Twenty years ago, in a dangerous neighborhood in the slums of Denver, a monthly newspaper called Radio Communications Report was first published. Its mission: to cover the emerging land mobile communications industry.
From those humble beginnings (and trust me, there isn’t much more humble than an office at 2500 Curtis St. in Denver), this newspaper has been documenting the dynamic world of wireless communications.
Everything in this industry has evolved since 1982, and yet so many constants remain.
Comparative hearings gave way to cellular lotteries, which gave way to PCS auctions. One specialized mobile radio operator changed an entire industry. Paging carriers have consolidated to the extreme and digital is everything. Lucent did not exist in 1982 and Nokia wasn’t synonymous with handhelds. Oh, and there weren’t “handhelds.” Instead, there were mobiles, transportables and portables.
On the other hand, Jai Bhagat was featured in an Aug. 15, 1982, Page 1 story about four companies forming a consortium to provide a nationwide paging network. Bhagat, RCR’s Person of the Year in 1995, is still working to connect people wirelessly, today with a wireless broadband company.
Another story from the first year of RCR questions the future of the paging association, Telocator. And in a small Sept. 15, 1982, article, the newspaper reported that the Federal Communications Commission issued a bulletin discussing biological effects and potential hazards of RF radiation.
Owners, publishers, editors, sales reps and reporters have come and gone. (Except in the case of two invaluable assets to the newspaper-Washington Bureau Chief Jeffrey Silva, who came on board in November 1982, and Cartoonist Chris Boyer, who was on hand for the inaugural year of RCR and still draws today.)
Through all the changes, the mission has remained true: Be an objective voice covering an industry growing at the speed of light.
In a monthly series that debuts this week, RCR Wireless News will highlight the pivotal events in wireless; the news that caused industry to turn right, instead of left. Then in October, we’ll celebrate our 20th birthday with a special edition.
You, the reader, have been part of this journey and we want to hear from you. Which story or event made a difference in your life? E-mail your memories to Kristen Beckman at kbeckman@crain.com.
Many of you have been here from the beginning. This is your newspaper. Some of us are just lucky enough to bring it to you.
