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Empire of the Air

Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

Season 1 Episode 1 | 1hr 51m 55s

For 50 years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” In Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Ken Burns examines the lives of three extraordinary men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success, and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity interacted in tragic ways.

Aired: 01/24/22
Funding Provided by: General Motors Corporation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting;PBS; the National Endowment for the Humanities
Extras
Watch • 1:05
Empire of the Air
Power of Sound
Norman Corwin talks about the power of sound.
Clip: S1 E1 | 1:05
Watch • 3:16
Empire of the Air
The Titanic Disaster
The sinking of the Titanic influenced federal law and wireless communications.
Clip: S1 E1 | 3:16
Watch • 4:49
Empire of the Air
Developing FM Radio
Edwin Howard Armstrong was best known for developing FM Radio.
Clip: S1 E1 | 4:49
Watch • 3:36
Empire of the Air
Radio Made America A Land of Listeners
Radio educated, angered, and delighted Americans of every kind, age, and class.
Clip: S1 E1 | 3:36