The Radio Spectrum Archive: A New Approach to Radio History and Preservation

Abstract While traditional radio recordings are limited to individual broadcasts transmitted over a single channel, spectrum recordings capture all signals received by an antenna simultaneously, using software that allows users to navigate and play back captured channels. The Radio Spectrum Archive (RSA) has acquired and preserved recordings from the 1980s to present, which are now publicly available through an arrangement with the Internet Archive. Using the RSA as its case study, this paper provides a brief history of spectrum recording, delineates key differences between spectrum recordings and traditional radio recordings, and identifies technical, administrative, and procedural challenges impacting future preservation and access.