When radio became all the rage in the middle 1920s, it was seen as a threat to the phonograph business. Companies like Victor were very nervous when the radio came in, as it seemed that they couldn’t keep up with the constant variety of shows being broadcast. Executives like Eddie King felt threatened by the new industry, but others embraced the new technology. Some did this so much that they left recording to solely work on the radio. Okeh took an unusual step and fully embraced the radio in addition to their record sales, all the way back at the beginning in 1922.
There of course had been some more experimental radio broadcasts prior to 1921, but more of the wider public was finally treated to the radio revolution in 1922. At the time record companies like Edison, Victor, and Columbia were quite fearful of the idea that every household in the United states could be treated to new music and programs every night, rather than buy records. While yes, this was a legitimate fear, as by 1923 and 1924, record sales in general did drop significantly partially due to radio, it did not make record companies irrelevant.
We often think of Okeh today as a very historic and progressive record label for its day, and yes it certainly was, it however did not start that way. When Okeh was founded in 1918,
