Electronic Technology in the House of Representatives
Radio Waves Connect the House Floor to the Home:
Radio and Congress
The discovery of radio waves in 1887 prompted a rapid advancement in communications technology that had repercussions around the globe. Guglielmo Marconi, a young Italian scientist, conducted a series of experiments in 1889 testing the theory that signals could be transmitted through the air by using electromagnetic waves. During the next 20 years, inventors, most especially Edwin Armstrong, John Fleming, and Lee DeForest, continued to improve and advance the technology. By 1920, just 33 years after the initial discovery of radio waves, KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, transmitted the first commercial radio broadcast in the United States.
Americans leaders recognized the mass communications potential of radio. In 1923, President Warren G. Harding had a radio installed in the White House. Harding and his successor, Calvin Coolidge, experimented with the new technology, but Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first President to capitalize fully on radio's potential for spreading his message to and connecting with the American public. Roosevelt's effective use of radio during his informal “Fireside Chats” of the 1930s demonstrated the political capabilities of the new communications medium.
Radio also affected congressional proceedings, though Congress was slow to embrace the new technology. For several years, radio reporters were denied access to the House and Senate Press Galleries. Additionally, legislation aimed at implementing radio coverage of the House and Senate, initially put forward in 1922, faced stiff opposition throughout much of the 20th century. Despite the reluctance of some Members to accept the new form of communication, Capitol Hill played a significant role in the spreading influence of radio. As early as 1928, House Clerk William Tyler Page speculated that the noticeable decline in speeches mailed from the Capitol could be attributed to the increased use of radio by Representatives as a means of communicating with their constituents. Moreover, the House Chamber hosted presidential addresses that were broadcast, radio coverage of large political celebrations, and even a weekly show that highlighted the events of Congress, enabling people throughout the country to stay apprised of important political events.
South Carolina Representatives James Byrnes and Fred Dominick listening to the Capitol radio Image courtesy of Library of Congress
The radio sound room at the U.S. Capitol Image courtesy of Library of Congress
Date |
Event |
Jan. 21, 1921 |
First unsuccessful attempt to broadcast from the Capitol the inaugural address of an American President–Warren G. Harding–on the radio. |
1922 |
Representative Vincent Brennan of Michigan introduced the first measure to allow radio coverage of the House and Senate. Brennan stated that it was his purpose to “enable all members of Congress as well as the country at large, to 'listen in' on the doings of the floor of the House.” His legislation failed in committee. |
Dec. 8, 1922 |
President Harding was the first person to use the newly installed public address system in the House of Representatives for a radio broadcast when he addressed a Joint Session of Congress. |
Dec. 19, 1922 |
House debate about a constitutional amendment to abolish tax-exempt securities became the first ever broadcasted on the radio. |
Dec. 6, 1923 |
President Calvin Coolidge's address to Congress in the House Chamber reached radio stations in many major American cities, including Washington, D.C., New York, Providence, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Dallas. The radio broadcast, which covered proceedings in the House one-half hour before the arrival of President Coolidge, was so clear that representatives from a radio station in St. Louis called the Capitol to inquire about a strange noise heard during the speech. Capitol employees identified the noise as the rustling of paper by Coolidge. |
1924 |
The public address system of the House of Representatives was abandoned due to Members' complaints that microphones produced interference, making it difficult to hear. |
1924 |
Senator Robert Howell of Nebraska introduced legislation that would allow the War and Navy departments to control the House and Senate radio coverage. The bill passed the Senate but failed to become law when a study panel concluded the technology was too expensive. |
1932 |
Speaker of the House John Nance Garner of Texas denied requests from Columbia Broadcasting System and National Broadcasting Company radio to broadcast congressional debates concerning the possible repeal of the 18th Amendment (sanctioning Prohibition). Broadcasters ignored the ban, secretly planting microphones near the House Chamber to eavesdrop on the proceedings. |
Nov. 7, 1933 |
A Standing Committee of Correspondents of the congressional press galleries rejected the applications of three radio newsmen from CBS System for admission to the galleries. Samuel Bell, chairman of the committee, explained that his decision was based on existing rules governing the congressional press galleries. Newspaper reporters, suspicious of the new medium, agreed with the decision, maintaining that Capitol quarters were too cramped to accommodate additional media members. Radio reporters were relegated to writing stories in Capitol broom closets or phone booths. |
1939 |
Congress established radio galleries separate from the newspaper and periodical galleries, in the House and Senate, becoming the only national legislature to divide its galleries among different forms of media. House Speaker William B. Bankhead of Alabama awarded one of the newsmen involved in the struggle for radio access to congressional procedures, Fulton Lewis, Jr., president of the Radio Correspondents' Association, the key to the new radio gallery at a ceremony in the House Chamber. |
March 4, 1939 |
More than 400 radio stations from the United States and Canada, in addition to about a dozen international broadcasters, used microphones in the House Chamber to cover the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first session of Congress. The radio coverage was touted as the most extensive for a single event to date. |
July 24, 1939 |
President Franklin D. Roosevelt congratulated the four radio newsmen who pressured Congress into opening radio galleries in the Senate and the House, exclaiming that the event marked "a decided step forward in the dissemination of news concerning the deliberations of our national legislature.” |
1944 |
Senator Claude Pepper of Florida introduced legislation that would allow radio coverage of the proceedings and debates of Congress. |
Nov. 17, 1947 |
“Congress Today,” a weekday radio series detailing the significant proceedings of the House and Senate, first aired. WOL news chief and Washington correspondent Albert Warner hosted the broadcast from the House Radio Gallery. |
1970 |
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 permitted House committees to broadcast public hearings live via radio and television. |
1977 |
The House authorized legislation allowing radio and television broadcasts of its proceedings, but disagreements about whether Congress or the press should control the operating system caused delays in coverage. |
June 12, 1978 |
Only 16 Members were present for the beginning of the first live radio broadcast of the regular proceedings of the House. The afternoon session also broadcast live debates about a resolution condemning the Ugandan government for alleged violations of human rights, legislation to appropriate money for the Department of Transportation, and a bill to increase funding for the Office of Toxic Substances. |
