A fascinating book which is a mixture of technical detail, history, biography and the story of the development of radio broadcasting from early experimentation via two world wars to the current digital age.

Whilst I found some of the technical information at the beginning of the book a bit heavy it soon grabbed me with the stories of the pioneering companies and characters from the early 20th Century that brought radio broadcasts into peoples homes.

From local radio to network broadcasters and pirates everything is here for the radio buff including interesting facts about the programmes and people that led the way in the 'Golden Age' of radio ( )

Radio Broadcasting: A History of the Airwaves by Gordon Bathgate is a fact-filled account of radio history from invention through to speculation about what the future holds for radio.

While I found the writing interesting I also felt it was just a tad on the side of too little narrative and too much simply recitation of dates and names. That said, it was not too far to that side. I have to say a book that includes an extramarital affair, the fallout and subsequent career, as well as an understanding of how those personalities played a role in the expansion of radio in the UK is not simply a "stating of the facts." What was interesting is that the incident deserves to be part of this history, it is not just to liven things up.

On the flip side, because so much information is covered it has stretches that can be less than scintillating. If, however, you really want to know about the history and development of broadcasting, you will be richly rewarded for reading this book. I learned a lot of information and even had some myths dispelled for me ("BBC English" not being mandated, for example).

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )