The Heterodyne Principle
In the absence of a live link on the NPR page, here is the piece that aired this evening.
MELISSA BLOCK INTRO:
It is called the Heterodyne Principle: a poetic sounding name for a discovery that led to a chain of events culminating in me, talking to you, right now. Reginald Fessenden made the discovery in the early years of the twentieth century. A Canadian by birth who began his career working for Thomas Edison, Fessenden figured out that by combining two frequencies together, radio could do more than simply transmit Morse code. It would be possible to SPEAK over the airwaves. Thanks to him, radio became a sound medium.
It happened one hundred years ago Sunday. And as writer Dean Olsher tells us, the first implementation of Fessenden's principle is one of radio's creation myths.
Listen here
MELISSA'S BACK ANNOUNCE:
Dean Olsher is a writer in New York. We heard violinist Christina Smith, and Chris Brookes as the voice of Reginald Fessenden.
MELISSA BLOCK INTRO:
It is called the Heterodyne Principle: a poetic sounding name for a discovery that led to a chain of events culminating in me, talking to you, right now. Reginald Fessenden made the discovery in the early years of the twentieth century. A Canadian by birth who began his career working for Thomas Edison, Fessenden figured out that by combining two frequencies together, radio could do more than simply transmit Morse code. It would be possible to SPEAK over the airwaves. Thanks to him, radio became a sound medium.
It happened one hundred years ago Sunday. And as writer Dean Olsher tells us, the first implementation of Fessenden's principle is one of radio's creation myths.
Listen here
MELISSA'S BACK ANNOUNCE:
Dean Olsher is a writer in New York. We heard violinist Christina Smith, and Chris Brookes as the voice of Reginald Fessenden.
posted by DO at 11:14 PM
2 Comments:
really awesomely wonderful - thank you - I quoted you in a letter I'm sending out today to thank MOMbo supporters - thank you so much
Good story, Dean.
I checked the Web site when 4:50 Central passed with an entirely different story, and listened to your segment online. My mom kept the radio on and heard you around 5:50.
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