In 1919-20 Frank Conrad founded the broadcasting industry in a small red-brick garage behind his home on the borderline of Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. With bare wires, crackling spark coils and homemade vacuum tubes, Conrad pioneered an industry that has become the world's primary source of news and entertainment.
Conrad's
later work in shortwave radio enabled instant worldwide communications
for the first time in human history. His experiments in television
helped to pave the way to our modern TV system. His contributions to science and
industry went well beyond “broadcasting,” a term he coined according to
some sources. He earned recognition in a variety of fields and, although
not a household name, his concepts and inventions touch peoples' lives
everyday. Indeed, broadcast receivers are in nearly 100% of homes
and the broadcasting industry generates more than $53 billion annually
in revenue in the U.S. alone.
Yet
as the broadcasting industry grew and prospered, the little garage where
it all began essentially became forgotten. Although cosmetically
remodeled over the years, the original structure remained remarkably
intact. It was nearly demolished in the 1970s but ultimately survived
into the early 21st century. It was saved at the eleventh hour by a
small, dedicated group of broadcasting historians who were able to have
it dismantled brick-by-brick when the property was sold to make way for
a fast food restaurant.
Now
the
goal of the “Conrad Project” is to reconstruct the garage as the
centerpiece of a National Museum of Broadcasting in the Pittsburgh area,
where perhaps more pioneering work in radio and television was
accomplished than any other place in the world. As Pittsburgh celebrates
its 250th anniversary it is hoped that regional leaders find
this project worthy of their physical and financial support. It would
indeed be a tragedy to lose the opportunity to preserve the birthplace
of an industry that has informed and entertained the world
for nearly 100 years.
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