[BC] Another history question

[Donna Halper]

At times, members of this let get caught up in debating aspects of 
broadcast history, so I have a question.  First, let's discuss what we know 
versus what is legendary yet generally accepted as a "fact".  The best 
example of myth overtaking fact is the KDKA story, in which some of KDKA's 
very real achievements were magnified by the Westinghouse publicity 
department with great success.  As we know, one of the fundamental 
assumptions about radio history was that KDKA was the first commercial 
station to broadcast-- Westinghouse publicity used to say "first in the 
world", conveniently ignoring Canada and Argentina which were broadcasting 
in 1918-1919.  Today, research has shown (and while some of the research is 
mine, I am not the only one to document this) that KDKA was NOT the first 
station to broadcast, and no it did not have a so-called commercial 
license.  Yet books still insist KDKA must have been first because so many 
sources say that.  I can tell you that, sadly, few authors do original 
research-- it's easier to cite previous sources, even if those sources were 
wrong (we are seeing this same phenomenon on the internet now-- somebody 
writes something, it's erroneous, but it's spread all over the internet and 
even in internet encyclopedias like Wikipedia).  Anyway, a long prologue to 
a serious question.

Another truism we all accept is that the late Reginald Fessenden was the 
first to broadcast voice and music over the wireless, on Christmas eve 
1906.  But doing some newspaper research from that era, I find none of the 
major newspapers mentioned it. I understand that the major newspapers were 
quite anti-technology, believing it could harm newspaper circulation, but 
still, you'd think that *somebody* would have reported it. Further, in 
researching the 5 major newspapers of that era, I find that several other 
people claimed to have successfully broadcast voice and/or music via the 
wireless before 1906.

Regarding Fessenden, the one source I can find for the December 1906 date 
other than what Fessenden himself claimed in interviews years later, seems 
to be a 1940 biography of his life, written by his widow.  But does anyone 
know for certain that this event did in fact take place on 24/25 December 
1906?  Interestingly, the NY Times attributes the broadcasting of voice by 
Fessenden to 1907, and in his obit in 1932, the Times says he was "among 
the first to give radio wings to speech."  Notice-- AMONG THE FIRST.  So 
evidently even then, others had laid claim to what today we all attribute 
to Fessenden.  Fessenden himself said he first did it successfully in 1902, 
but that's another story for another time.  Anyway, the many myths of radio 
history could fill a book... hmmm, perhaps I ought to write one about it!!!