History

Oldest Radio Stations

It is widely accepted that, from a provisional station set up by Guglielmo Marconi in 1895, the first radio transmission was made. This preceded a number of individuals, namely Alessandro Volta, André-Marie Ampère, Georg Ohm, and James Clerk Maxwell, from their groundbreaking work in the field. The multiple possible rivals are mentioned below for the title of “oldest radio stations.”

KDKA

One of the leading radio producers, Westinghouse, had an idea in 1920 to market more radios: it would provide programming. Radio originated as a one-to-one contact tool, but this was a new concept. Dr. Frank Conrad was a ham operator from the Pittsburgh area with lots of contacts. For the benefit of his friends, he often played music over the airwaves. This was just the kind of thing that Westinghouse had insight, and Conrad was asked to help set up a daily Pittsburgh transmission station. Station KDKA produced the country’s first radio broadcast on November 2, 1920.

They picked the day because it was election day because voters could hear the outcome of the Harding-Cox presidential race before they heard about it in the media, the influence of the radio was illustrated. KDKA was an immense success, motivating numerous firms to take up broadcasting. There were 600 commercial stations across the world in four years.

There were 600 commercial stations across the world in four years. Stations turned to marketers in order to keep up with the cost of upgrading infrastructure and paying for performances. The first radio ad, for a real estate developer, was aired in New York City in August 1922. Local station channels have been established to share content and have become big business.

In conclusion. In 1916, KDKA in Pittsburgh, most frequently quoted as the first radio network in the United States, had started as the amateur station 8XK, but in World War I it was pulled out of the air. It reemerged as a “commercial” voice-and-music on November 2, 1920.

WABC

WABC (770 AM)-branded as Talkradio 77 WABC on-air, is a New York, New York, authorized commercial conservative talk radio channel. The channel, operated by the Red Apple Media of John Catsimatidis, is presently the flagship station for syndicated personalities Mark Levin and John Batchelor; it is the home of Bernard McGuirk, Sid Rosenberg, Curtis Sliwa, and Juliet Huddy on the radio; Brian Kilmeade, The Ben Shapiro Show and Red Eye Radio are affiliated with New York City as well.

WABC, one of the oldest radio channels in the world, started broadcasting in early October 1921, initially in Newark, New Jersey, as WJZ. The station has been the cornerstone of the original ABC Radio Network (and its immediate ancestor, the Blue Network) and ABC’s radio news service for most of its existence.

The channel broadcast a Top 40 music program from 1960 to 1982, while WABC has produced a talk radio style since 1982. Before 1978, WABC was not only New York City’s predominant contemporary music station, it was also one of North America’s most listened to radio stations, acting as a blueprint for many other top 40 stations across the country.

WBZ news radio

In the early 1920s, if you were tuned to WBZ, you would have heard some things. WBZ, for one, was not yet in Boston. It worked in Springfield from the Westinghouse plant on Page Boulevard. You would have also noted that on the AM dial, the channel was not at 1030. Currently, it jumped about quite a bit, like other stations back then. In mid-September 1921, as WBZ went on the air.

It was 360 meters, or around 830 kilocycles when WBZ came on the air in mid-September 1921. It jumped to 400 meters (750 kc) in September 1922; WBZ could be identified at 710 in early 1923, then at 790, and WBZ was at 890. by July 1923. Also, although the WBZ nowadays has 50,000 watts and can be heard in a variety of states, the 1921 WBZ had only 100 watts and in Boston, it could hardly be heard.

The confusion created by stations hopping all over the dial was bringing an end to one of its most important works. WBZ was moved to 990 AM in November 1928, where it would remain till 1941. The FCC gradually relocated WBZ that year to the location it occupies currently, 1030. And the one other shift from back within these early years, the call letters from WBZ were replaced with WBZA in 1931.

IHeartMedia reported that they would buy WBZ (AM), WZLX, WRKO, and WKAF in modern times. WKOX will be recused to the Ocean Stations Trust in order for a potential buyer to meet ownership limits set by the FCC. The transaction was approved on November 9, 2017, and was concluded on the 17th.

WWJ

Detroit, Michigan’s sole 24-hour all-news radio show is WWJ 950 AM, “Newsradio 950.” The 950 kHz transmitting station is owned and managed by CBS Radio, a division of CBS Corporation. On August 20, 1920, WWJ first went on air with the code name 8MK. As well as the first frequently programmed religious broadcasting and play-by-play sports broadcast, it is claimed to be the first station to routinely broadcast news updates.

WWJ is dedicated to keeping listeners aware of valuable details, like “Traffic and Weather on the 8s,” which is provided 24/7 with the latest forecasts from Detroit Traffic Reporters and AccuWeather.

It broadcast much of the NBC “Red” network programming throughout the 1940s, as well as media, entertainment, and music content produced locally. Music and local news would take up a greater portion of the format after World War II, as television diminished interest for radio variety shows and the Golden Age of Radio eventually disappeared.

Over the subsequent three and a half decades, the all-new model has supported WWJ well, leading it to regularly rank among the most successful stations with adult listeners in the Detroit area, always finishing in the first position in total listening polls as its popularity continues today.

KYW

Ever since, KYW Newsradio has been the news outlet that receives the latest local, regional, and international news, weather, sports, and traffic from more than 1.5 million followers each week. KYW Newsradio has experienced an unparalleled streak for most of its years as the highest radio station in the region.

