Hoover and Radio

Wiki Hoover's radio conferences played a key role in the early organization, development and regulation of radio broadcasting. Prior to the radio act of 1927, the Secretary of Commerce was unable to deny radio licensing or re-assign broadcast frequencies. With help from supporters Senator Dill and Representative White, Hoover brought the issue of radio control to the Senate floor. Hoover fought for more power to control the proliferation of licensed radio stations (which in 1927, stood at 732 stations). With help from Dill and White, Hoover promoted the Dill-White Bill which eventually would become the Radio Act of 1927. This act allowed the government to intervene and abolish radio stations that were deemed "non-useful" to the public. Hoover's attempts at regulating radio were not supported by all Congressmen, and he received much opposition from the Senate and from radio station owners. However, Hoover's contributions to regulate radio in its infancy heavily influenced the modern radio system.^[77]

Hoover was one of the few people who understood what 1950 would look like, Hoover designed 1950. He was big into road building and standardization. In this episode above, he is fighting round one of the great depression, trying to get radio organized before some supposed calamity. Did he make a mistake here? Should he have left radio to co develop along with the auto? Did he overstimulate? At the time, even before the radio heated up, the traffic congestion was well known, cities like Boston being strangled and local politics in the way of new roads. So, Hoover must have learned, somewhere, that the big calamity is when radio suddenly appears before roads. Hoover knew right away what caused the GD, radio jumped out ahead. He knew he might have overplayed his hand.