Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)

(7.5) based on 8 votes
For 50 years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” In Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Ken Burns examines the lives of three extraordinary men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success, and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity interacted in tragic ways. This is the story of Lee de Forest, a clergyman’s flamboyant son, who invented the audion tube; Edwin Howard Armstrong, a brilliant, withdrawn inventor who pioneered FM technology; and David Sarnoff, a hard-driving Russian immigrant who created the most powerful communications company on earth.
Directors
Release Date
Oct 01, 1991
Runtime
01h 53m
Available in streaming on

For 50 years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” In Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Ken Burns examines the lives of three extraordinary men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success, and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity interacted in tragic ways. This is the story of Lee de Forest, a clergyman’s flamboyant son, who invented the audion tube; Edwin Howard Armstrong, a brilliant, withdrawn inventor who pioneered FM technology; and David Sarnoff, a hard-driving Russian immigrant who created the most powerful communications company on earth.

Movies like Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

Letters to Santa 2

In their pursuit of perfect Christmas well - known characters accompanied by some new faces happen to experience tiny miracles! The adventures they come across help them realize that the most important things in life - hope, acceptance and family - are within their reach and that real love is the best Christmas present!
Search similar movies
6.1
Letters+to+Santa+2
Letters to Santa 2

2015

Search similar movies
Hello

Call-center workers receive a phone call from God.
Search similar movies
5.7
Hello
Hello

During one of their night stays, three college teens play a silly prank where they randomly call people and tell them that they know who that person is and what they have done. What will happen when things take a dangerous turn?
Search similar movies
6.3
Hello
Glorious Days

Because of an incident when they were in high school, members of the Bebas Gang were forced to separate. 23 years later, one of them is seriously ill and hopes to meet again one last time.
Search similar movies
8.0
Glorious+Days
Glorious Days

2019

Search similar movies
Killer 2

Jurek Kiler has become a VIP - sponsoring the Polish government, playing tennis with the President, meeting world leaders. He must oversee a transfer of a substantial amount of gold. However, in his past activities, he has made enemies. Mighty ones. And thus Jurek Kiler's next adventure begins as he has to face attempts at kidnapping, assassinations and problems in his love life...
Search similar movies
7.1
Killer+2
Mantovani, the King of Strings

Known for his unmistakable cascading strings and recordings such as Charmaine, Mantovani enthralled the world with his sublime arrangements. This is the story of the man and his music.
Search similar movies
6.0
Mantovani%2C+the+King+of+Strings
Mantovani, the King of Strings

2014

Search similar movies
Flow

A turbulent day in a life, painted by air.
Search similar movies
8.7
Flow
HELLO

Through a haze of smoke, coke, and booze; possible futures, pasts, and presents coalesce chaos inside the mind of a man drifting directionless through life. When your future calls, what will you have to say?
Search similar movies
5.7
HELLO
WWE WrestleMania XXV

WrestleMania XXV was the twenty-fifth annual WrestleMania PPV. It was presented by the National Guard and took place on April 5, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The first main event was a singles match for the WWE Championship that featured the champion, Triple H, defending against Randy Orton. The second was a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, between defedning champion Edge against John Cena & Big Show. The third main event was The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels. Featured matches on the undercard included, Jeff Hardy versus Matt Hardy in an Extreme Rules match, Chris Jericho versus the team of Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka, and the annual Money in the Bank ladder match featuring Kane, MVP, Mark Henry, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, CM Punk, Christian, & Finlay. With an attendance of 72,744, it is the 6th largest attendance in WrestleMania history.
Search similar movies
7.9
WWE+WrestleMania+XXV
WWE WrestleMania XXV

2009

Search similar movies
John

A day in the life of John Lennon, alive and well in modern-day New York City. The former Beatle squabbles with a security guard, commiserates with his best friend over lunch, and upsets a bully.
Search similar movies
6.7
John
Gasping for Air

When his sister disappears after leaving their home in hopes of singing stardom, Luis tracks her down and discovers the grim reality of her whereabouts.
Search similar movies
6.7
Gasping+for+Air
Gasping for Air

2016

Search similar movies
Hanni & Nanni 3

The Lindenhof School is expecting a busload of proper young English ladies as exchange students. The shock is great when the students turn out to be teenage boys! But while Mademoiselle Bertoux is delighted to stage “Romeo and Juliet” with real boys, both Hanni and her sister Nanni fall for their “Romeo,” Clyde.
Search similar movies
6.2
Hanni+%26+Nanni+3
Hanni & Nanni 3

2013

Search similar movies
Heartless

Summer 1996, north-east coast of Brazil. Tamara is enjoying her last weeks at the fishing village she lives in before departing to Brasilia for her studies. One day, she hears about a teenager nicknamed Heartless after a scar she has on her chest. Over the course of the summer, Tamara feels a growing attraction for this mysterious girl.
Search similar movies
7.0
Heartless
F.O.T.O.G.R.A.F.

