Radio history – from 1920s pop music to countering fascism in Lithuania

With the first radio broadcast in 1926, Lithuania stepped into the technological age. Here’s how the history of radio in the Baltic country, as well as elsewhere in Europe, played out.

“People imagined that radio should also educate the nation in a patriotic spirit – that this was its mission. Officers, priests and teachers were especially vocal in expressing that view,” says historian Titas Krutulys.

The use of radio for civilian purposes began across Europe at roughly the same time. Radio communication technology had been adapted during the First World War, and in many countries, radio was associated with the military.

Only in the interwar period did country after country begin adapting the technology for mass communication. The first radio broadcasts in the United States began in 1916, in the United Kingdom in 1922, in France a year earlier and in Germany in 1923.

Lithuania found itself alongside the Scandinavian countries in adopting the technology in 1926. Ireland and the Balkan states followed later, while Albania and Andorra were among the last to hear their first broadcasts.

When broadcasts began, they did not immediately become part of everyday life. According to Krutulys, radio’s influence during the interwar period remained fairly limited, and programme variety developed gradually.

“If we look at the average number of broadcast hours per day, we can see that Lithuania’s radio schedule grew little by little – from just a few hours on working days. On the eve of the Second World War, we already had a situation where the radio was broadcasting seven to eight hours a day,” the historian explains.

Counting radio listeners in the interwar period is not difficult because there was a compulsory licence fee. While there were around 300 radio sets when the first broadcasts began, the number later grew rapidly and reached about 80,000 by the eve of the Second World War.

However, Lithuania lagged far behind in relative terms. In Denmark and the United Kingdom, there were around 200 radio sets per 1,000 inhabitants, while in Lithuania and Poland, the level of radio use was roughly ten times lower.

There was also a sharp divide between urban and rural listening habits. Radio first became a source of information for city dwellers.

“Lithuania’s average was about 23 receivers per 1,000 people, but in Klaipėda the figure was 177 and in Kaunas 131. Around 42% of radio subscribers were farmers, 19% civil servants, 11% teachers and representatives of other professions, 9% industrialists and merchants, 5% workers and about 3% priests,” Krutulys says.

He emphasises that these figures do not reflect the full structure of society at the time, but they do show who the programming was aimed at, with most content directed at urban residents and farmers.

In the early years of broadcasting, there were also some strange accusations: people sometimes blamed radio waves and broadcasts for stronger storms or droughts. In other words, new technology was feared and associated with misfortune.

“In the very beginning, in 1926–1927, many farmers wrote that radio spoiled the weather and caused storms, and that heavier rain was the result of radio being introduced. Some people believed radio caused natural disasters,” the historian says.

Entertainment, propaganda and popular culture

During the interwar period, Lithuania had two radio stations, with the one in Kaunas serving most of Lithuania.

As sympathy for Nazism grew, the state launched Klaipėda Radio in 1936. Its broadcasts were aimed at Klaipėda and Lithuania Minor, spread between the Konigsberg region and western Lithuania. The station was headed by the famous pilot and aircraft designer Antanas Gustaitis.

Although the radio stations were supervised and controlled by the state and propaganda was present on the airwaves, entertainment programmes also made up a significant share of the content.

“A popular feature of radio at the time was radio drama. Nineteenth-century operas were also broadcast, usually introduced with some historical context, and historical literature – more precisely historical novels and short stories – was read on air,” Krutulys says.

Surviving listener questionnaires reveal a great deal about public expectations. The range of requests was very broad, but above all, listeners demanded simpler music, because so-called “serious” music did not appeal to everyone.

“Already in 1928, people were complaining that only classical music was being played and listeners missed simpler songs,” the historian explains.

In 1929, the radio service and its supervision were transferred to the Ministry of Education. This reinforced the expectation that radio would serve as an educational platform.

Nevertheless, broadcasters had to adapt to audience tastes and find ways to attract listeners. One of the most successful and memorable radio personalities was Petras Biržys, known as Pupų Dėdė.

His political satirical songs sometimes angered the leaders of authori…