Maryland Manual On-Line - www.mdmanual.net

MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

RADIO


[photo, WYPR, 2216 North Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland]
  • Commercial Radio
  • Public Radio

  • WYPR, 2216 North Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland, April 2007. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.


    Efficient ways to communicate messages quickly over great distances evolved over the years from signal fires, to flagmen in towers, and to more mechanized towers using wooden arms. In England by 1838, studies in electricity and communication merged, enabling the first telegraph design to use electricity for sending messages through wires over many miles. Thereafter, Samuel Morse created a faster, and much simpler, and accessable telegraph, as well as a translation code that would become international. Maryland was at the forefront of this new technology, and the first American commercial telegraph linked Baltimore and Washington, DC, in 1844.

    As technology improved, radio towers replaced telegraph poles. The first radio stations served as emergency communication posts for government and, later, private companies, predominatly for the U.S. Navy and for nautical applications, such as shipping, and cruise lines. These early stations, however, were limited: the technology broadcast on all frequencies, and more powerful signals could effectively block less powerful ones. With further development frequencies were isolated, and frequency specific signals used. Thereafter, a commercial market opened, and the public literally could "tune-in" to radio.

    Today, dozens of public and commercial radio stations operate in Maryland. Alongside them, hundreds of "ham" stations, run by amateurs (under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines), provide frequently needed emergency communications, which function when other systems fail. Among such ham operators are the W3ADO Ham Club at the U.S. Naval Academy, and the Anne Arundel Radio Club, based in Davidsonville.

    Though primarily known for Maryland Public Television (MPT), the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission also is authorized to develop radio programming (Code Education Article, sec. 24-205).


    COMMERCIAL RADIO

    AM FREQUENCIES

    FM FREQUENCIES

    PUBLIC RADIO

    Maryland State Symbols
    Maryland Government
    Maryland Constitutional Offices & Agencies
    Maryland Departments
    Maryland Independent Agencies
    Maryland Executive Commissions, Committees, Task Forces, & Advisory Boards
    Maryland Universities & Colleges
    Maryland Counties
    Maryland Municipalities
    Maryland at a Glance


    Maryland Manual On-Line

    Search the Manual
    e-mail: mdmanual@mdarchives.state.md.us

     Maryland Manual On-Line, 2011

    August 9, 2011   
    Note: In this past edition of Maryland Manual, some links are to external sites.  View the current Manual


    This information resource of the Maryland State Archives is presented here for fair use in the public domain. When this material is used, in whole or in part, proper citation and credit must be attributed to the Maryland State Archives. PLEASE NOTE: Rights assessment for associated source material is the responsibility of the user.


    Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!


    [ Archives' Home Page  ||  All About Maryland  ||  Maryland Manual On-Line  ||  Reference & Research
    ||  Search the Archives   ||  Education & Outreach  ||  Archives of Maryland Online ]

    Governor     General Assembly    Judiciary     Maryland.Gov

    © Copyright May 26, 2011 Maryland State Archives