A short film based on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fictional universe, combining the “Picnic to the curb” of the Strugatsky brothers, “Stalker” by Andrei Tarkovsky and the “Exclusion Zone” location around the Chernobyl NPP. According to the scenario, an agent of the peacekeeping forces, nicknamed "The Photographer", arrives in the Zone to prevent a global scale catastrophe, which could be caused by an experiment that went out of control at a scientific lab.
Search similar movies
6.6
F.O.T.O.G.R.A.F.
F.O.T.O.G.R.A.F.

2018

Search similar movies
The Last Frontier

The story of the Podolsk cadets’ heroic stand outside Moscow in October 1941. Cadets were sent to the Ilyinsky line, fighting alongside units from the Soviet 43rd Army to hold back the German advance until reinforcements arrived. Hopelessly outnumbered, young men laid down their lives in a battle lasting almost two weeks to obstruct the far superior German forces advancing towards Moscow. Around 3,500 cadets and their commanding officers were sent to hold up the last line of defense outside Moscow. Most of them remained there for eternity.
Search similar movies
6.7
The+Last+Frontier
The Last Frontier

2020

Search similar movies
Office Invasion

Three friends come together to defend their valuable mining company from…aliens?! What could possibly go wrong?
Search similar movies
5.4
Office+Invasion
Office Invasion

2022

Search similar movies
Stutz

In candid conversations with actor Jonah Hill, leading psychiatrist Phil Stutz explores his early life experiences and unique, visual model of therapy.
Search similar movies
7.5
Stutz
Heart of the Hunter

A retired assassin is pulled back into action when his friend uncovers a dangerous conspiracy at the heart of the South African government.
Search similar movies
5.8
Heart+of+the+Hunter
Heart of the Hunter

2024

Search similar movies
Life of a Mutt

Through seven scenes, the film follows the life and destinies of stray dogs from the margins of our society, leading us to reconsider our attitude towards them. Through the seven “wandering” characters that we follow at different ages, from birth to old age, we witness their dignified struggle for survival. At the cemetery, in an abandoned factory, in an asylum, in a landfill, in places full of sorrow, our heroes search for love and togetherness. By combining documentary material, animation and acting interpretation of the thoughts of our heroes, we get to know lives between disappointment and hope, quite similar to ours.
Search similar movies
10.0
Life+of+a+Mutt
Life of a Mutt

2021

Search similar movies
The Invisible Mouse

Tom chases Jerry into a bottle of invisible ink, and the now-invisible Jerry proceeds to have fun torturing Tom.
Search similar movies
7.1
The+Invisible+Mouse
The Invisible Mouse

1947

Search similar movies
Jakob the Liar

In 1944 Poland, a Jewish shop keeper named Jakob is summoned to ghetto headquarters after being caught out after curfew. While waiting for the German Kommondant, Jakob overhears a German radio broadcast about Russian troop movements. Returned to the ghetto, the shopkeeper shares his information with a friend and then rumors fly that there is a secret radio within the ghetto.
Search similar movies
6.7
Jakob+the+Liar
Jakob the Liar

1999

Search similar movies
Kick Out the Jams: The Story of XFM

Titled after the first-ever song to play on their airwaves, Kick Out the Jams follows the development of XFM from its rebellious pirate radio roots in the early 90’s, through to its official FM radio launch in 1997 as a major platform for launching alternative talent into the mainstream. The doc deep-dives into the struggles and influence of the station which gave rise to the likes of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, whose global hits The Office and The Ricky Gervais Show were originally developed while working at the radio station.
Search similar movies
6.7
Kick+Out+the+Jams%3A+The+Story+of+XFM
Kick Out the Jams: The Story of XFM

2022

Search similar movies
Glorious 39

A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two. Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings creates a rift in the family.
Search similar movies
6.1
Glorious+39
Glorious 39

2009

Search similar movies
The Gap

A dramatization to promote the Territorial Army.
Search similar movies
The+Gap
Restrepo

Directors Hetherington and Junger spend a year with the 2nd Battalion of the United States Army located in one of Afghanistan's most dangerous valleys. The documentary provides insight and empathy on how to win the battle through hard work, deadly gunfights and mutual friendships while the unit must push back the Taliban.
Search similar movies
7.3
Restrepo
The King's Speech

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
Search similar movies
7.7
The+King%27s+Speech
The King's Speech

2010

Search similar movies
Sex and Broadcasting

SEX AND BROADCASTING is a feature length documentary about New Jersey's WFMU, the world's strangest and most unique radio station, and one man's attempt to keep it alive in the face of recession, the persistent threat of commercial media, and the challenges that come with keeping a rebellious group of outsiders together.
Search similar movies
6.4
Sex+and+Broadcasting
Sex and Broadcasting

2014

Search similar movies
Behind Your Radio Dial

Familiar radio voice Ben Grauer leads the viewer on a behind the scenes tour of the National Broadcasting Company studios -- both radio and television -- in Rockefeller Center and Hollywood. The original 25-minute film previewed by network execs and affiliates in the fall of 1948 was cut down to 20 minutes before its first broadcast, reportedly to excise high-profile stars and programs such as Amos 'n' Andy, Jack Benny, and Edgar Bergen that had since left NBC for other networks.
Search similar movies
Behind+Your+Radio+Dial
Behind Your Radio Dial

1949

Search similar movies
Service public

Salhia Brakhlia has filmed the set and behind the scenes of Franceinfo's breakfast show during a year. How to inform at the time of social media and fake news ? How careful are journalist with those news ? How do they connect to politicians during an presidential election campaign ? This unique immersion gives us a part of the answer.
Search similar movies
7.4
Service+public
Service public

2022

Search similar movies
The Last Pirates: Britain's Rebel DJs

Rapper Rodney P. presents the story of Britain's second wave of pirate radio DJs. In the 1980s a new generation of pirate radio stations appeared broadcasting from London tower blocks.
Search similar movies
10.0
The+Last+Pirates%3A+Britain%27s+Rebel+DJs
The Last Pirates: Britain's Rebel DJs

2017

Search similar movies
Annie Nightingale: Bird on the Wireless

Radio 1's longest-serving broadcaster Annie Nightingale takes us on a counter-cultural journey through the events, people and sounds that have inspired her illustrious career.
Search similar movies
Annie+Nightingale%3A+Bird+on+the+Wireless
Annie Nightingale: Bird on the Wireless

2011

Search similar movies
Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8

Examination of the international social, political and musical impact of radio station CKLW during the 1960s and 70s. CKLW was the sonic mirror of Windsor's sister city, separated by a half mile of dirty Detroit River water – reflecting excitement, soul, creativity – and bloody murder.
Search similar movies
8.0
Radio+Revolution%3A+The+Rise+and+Fall+of+the+Big+8
Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8

2004

Search similar movies
Airplay: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio

The 50 year struggle between rock pioneers and powerful business/government interests for the soul of music radio, told by America's favorite deejays and the artists they made rock stars.
Search similar movies
Airplay%3A+The+Rise+and+Fall+of+Rock+Radio
Airplay: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio

2008

Search similar movies
Winchell

The true story of the influential and controversial columnist, Walter Winchell.
Search similar movies
6.1
Winchell
A People’s Radio – Ballads from a Wooded Country

A People’s Radio – Ballads from a Wooded Country is a carnivalesque portrayal of the Finnish landscape of the soul and abode. The short film is based on the iconic YLE programme “People’s Radio”, and its visual material has been created by the road movie method of driving across summery Finland. The film paints a panorama of what Finland looks like today. Its narration progresses through humour into civic anarchy, ultimately also towards the longing for human connection.
Search similar movies
7.2
A+People%E2%80%99s+Radio+%E2%80%93+Ballads+from+a+Wooded+Country
A People’s Radio – Ballads from a Wooded Country

