In 1925, radio was booming. According to the Opry website, which outlines the history and achievements of the Grand Old Opry live radio program, by March 1922, WSB radio in Atlanta was broadcasting old-time country string bands live. In 1925, Chicago listeners heard the "National Barn Dance" on WLS with announcer George D. Hay, known as the "Solemn Old Judge."
In the U.K., The BBC World Service's first live radio broadcast was a sports event in London. According to the Arsenal website, detailing the English professional football club's history and achievements, BBC World Service hosted the first live radio broadcast. On January 22, 1927 the BBC--formed the previous year--broadcast the football match between Arsenal and Sheffield United. Charlie Buchan, Arsenal's team captain, scored the first live goal in a 1-1 draw.
In 1932, The BBC World Service began as the BBC Empire Service as shortwave radio service. The broadcasts were directed at mainly English speakers in the British Empire. In 1934, the BBC--coupled with the musician's union--formed the Empire Orchestra, which performed live concerts on air late at night and in the early morning to reach destinations around the world at social radio time hours.
By early 1938, BBC broadcast live and recorded broadcasts in Arabic, Latin American, German, Italian and French.
The Grand Old Opry's live broadcasts in 1925 were a hit and served as entertainment in homes across America and in countries that received the live broadcast signal. The Saturday night show was called the WSM Barn Dance and featured performers like the Gully Jumpers, The Fruit Jar Drinkers (those jars were filled with moonshine) and The Crook Brothers.
In 1925, David Harrison Macon, a banjo picker from Smart Station, Tennessee, became live radio's first big star. A musician by trade, he joined the Grand Old Opry as its first professional; members nicknamed him "Uncle Dave."
On April 4, 1968, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s was assassinated. A curfew fell over the city of Nashville and, two days later, the Opry canceled a live performance for the first time in its history. The broadcast aired as a taped performance.
In July 1983, Gaylord Broadcasting bought the Grand Ole Opry. The program has won a George Foster Peabody Institutional Award and entered the Radio Hall of Fame, among other achievements.
According to Britannica.com, the 1930s and '40s were termed the golden age of radio. Broadcast innovations, programs, guest performers and creative programs made radio the most popular entertainment medium in the world. However, television broadcasting began in Germany and Britain in the 1930s, which started to affect radio's popularity, especially live radio.
In 1945, after World War II, television stations soon took over radio networks. These new technologies competed and the availability of portable radio receivers dwindled.
In 1983, FM stations surpassed the number of AM stations. In1998, there were 6,179 commercial FM stations on the air, and 2,400 noncommercial stations and public radio networks like NPR (National Public Radio) and PRI (Public Radio International).
According to Britannica.com, as of 2010, less than half of all radio listening takes place in the home.