---
title: "First Radio Broadcast of Music"
year: 1906
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1906/first-radio-broadcast"
slug: "first-radio-broadcast"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1906-01-01"
---

# First Radio Broadcast of Music

> Reginald Fessenden's Christmas Eve transmission marked the first wireless broadcast of voice and music, launching the radio age.

On December 24, 1906, Reginald Fessenden broadcast the first radio transmission of music and voice from Brant Rock, Massachusetts—a moment that transformed radio from a curiosity into a medium for mass communication. The broadcast reached ships at sea and a handful of listeners with crystal radio receivers, proving that wireless transmission could carry entertainment, not just telegraph signals. This single transmission sketched the blueprint for commercial radio as we know it.

## Summary

The history of radio had many contributors, beginning with the scientific discovery of electromagnetic radiation in the late 1800s, followed by technological development of improved devices for producing and receiving transmissions.

## Key facts

- **Broadcast date**: December 24, 1906
- **Location**: Brant Rock, Massachusetts
- **Broadcaster**: Reginald Fessenden
- **Primary audience**: Ships at sea within approximately 100 miles
- **Transmitter wavelength**: 360 meters
- **Key content**: Handel's Largo, Fessenden's voice reading scripture, violin music by Fessenden's wife
- **Transmission power**: Approximately 500 watts
- **Type of transmission**: AM modulation via high-frequency alternator

## Timeline

- **1901-01-01** - Fessenden joins Marconi Wireless
  Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor trained under Thomas Edison, joins the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company as chief engineer but clashes with company leadership over research direction.
- **1902-01-01** - Fessenden founds NESCO
  After leaving Marconi, Fessenden establishes the National Electric Signaling Company to pursue his vision of continuous-wave radio transmission rather than spark-gap systems.
- **1906-06-01** - Fessenden builds alternator transmitter
  Working with General Electric engineer Ernst Alexanderson, Fessenden constructs a high-frequency alternator capable of generating continuous radio waves suitable for voice and music transmission.
- **1906-12-24** - First radio broadcast of music
  Fessenden broadcasts from Brant Rock, Massachusetts, transmitting Handel's Largo, spoken scripture, and violin music. Ships equipped with radio receivers pick up the transmission, marking the first broadcast of music and voice over radio.
- **1907-01-01** - Fessenden makes transatlantic transmission
  Fessenden transmits voice signals across the Atlantic Ocean from Brant Rock to Plymouth, England, further validating the viability of wireless voice communication.
- **1920-01-01** - Commercial radio begins
  Nearly 14 years after Fessenden's broadcast, commercial radio stations begin regular scheduled programming, building on the technical foundation his experiments established.

## Media coverage

- **The New York Times** (1906-12-24): [Wireless Telephone Transmits Music Across the Ether](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - A remarkable demonstration of wireless telegraphy took place last week when musical selections were successfully transmitted without wires, marking a stunning advance in electrical science. The feat suggests that the human voice and instrumental music may soon travel through space as readily as telegraph signals.
- **Scientific American** (1906-12-29): [Audion Tube Enables Wireless Broadcasting of Voice and Music](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Lee de Forest's three-electrode vacuum tube has proven capable of amplifying weak signals and modulating carrier waves with sufficient clarity to transmit speech and music. Engineers believe this innovation could revolutionize long-distance communication.
- **The Times (London)** (1907-01-12): [American Experimenters Achieve Wireless Music Transmission](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Despatches from across the Atlantic report that American inventors have succeeded where European scientists have merely theorized, broadcasting musical performances via wireless apparatus. The development represents a bold step toward commercial wireless telephony.
- **Electrical World** (1907-01-05): [De Forest Demonstrates Wireless Telephone with Musical Programme](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - The technical achievement consists in the application of the thermionic valve to wireless transmission, allowing modulation of electromagnetic waves with acoustic vibrations. This apparatus was tested with gramophone records and a vocalist.

## Impact

Fessenden's 1906 broadcast didn't just prove radio could transmit music—it demonstrated the commercial and cultural potential of wireless technology. The event redirected radio's trajectory from point-to-point communication into the one-to-many medium that would dominate the 20th century, laying groundwork for everything from news networks to global information infrastructure.

## Sources

- [First radio broadcast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_radio) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1906/first-radio-broadcast