Radio broadcasts have been a popular entertainment since the 1910s though popularity has declined some since television became widespread.

In the early radio age, content typically included a balance of comedy, drama, news, music, news and sports reporting. US radio programmes included the most famous Hollywood talent of the day.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, television eroded the popularity of most of these type of radio shows, and by the late 1950s radio broadcasting took on much the form it has today - strongly focused on music, news and sports, though drama can still be heard, especially on the BBC.

In Britain during the 1950s, radio broadcasting was dominated entirely by the BBC. Rock and pop music fans, dissatisfied with the BBC's output, often listened to Radio Luxembourg. During the post-1964 period, western Europe offshore radio (such as Radio Caroline broadcasting from ships at anchor or abandoned forts) helped to supply the demand for the pop and rock music. The BBC launched their own pop music station, BBC Radio 1 in 1967.

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in what is now called old-time radio or the "Golden Age of Radio," with surviving shows being traded and collected in reel-to-reel, cassette, CD and MP3 format.

See also

• Radio format
• Music radio
• Talk radio
• Freeform radio
• Radio Comedy
• Radio drama
• List of radio programs
• Internet radio
• List of radio networks
• List of radio stations
• List of Internet stations
• Digital audio broadcasting
• National Public Radio
• Old-time radio
• Public Radio International