2021

Search similar movies
J.P. McCarthy: The Voice of Detroit

J.P. McCarthy was an icon of Detroit broadcasting who ruled the radio waves in the Motor City for thirty years. His story is the ultimate local-kid-done-good tale. Working extensively with the McCarthy family and conducting over twenty interviews with J.P.’s friends, family, co-workers and contemporaries, Detroit Public Television memorializes someone who was considered more of a family member than a voice on the radio to anyone who tuned in to hear his morning show or the Focus program over the years.
Search similar movies
J.P.+McCarthy%3A+The+Voice+of+Detroit
J.P. McCarthy: The Voice of Detroit

2016

Search similar movies
Frequency

When a rare phenomenon gives police officer John Sullivan the chance to speak to his father, 30 years in the past, he takes the opportunity to prevent his dad's tragic death. After his actions inadvertently give rise to a series of brutal murders he and his father must find a way to fix the consequences of altering time.
Search similar movies
7.3
Frequency
Piratensender Powerplay

Tommy and Mike operate a famous pirate radio station, Germany's most listened-to radio station. The police and the operators of the Bavarian Broadcast Company try to stop their illegal broadcast.
Search similar movies
5.2
Piratensender+Powerplay
Piratensender Powerplay

1982

Search similar movies
Senorita from the West

Determined to become a radio singer, a young girl runs away from her family. She hooks up with a man who is actually the real voice of a famous radio crooner, who actually can't sing at all.
Search similar movies
5.0
Senorita+from+the+West
Senorita from the West

1945

Search similar movies
Dear Sheila

Sheila's finally getting back into the dating pool, but on one condition.
Search similar movies
Dear+Sheila
Dear Sheila

2024

Search similar movies
The Ladies Man

Because of his salacious language, late-night radio advice-show host Leon Phelps, along with his sweet and loyal producer Julie, is fired from his Chicago gig. Leon gets a letter from a former lover promising a life of wealth, but he doesn't know who she is. Can Leon find his secret sugar-mama? What about Julie?
Search similar movies
5.4
The+Ladies+Man
The Ladies Man

2000

Search similar movies
Timecrimes

A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.
Search similar movies
7.0
Timecrimes
Timecrimes

2007

Search similar movies
Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!

The gang's vacation to Paris takes a wrong turn when Scooby and Shaggy miss their flight and end up on a skydiving expedition in the Himalayas. To make matters worse, upon arrival they must outrun the Abominable Snowmonster.
Search similar movies
7.5
Chill+Out%2C+Scooby-Doo%21
Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!

2007

Search similar movies
Can't Hardly Wait

It's graduation day at Huntington Hills High, and you know what that means - time to party. And not just any party, either. This one will be a night to remember, as the nerds become studs, the jocks are humiliated, and freshman crushes blossom into grown-up romance.
Search similar movies
6.2
Can%27t+Hardly+Wait
Can't Hardly Wait

1998

Search similar movies
Glimpses of the Outskirts

In an alternate reality where the decline of nations has given rise to corporatist regimes, any trace of culture or tradition is suppressed by these new leaders to prevent the masses from reclaiming a national identity. However, rebel cells have emerged to counteract this agenda.
Search similar movies
10.0
Glimpses+of+the+Outskirts
Glimpses of the Outskirts

2025

Search similar movies
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

Ever since killing the Fisherman one year ago, Julie James is still haunted by images of him after her. When her best friend Karla wins free tickets to the Bahamas, Julie finds this a perfect opportunity to finally relax. But someone is waiting for her. Someone who she thought was dead. Someone who is out again for revenge.
Search similar movies
5.4
I+Still+Know+What+You+Did+Last+Summer
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

1998

Search similar movies
Radio Silence

A woman believes she is the lone survivor of the apocalypse until she discovers a walkie-talkie with a voice she can not respond to.
Search similar movies
Radio+Silence
Radio Silence

2024

Search similar movies
Good Morning, Vietnam

A disk jockey goes to Vietnam to work for the Armed Forces Radio Service. While he becomes popular among the troops, his superiors disapprove of his humor.
Search similar movies
7.3
Good+Morning%2C+Vietnam
Good Morning, Vietnam

1987

Search similar movies
American Graffiti

A couple of high school graduates spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.
Search similar movies
7.0
American+Graffiti
American Graffiti

1973

Search similar movies
Sleepless in Seattle

After the death of his mother, a young boy calls a radio station in an attempt to set his father up on a date. Talking about his father’s loneliness soon leads to a meeting with a young female journalist, who has flown to Seattle to write a story about the boy and his father.
Search similar movies
6.7
Sleepless+in+Seattle
Sleepless in Seattle

