> “It is inconceivable,” said Herbert Hoover, secretary of commerce, at the first national radio conference in 1922, “that we should allow so great a possibilit

> “It is inconceivable,” said Herbert Hoover, secretary of commerce, at the first national radio conference in 1922, “that we should allow so great a possibility for service, for news, for entertainment, for education, and for vital commercial purposes to be drowned in advertising chatter.” Hoover’s remarks reflected the accepted wisdom of the times: that advertising on radio was unacceptable … According to a report of the first conference, all agreed that “direct advertising in radio broadcasting service [should] be absolutely prohibited.” Tim Wu, The Master Switch (2011), chapter 5