A new medium goes public: The financialization of Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company

Abstract

This article investigates the impact that the initial financialization of the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company (Marconi) had upon its core business model, its relationship with its workers, government, and the bourgeoning investor class (1897–1905). Drawing upon primary sources from the Marconi corporate archives at the University of Oxford, the article investigates how the company used the new financial disclosure requirements of the day to deploy a compelling publicity campaign for wireless communications.