1993

Search similar movies
I Am Omega

In post apocalyptic LA, being rampaged by zombie like cannibals humans that have some kind of genetic infection, local man Renchard is forced to live a daily struggle as he tries to locate radio signals and find a cure.
Search similar movies
3.6
I+Am+Omega
I Am Omega

2007

Search similar movies
Radio Days

The Narrator tells us how the radio influenced his childhood in the days before TV. In the New York City of the late 1930s to the New Year's Eve 1944, this coming-of-age tale mixes the narrator's experiences with contemporary anecdotes and urban legends of the radio stars.
Search similar movies
7.1
Radio+Days
Radio Days

1987

Search similar movies
The Unsuspected

The secretary of an affably suave radio mystery host mysteriously commits suicide after his wealthy young niece disappears.
Search similar movies
6.7
The+Unsuspected
The Unsuspected

1947

Search similar movies
Black Moon

There is a war in the world between the men and the women. A young girl tries to escape this reality and comes to a hidden place where a strange unicorn lives with a family: sister, brother, many children and an old woman that never leaves her bed but stays in contact with the world through her radio.
Search similar movies
6.0
Black+Moon
Black Moon

1975

Search similar movies
The Lone Wolf

One night on Viva FM's late night show, host Vitor Lobo gets a phone call from an old friend.
Search similar movies
8.1
The+Lone+Wolf
The Lone Wolf

2021

Search similar movies
People Are Funny

A comedy based on NBC's "People Are Funny" radio (and later television) program with Art Linkletter with a fictional story of how the program came to be on a national network from its humble beginning at a Nevada radio station. Jack Haley is a producer with only half-rights to the program while Ozzie Nelson and Helen Walker are the radio writers and supply the romance. Rudy Vallee, always able to burlesque himself intentional and, quite often, unintentional, is the owner of the sought-after sponsoring company. Frances Langford, as herself, sings "I'm in the Mood for Love" while the Vagabonds quartet (billed 12th and last) chimes in on "Angeline" and "The Old Square Dance is Back Again."
Search similar movies
5.2
People+Are+Funny
People Are Funny

1946

Search similar movies
Holiday Rush

After his sudden firing, a popular radio DJ moves in with his aunt, bringing along his four spoiled children, and a plan to return to the airwaves.
Search similar movies
5.6
Holiday+Rush
Holiday Rush

2019

Search similar movies
Haunted Honeymoon

Radio personalities Larry Abbot and Vickie Pearle are stars of a mystery show. Since they announced their engagement, Larry has been plagued by speech problems and, seeking out an unconventional cure, he returns to his boyhood home, a mansion in the countryside, bringing Vickie along. Larry reunites with numerous family members, but discovers that there are sinister things afoot within the walls of the creepy estate.
Search similar movies
5.4
Haunted+Honeymoon
Haunted Honeymoon

1986

Search similar movies
Radioland Murders

A series of mysterious crimes threatens the existence of a new radio network.
Search similar movies
5.9
Radioland+Murders
Radioland Murders

1994

Search similar movies
Days of Being Wild

Yuddy, a Hong Kong playboy known for breaking girls' hearts, tries to find solace and the truth after discovering the woman who raised him isn't his mother.
Search similar movies
7.3
Days+of+Being+Wild
Days of Being Wild

1990

Search similar movies
Danger on the Air

Trouble begins when a hated cad of a sponsor is found murdered during the climax of a live radio show. A radio engineer then tries to solve the murder.
Search similar movies
5.9
Danger+on+the+Air
Danger on the Air

1938

Search similar movies
Deuce and a Quarter

On a road trip through the American South, two close friends experience a major radio malfunction, followed by curious encounters at an Alabama auto repair shop.
Search similar movies
Deuce+and+a+Quarter
Deuce and a Quarter

2012

Search similar movies
Love Station

Single coworkers at a radio station are brought together by mutual friends, but their starry-eyed notions about love may scuttle their romance.
Search similar movies
5.0
Love+Station
Love Station

2011

Search similar movies
Pump Up the Volume

Mark Hunter, a lonely high school student, uses his shortwave radio to moonlight as the popular pirate DJ "Hard Harry." When his show gets blamed for a teen committing suicide, the students clash with high school faculty and the authorities.
Search similar movies
7.1
Pump+Up+the+Volume
Pump Up the Volume

1990

Search similar movies