Radio Austria, Vienna

OE1M

When Pope Pius XI inaugurated "Radio Vatican" on February 12, 1931, a station built by Marconi, the signals were too weak to reach beyond the borders. 

Fortunately, the Austrian broadcasting station was experimenting with a shortwave transmitter at that time, to be used to feed live coverage of events in the provinces to broadcasting house in Vienna.  Radio Vatican used this transmitter, too - and this was the first documented shortwave relay in broadcasting history.

The photograph on the right shows the Pope in front of the microphone, to his left Marconi, and Monsignor Pacelli, who later became Pius XII.