Guglielmo Marconi is a name that is synonymous with radio. And while it is true that he was granted the first patent in the UK in 1896 for wireless telegraphy, his ability to secure his place in history as the inventor of radio had a lot more to do with a different set of skills. His recognition as the father of radio had a lot more to do with his promotional abilities, the markets he nurtured, and the strategic partnerships he created, than it had to do with his inventive abilities.
When it comes down to the technological breakthrough, Marconi had introduced the spark-gap transmitter for the purpose of wireless telegraphy. A technology that puts out broadband pulse of energy, with quite an inefficiency. Early wireless telegraph operators had to have headsets that acted like a vice on their heads with ear pieces jammed tight, in order to make out the faint sounds of those weak signals. And this technique itself, relied on the use of an induction coil, invented by Tesla. (But that is a story for another time).
Radio as we know it today – the transmission of voice – was really invented and driven by the Canadian, Reginald Fessenden. But I bet even the contestants on Jeopardy would never know it.
In 1900, Fessenden combined a spark-gap transmitter with a 10 kHz interrupter, in order to generate a continuous AC signal which could have its amplitude modulated by way of a carbon microphone which he put in series. It worked. From his initial breakthrough, he realized that he needed a better source for the continuous AC so he commissioned Westinghouse to build a 100 kHz source. And so was borne the Alexanderson alternator. In 1906, Fessenden made his first voice broadcast which was received by a number of ships at sea. Quite a breakthrough.
So, would you rather talk, or dit dit dit dah dah dit dit… ?
As it turns out, effective promotion had a lot to do with whose name is remembered today. Marconi intuitively knew something about getting people’s attention and interest. One of his great successes was transmitting the race results for yachting competitions to New York City through the early 1900s. It certainly got him noticed and associated with wireless. And breaking major news such as the sinking of the Titanic, associated Marconi strongly as the source of the medium. And although Fessenden’s work drove the development of the Alexanderson alternator, Marconi was quick to adopt it to upgrade his wireless telegraph network.
Fessenden, on the other hand, did not find an effective way to promote his breakthrough in voice communication. And the general marketplace did not see the value. Even though he had on the order of 300 patents, his investors’ myopic vision resulted in the patents being sold to Westinghouse. And so Fessenden’s name is lost in the annals of the patent office and scientific journals of the time. What a shame.
Getting people to listen to your message in one form or another is a big deal. Letting the product speak for itself doesn’t do the trick. Building a following is what is needed. Whether each follower buys the product or not, is just as important as them buying into your message. With each follower you gain, your message gets amplified. And as history has shown, your ability to out maneuver your competition is more than just enhanced, if you are able to hold on to your followers.