History Conversations | The Early History of Radio in Maryland

with Brian Belanger | 

 

Radio in Maryland began as early as 1900, when Reginald Fessenden launched experiments of the feasibility of voice transmission at his facility at Cobb Island. Baltimore got its first entertainment radio stations in 1922. The U.S. Navy built a powerful state-of-the art radio station in Annapolis for long-distance communication during WWI. The first air-to-ground radio trials were at the College Park Airport in 1911. Francis Jenkins’ pioneer television station in Wheaton, MD, began regular broadcasts in 1928. National Capital Radio and Television Curator Brian Belanger covers these and other radio/TV milestones in our state.