On 24 Dec 1906 a Christmas Carol was heard on ships over Morse Code Receivers from Fesidon's
AM transmission. Marconi (inventor of Morse Code) bought the license from Fesidon. AM radio became popular in the 1920s.
(You can download video clips on the Industrial Revolution) from the Discovery Education website about the fictional novel, Jungle, which addressed the poor working conditions of meat packing plants in Chicago during the Industrial Revolution.
The result brought about meat inspections but not better conditions for employees. That happened from the inside through labor unions.