Museum Notebook: Radio Ga-Ga

A Cromwell model portable radio, made in New Zealand by Collier & Beale circa 1948 and owned by the Hughes-Johnson family. Photo / Whanganui Regional Museum

Humans are great communicators and like finding new methods of connection. The written word was the primary mode of long-distance communication for millennia, but scientists began exploring wireless audio during the 19th century.

German physicist Heinrich Hertz identified electromagnetic waves of frequency in 1888, and efforts turned to harnessing Hertzian waves for communication. Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi began his work in December 1894 and by August he could transmit a signal half a mile. He found raising the antenna and grounding the receiver and transmitter strengthened the signal to two miles.

Marconi's wireless communication system was awarded a patent in 1896. He established a radio station on the Isle of Wight, opened a wireless factory at Chelmsford, and was hugely successful in commercialising his broadcasting equipment. He and co-developer Karl Braun were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909. By this time Hertzian waves were better known as radio waves and signals were being sent around the world.

Aotearoa New Zealand quickly adopted radio. The first identified radio broadcast here was made on 17 November 1921 by Otago University Physics Professor Robert Jack, who also experimented with early television.

In 1922 Dunedin's 4XD radio station began broadcasting and remains the longest running station in the Commonwealth. By 1923 radio stations had been established in Christchurch, Nelson, Wellington, Gisborne, Auckland and Whanganui.

Early stations began as private broadcasts, but the Government recognised the benefits of radio for state communications and security and were concerned about unregistered use and conflict with their activities. Content controls were introduced where all stations adhered to follow a moral code, religious programmes were broadcast on Sundays, and advertisements were not permitted so newspapers didn't lose income. Programmes included children's shows, talks and music, with the first live rugby match broadcast from Christchurch in May 1926.

An Atwater Kent 55 radio with speaker and transformer, made in America circa 1929 and owned here by the Marr family. Photo / Whanganui Regional Museum collection reference: 1969.138

The private Radio Broadcasting Company was founded the same year but was eventually replaced by a government agency. The number of stations and variety of programming increased but content remained conservative. Some stations were accused of being boring while others became livelier, and radio personalities began to appear. Colin "Uncle Scrim" Scrimgeour was a popular broadcaster discussing the social and economic issues of the depression, but his pre-election show was blocked by the Government for fear he'd encourage listeners to vote Labour. The tactic failed and Labour gained power in 1935, quickly making broadcasting a state department monitored by The New Zealand Broadcasting Service and purchasing most independent radio stations. They were also the first in the world to broadcast parliament live.

After the NZBS split so separate divisions could focus on cultural education or commercial radio, content broadened including a popular Te Reo Māori news show introduced in 1942, but state radio struggled to adjust to a changing society after the war years and restrictive content policies were unpopular.

When National gained power in 1960 government involvement in the airwaves was reduced, and the renamed New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation focused on television. Radio use dropped and the popular evening radio quiz and giveaway shows declined in favour of the television.

But radio still survives, and 100 years after the first broadcast we have multiple radio networks with many diverse stations to choose from. The Whanganui Regional Museum has over 20 radios in the collection, including the two models here from 1929 and 1948.

Sandi Black is the Archivist at Whanganui Regional Museum.