Premiered January 1992
Follow the pioneers of radio whose genius and rivalry wove unexpected and tragic stories.
For fifty years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” Empire of the Air examines the lives of three remarkable men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity combined in unexpected and often tragic ways.
For fifty years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” Empire of the Air examines the lives of three remarkable men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity combined in unexpected and often tragic ways.
From
![Developing FM Radio]()
Edwin Howard Armstrong was best known for developing FM Radio.
Developing FM Radio
![A Land of Listeners]()
Radio educated, angered, and delighted Americans of every kind, age, and class.
A Land of Listeners
![The Titanic Disaster]()
The sinking of the Titanic influenced federal law and wireless communications.
The Titanic Disaster
Providing Support for PBS.org
Support for PBS.org provided by: