PR: The first radio commercial

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Following is the daily “Profile America” feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28: FIRST RADIO COMMERCIAL

Profile America — Friday, August 28th. “This program is brought to you by” those words, or ones close to them, were heard for the first time on this date 87 years ago, as the first commercial was broadcast on the new medium of radio. Station WEAF in New York City carried that first ad — not for soap or automobiles — but for a group of apartment buildings in Queens. The cost was $100 for 10 minutes of programming. At the time, there were just 30 stations in the whole country, and only 60,000 households had receivers. Now, there are 4,800 AM radio stations and 6,300 broadcasting in FM, and more than $19 billion is spent on radio advertising each year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2009, p. 422

Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 796

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 946

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button).