RadioVision: The Genesis and Promotion
Donald G. Godfrey · University of Illinois Press eBooks · 2017
This chapter focuses on the history of RadioVision, conceived by C. Francis Jenkins as an instrument of industry and government communication through the wireless transmission of photographs and text messages. While others have been developing radiotransmitted speech, addressed to the ear, Jenkins centered his efforts on the development of radio-transmitted pictures, an address to the eye. RadioVision evolved into a system for transmitting still pictures, maps, messages, and eventually into an early form of televised motion entertainment. By the 1920s, wireless had become “one of the most interesting subjects before the scientific community,” and Jenkins RadioVision would be in the forefront. This chapter discusses Jenkins' pioneering ideas and patents in the field of telecommunication, including designs for prismatic rings and the use of radio for “mailing” messages.