Today: Headlines from April 1, 1925

A Century in Reverse

On this day one hundred years ago, the world was crackling with new ideas—sometimes literally. While April 1st is famous for practical jokes, 1925 delivered a headline that was anything but a prank: the Kansai region of Japan heard a scheduled radio program for the very first time.

Osaka Tunes In – The Birth of JOBK Radio

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In the late afternoon of April 1, 1925, curious residents of Osaka clustered around shop-front loudspeakers and makeshift crystal sets. At 5 p.m. sharp, a clear male voice floated through the static: “Koko wa Osaka Hōsō Kyoku—JOBK desu.” With that simple station identification, the Osaka Broadcasting Station (JOBK)—the forerunner of today’s NHK Osaka—officially went on air.

What listeners heard next was an eclectic sampler aimed at proving that radio could be more than a noisy novelty:

• A weather bulletin for fishermen on Osaka Bay
• A short lecture on household budgeting (a hot topic in post-earthquake Japan)
• Live shamisen music performed in-studio, followed by a burst of Western jazz on gramophone

Across the city, cafés charged a small fee for a seat near their new “wireless corner,” while wealthier families invited neighbors to gather around tall wooden horn speakers that resembled giant morning-glories. Newspapers estimated that over 40,000 people heard at least part of the broadcast—staggering reach for a country where most homes still relied on oil lamps after dark.

Then vs. Now

• 1925: Engineers worried about how far a 500-watt transmitter could carry a signal across the Yodo River.
• 2025: We stream ultra-high-definition video from the International Space Station to smartphones in hillside villages.

Yet the emotional core remains familiar. In both eras, the magic isn’t the gadgetry—it’s the shared gasp when a new voice breaks the silence and reminds us we’re part of a wider community.

Why This Still Matters

Radio set the template for every broadcast technology that followed—television, satellite, and today’s always-on internet. JOBK’s debut proved that regional voices could command a national stage, shaping cultural identity for generations. The very frequencies that hummed over Osaka in 1925 still carry programs today, though the transmitters now stand on digital shoulders.

So the next time your smart speaker casually delivers a global playlist, spare a thought for the Kansai pioneers who strained to hear a crackly greeting on an April evening one hundred years ago.