepted Answer

The transistor allowed for smaller and more efficient radio receivers, making them portable.

Question 18

Which radio program panicked listeners on Halloween eve in 1938?
A) The Shadow
B) The Green Hornet
C) Amos 'n' Andy
D) War of the Worlds
E) None of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

The radio program that panicked listeners on Halloween eve in 1938 was "War of the Worlds," a dramatization of H.G. Wells' novel which presented the invasion of Martians in New Jersey. Many listeners believed the broadcast was real news, causing widespread panic and even some fatalities.

Question 19

With the Federal Communications Act of 1934, the Federal Radio Commission became the ______.
A) Wireless Communication Commission
B) National Broadcasting Company
C) Federal Communications Commission
D) Radio Corporation of America
E) None of the options are correct.

Accepted Answer

The Federal Communications Act of 1934 established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as the new regulatory agency in place of the Federal Radio Commission. Therefore, choice C is the correct answer.

Question 20

Which company became the first to sell ads on the radio?
A) American Marconi
B) AT&T
C) NBC
D) RCA
E) Westinghouse

Accepted Answer

AT&T was the first company to sell radio advertising, starting in 1922 with WEAF in New York City.

Quiz 5: Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting

Which statement indicates why radio typically has its biggest audiences between 6 and 9 A.M. and between 4 and 7 P.M.?

Prior to the 1950s and 1960s, most radio listening occurred in the home because ______.

Who set up a crude radio station above his Pittsburgh garage in 1916?

Which of the following statements about the news/talk/information radio format is true?

The act that first emphasized that broadcasters did not own their channels but were granted licenses provided they operated in the "public interest, convenience, or necessity" was the _________________.

As a new network, CBS was able to compete with NBC by ______.

Radio formats usually target specific audiences according to ______.

One of the driving forces behind the adoption of format radio was that ______.

Which of the following technologies did not cause major changes in the radio industry?

In the late 1920s, which of the following was not a part owner of the National Broadcasting Company?

What established the Federal Radio Commission?

When the radio industry was forced to reorganize in the 1950s, which of the following was not among the changes made?

What time period is considered the "golden age" of radio?

Which of the following indicates how radio listeners today are different from radio listeners in the 1930s?

Which of the following best sums up the advantages and disadvantages of FM radio versus AM?

Why did the public find it easy to believe that Orson Welles's broadcast of War of the Worlds was a real event?

The transistor made radio receivers ______.

Which radio program panicked listeners on Halloween eve in 1938?

With the Federal Communications Act of 1934, the Federal Radio Commission became the ______.

Which company became the first to sell ads on the radio?