University Press of Florida From Parsifal to Peron: Early Radio in Argentina, 1920-1944

This history of Argentina's pioneering efforts in broadcasting shows how the country set the pace for almost all radio innovations in the region. The country's influence in radio was so great that by 1940 Argentina had the second largest commercial radio network in the world. From the broadcast of Richard Wagner's opera ""Parsifal"" in 1920, to 1944, when Juan Peron's popularity was on the rise, radio in Argentina created a sense of national pride: radio theater produced a common past, sportscasting built new allegiances, and broadcasts popularized Argentine music. And while it did present listeners with the possibility of social change, the highly successful medium also helped fortify power within the central government. From ""Parsifal to Peron"" is a case study of the ways in which a society can receive new technology. Skilled amateur operators and risk-taking entrepreneurs created the early industry, improving receiver and transmitter technology and financing radio component sales and early stations. In the 1930s nearly as many stations existed in interior cities as did in Buenos Aires, and these operations - often associated with provincial governments and noncommercial experiments - were less likely to fail than those in the capital. Review Adds substantially to our understanding of early broadcasting in Latin America, revealing radio's pervasive presence and pivotal importance in the growth of modern Argentina. - Bryan McCann, Georgetown University About the Author Robert H. Claxton, professor emeritus of history at the State University of West Georgia, is the author of several books, including Dependency Unbends: Case Studies in InterAmerican Relations.