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Culture Shock

College Radio Day Shout Out to Reginald Fessenden

In honor of College Radio Day, I would like to give a shout out to the unsung Canadian hero Reginald Fessenden. Although Nikola Tesla or Guglielmo Marconi both were incredibly instrumental in the invention of radio, pouring years of scientific studies and experiments into its creation – in fact Tesla holds the patent for radio/wireless telephony – it is Reginald Fessenden who I hold in the jukebox of my heart.

According to countless Canadian websites, Fessenden was the first to broadcast music over radio waves. Audio that people would love to be able to tune in and listen to, instead of the Morse Code beeps had been the prevalent use of radio waves up to that point. Fessenden took the technology that was used to transfer information and transformed to it transfer culture. One of the first songs he broadcast, “Oh Holy Night,” reached ships of the coast on that Christmas Eve bringing a piece of home to the ocean waves. Sure, this might be romanticizing a gentleman from a century ago but if not Reginald Fessenden then who should I make my #mcm?

So while you tune into your favorite college radio station on College Radio Day – and every other day of your life – remember Reginald Fessenden.

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