Sarnoff, David (1891–1971)

Humble Beginnings

Born in 1891 in Uzilan, Russia (now Belarus), Sarnoff originally studied to be a rabbi under the tutelage of his granduncle. In 1900, he arrived in New York City with his mother and two brothers, and soon began his first job: selling penny newspapers before and after school.

In 1906, with an eighth-grade education, Sarnoff began working for Commercial Cable Telegraph Company and quickly switched to work as an office boy for Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America. He spent the next six years working through a series of promotions, eventually ending up as Marconi's youngest-ever manager when he was appointed station manager in Sea Gate, New York, at age nineteen. It was during this time that Sarnoff made his first major contribution to mass information. On the evening of 14 April 1912, Sarnoff began reporting on the Titanic disaster after receiving faint reports over his wireless telegraph. He would later claim to be the only wireless operator to remain on the air after President William Howard Taft ordered all operators to be silent. This was Sarnoff's first taste of what it meant to bring media to the masses.

A Visionary in the Making

By 1915, Sarnoff created a proposal for what he called a “radio music box.” He submitted his idea to Marconi, convinced that someday each American [Page 1383]household would own a radio. The idea was laughed off, but Sarnoff did not lose sight of the concept and waited for another opportunity to present it.

According to Kouzes and Posner, “The pioneers in any endeavor have no maps to study, no guidebooks to read, no pictures to view. They can only imagine the possibilities” (Kouzes and Posner 2002, 96). This was certainly the case with Sarnoff.

In 1919, Sarnoff was presented with an opportunity to make his vision a reality when Marconi was absorbed by RCA (part of General Electric) after World War I. Sarnoff maintained his post as commercial manager and began brainstorming types of programming to be played on his radio music box. By 1921, he arranged for the broadcast of the Jack Dempsey–Georges Carpenter prizefight, which was instrumental in more than $83 million in radio sales. The information age was under way.

Creative Leadership

Sarnoff did not stop after bringing the radio to the masses; his vision and creativity continued. With Owen D. Young, RCA chairman, as his mentor, Sarnoff soon became general manager of RCA and, in 1926, formed the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). Sarnoff saw the potential for creating national broadcasts and NBC became the first communication network.

...