I spent virtually my whole career in radio and television, marveling at how sound and pictures could possibly travel through the air. I made a living selling advertising to support this magical industry. Yes, I was an air farmer, filling holes in time, and making it possible for people to enjoy their favorite shows and personalities for free. After years of seminars, classes, conventions, and conversations, I was surprised to find out that I knew absolutely nothing about two of the people that built this marvelous business. I think that we all tend to credit Guglielmo Marconi as the father of radio, and admire RCA for bringing it into our living rooms. The man behind Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was David Sarnoff, who capitalized on the sinking of the Titanic to help build this worldwide brand. However, it was Lee DeForest who created the first practical amplification device that expanded Marconi’s point-to-point communication into single point-to-multiple point broadcasting. He could not, however, explain how it worked. As a result, it required electrical engineer and inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong to both understand the process and to increase amplification so that receivers could use loudspeakers instead of headphones. Armstrong also got rid of the annoying static that plagued AM radio broadcasts by developing FM radio. It’s a long, ugly story of competition, lawsuits, bankruptcy, and suicide that Ken Burns describes in his documentary, Empire of the Air.

The show reminded me of the old Zenith radio that we had in the basement of our home. It stood about four feet high and had push-button station settings. It was my private refuge as a teenager, listening to Larry Lujack and John “Records” Landecker on WLS Radio out of Chicago, shooting pool, and playing out the high school basketball tournament with a ball of aluminum foil and a basket made out of a bottomless Quaker Oats box. My sister somehow ended up with that radio, that I always imagined would be mine some day. It would have looked great in my home office, but apparently I wasn’t around when she grabbed it from under my nose. I would listen to the radio for hours at a time, singing along with The Beatles, Herman’s Hermits, The Dave Clark Five, and The Monkees. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I finally got a personal stereo for my room, so the radio was my life back then. Radio was also where I started and ended my broadcasting career, while TV filled the 22 year gap in between.

I’m headed to the library to get more of the Ken Burn’s series, including the Jackie Robinson story. It was his massive historical undertaking, Baseball, that got me hooked, and the Vietnam War documentary that made my seek out his other works. One of my retirement goals is to watch them all, between trips around the world. The pups got to go to Starbucks this morning before it started to rain, and it’s time for another Leadership Luncheon tomorrow. My wife and I will then be giving blood on Saturday, and then try to catch up on the Golden Globe winners at the movie theater. Two more weeks of being a homebody before extensive travel begins. I also get to go back to the dentist for further “deep cleaning” in between these other activities that fill my retirement days.

I could stand to lose a few pounds, as my wife’s company launches their annual wellness campaign. By participating, we save on health insurance and enjoy a little friendly fitness competition. I just hope they don’t try to talk me into doing the Hood to Coast Relay again this year. Once was enough for any bucket list! I don’t seem to be overly motivated beyond my daily running commitment, and don’t expect to do much with races this year.  I can comfortably enjoy my retirement thanks to the broadcasting business. I don’t miss the day-to-day grind, and my wife continues to remind me why, as she finishes out her career in the TV business that Marconi, DeForest, Armstrong, and Sarnoff made possible.