Frank Conrad
Sleepless Genius
Frank
Conrad was one of these amateurs, having built a transmitter at his home
in Swissvale, Pa. Upon relocating to neighboring Wilkinsburg, he moved
the station to the second floor of his backyard garage. Conrad had only
a seventh grade education, but when it came to mechanics and electronics
he was a genius. Conrad worked for Westinghouse as assistant chief
engineer at its East Pittsburgh Works and acquired over 200 patents in
his lifetime. Despite his modest education, he was awarded an honorary
Doctorate of Science from the University of Pittsburgh
It is Conrad to whom the broadcasting industry
owes its existence. Often working into the wee hours of the morning in
his garage workshop, he advanced not only the technology but also the
business concepts upon which the industry is based. When he substituted
a phonograph for his microphone, he discovered a large audience of
listeners who had built their own crystal radio sets and who, upon
hearing the music, wrote or phoned requests for more music and news.
When he became swamped with these requests, he decided to broadcast
regular, scheduled programs to satisfy his listeners.
When he ran out of
his own collection of records, he borrowed from a Wilkinsburg music
store in exchange for mentioning the store on the air—the first radio
advertisement. (The store owner soon discovered that records played on
Conrad’s station sold better than others.) All of these concepts for
broadcasting—the station, the audience, the programs, and a means to pay
for the programs—came about through Conrad’s work.
But Conrad was still just an amateur. For the broadcasting industry to get started, it would take a company with the resources to operate a commercial radio station and to manufacture receivers for the general public. And it would take someone at that company with the vision to get it done.
(For more information on Frank Conrad please visit the Conrad Bibliography.)
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