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Emergence of regular radio broadcasting — Station XWA

1920 AD · Transmission: Global
TechnologyEventNorth American

By December 1919, the licensed experimental station XWA (later renamed CFCF), in Montreal, is broadcasting regular programs of recorded music and news, helping to establish commercial radio. On 20 May 1920, XWA carries out a live broadcast to an audience assembled in Ottawa, 170 km away, using a 500W YC-3 military transmitter from the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of Canada, adapting wireless telephony technology for the purpose. It is one of the first cases of regular broadcasting with an organized public audience, distinct from Fessenden's one-off 1906 demonstration.

InstitutionMarconi Wireless Telegraph Company of Canada
Historical regionMontreal, Canada
Primary sourceXWA broadcast records, December 1919 and 20 May 1920
Secondary sourceIEEE Engineering and Technology History Wiki — "Milestones: Emergence of Radio Broadcasting with Experimental Station XWA, 1919-1920"
Original languageEnglish/French
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