KYW operated as the nerve core of the 1940 Republican National Convention and the 1948 Republican and Democratic National Conventions in Philadelphia with NBC network broadcasts. KYW has been cited for various contributions on the home front since World War II, including War Bond Campaigns.

As a cultural power, the station has begun to expand, supporting and transmitting fine musical programs, literary analyses, dramatic shows, and educational programs. KYW Newsradio was one of the leaders of the format: the country’s second all-news radio station, six months after its Group W sister station, WINS Radio, in New York.

Within the banner of “all news,” “KYW Newsradio maintained its great legacy of public service programs and community engagement under the “all news” banner.

Currently, KYW Newsradio, a CBS Radio station, is the leading company and an important part of the culture and everyday life in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, with more listeners than any other radio program in the Philadelphia area.

KWG

In the United States, KWG is among the oldest radio stations. It was originally authorized as the second officially licensed transmitting station west of the Mississippi River to the Portable Wireless Telephone Corporation on December 7, 1921. Moreover, it traces its roots to an earlier Paul Oard-operated amateur station.
The phrase ‘Voice of the San Joaquin Valley’ was adopted by KWG. Initially, the station studios were situated on the third floor of the Record house, with the antenna mounted on the top. The Record terminated its association with KWG in 1924, and the channel moved to the Stockton Hotel.

On October 18, 1999, IHR Educational Broadcasting bought KWG from The (Susan) Carson Company Inc., allegedly for $300,000, and started carrying the encouraging programming of “Catholic Talk Radio”

In earlier times, an analysis in 2013 stated that the station had removed local programming and “no really has a corporate office or studio in Stockton” Once IHR Educational Broadcasting reconciled a merger with Starboard Media Foundation, KWG shifted to Relevant Radio programming on June 30, 2017.

KNX

In Los Angeles, California, KNX (1070 AM) is a licensed radio station. It airs a radio format with all media and is owned by Entercom. In comparison to dating its roots to the September 1920 activities of an earlier amateur station, KNX is one of the oldest stations in the United States, despite receiving its first transmitting license, as KGC, in December 1921. Connected with sister stations KAMP-FM, KCBS-FM, KROQ-FM, KRTH, and KTWV, the studio and headquarters are situated on the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles.

As one of the initial clear-channel channels assigned under the 1928 General Order 40 band program, KNX retains a Class A license. Around Southern California, the filled 50,000-watt non-directional transmission is registered.

It can be detected at night in most of the Western United States and portions of Mexico and Canada with a decent antenna. In Hawaii and across the Pacific Ocean, the channel is also welcomed by DXers. The converter is located northeast of Hawthorne Boulevard (California State Route 107) and 190th Street in Columbia Park in Torrance.

KNX received the first-ever nationwide “Breaking News” Edward R. Murrow award in 2017. Two 2017 NAB Marconi awards, Iconic Station of the Year and News/Talk Station of the Year, were also qualified for the station.

KCBS

KCBS-FM (93.1 FM) is a 93.1 MHz radio show covering Greater Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, and is operated by Entercom. KCBS-FM airs a music format known as ‘93.1 Jack FM’ with adult songs. KCBS-FM operates a moderately oriented playlist of famous classic rock and modern rock songs, unlike many other radio stations that broadcast the Jack FM format.
From the late 1960s to the late 1980s, the station launched with a mix of pop and punk, with a sprinkling of younger, often almost present, tunes. Eventually, in favor of mostly hard rock and classic replacements, the younger tracks, and pop songs were filtered out. In all the CBS Jack channels, KCBS-FM is the longest-serving.

Today, with the “Jacktivities” (activities and whatever updates found valuable by “Jack”) and Howard Cogan delivering pre-recorded quips and comments between tracks, the radio station has no air personnel except for Crystal Z. “The call sign does not contain any form of the term “Jack,” unlike many other stations in this model, choosing instead to carry over the call letters from an old system.

KQV

KQV is among the world’s oldest radio stations. On November 19, 1919, KQV joined as 8ZAE and was controlled by The Doubleday Hill Electric Co. In January 1921, 8ZAE became recognized as KQV, but until January 9, 1922, the FCC did not formally issue the call letters. KQV represented the King of the Quaker Valley.

KQV is traditionally regarded as one of the oldest North American radio stations. Due to a confusing early history, the precise date of its establishment was stated in several forms, either on 19 November 1919 (as a testing station), in the fall of 1921, or on 9 January 1922, which the Federal Communications Commission formally approved (FCC).

For two different eras, KQV is perhaps highly regarded: as a Top 40 station from 1958 to 1975, operated by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) for the entirety of the period, and as an all-news radio station from 1975 until the station ceased operations on December 31, 2017.

KUOM

KUOM (770 AM) is a day-only non-commercial academic college/alternative rock radio station authorized to serve Minneapolis, Minnesota, under the brand name Radio K. With two low-power transmitting relay stations and one full-power repeater, KUOM occupies the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area and expands its scope.

Owned by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, both faculty and students run the station. The KUOM radio station is situated on the campus of the University of Minnesota at the Rarig Center, whereas the transmitter station is in Falcon Heights. KUOM is now available online, in addition to the regular analog transmission.

On January 13, 1922, KUOM’s first transmitting station license, WLB, was issued. This was Minnesota’s first license for transmitting stations, making KUOM one of the United States’ oldest radio stations. Moreover, the university tracks its radio operations back more than 100 years, beginning in 1912 with pioneering work, preceded in 1920 by radiotelegraph broadcasts, price reports, and radiotelephone transmissions began in February 1921, making KUOM one of North America’s oldest known radio stations.