FM station list, circa 1950

[jovialjay]

I'm thinking that I've posted this previously, but it is the time of the year for reruns!

This is a 1950 list. Some of the stations listed may not have been operating with the power listed, and/or may not have been operating at all (i.e., an unbuilt CP or licensed but silent).

It's interesting to note that, of the 15 stations still operating, only 6 are operating on the same frequency.


FREQ CALLS LOCATION POWER

99.5 WGAU Athens 4,400
90.1 WABE Atlanta 400
94.1 WGST Atlanta 345,000
95.5 WBGE Atlanta 14,000
97.5 WATL Atlanta 44,000
98.5 WCON Atlanta 54,000
103.3 WAGA Atlanta 50,000
104.5 WSB Atlanta 48,500
96.1 WGAA Cedartown 5,500
93.3 WRBL Columbus 46,200
95.1 WGBA Columbus 9,000
107.9 WDAK Columbus 10,000
95.7 WDMG Douglas 4,900
103.9 WDUN Gainesville 300
104.1 WLAG LaGrange 5,100
96.9 WNEX Macon 41,000
99.1 WMAZ Macon 32,000
100.7 WBML Macon 15,000
92.3 WCOH Newnan 4,200
106.5 WRGA Rome 1,400
96.5 WDAR Savannah 13,200
97.3 WTOC Savannah 43,000
100.3 WSAV Savannah 15,500
106.1 WLET Toccoa 10,000
92.5 WGOV Valdosta 7,000

 

[Hunter]

94.1 WGST Atlanta 345,000

What a whopping power bill they must have had back then considering FMs rarly, if ever made any money in those early years. My guess is that this station went off the air at some point and later the initial incarnation of what is now WSTR came on licensed to Smyrna.

 

[kyscott]

94.1 WGST Atlanta 345,000

What a whopping power bill they must have had back then considering FMs rarly, if ever made any money in those early years. My guess is that this station went off the air at some point and later the initial incarnation of what is now WSTR came on licensed to Smyrna.

Are we sure this isn't a typo? 34,500 sounds alot more reasonable than a quarter of a megawatt.

 

[BSteve]

I don't think it's a typo. Didn't they have the transmitter out of Atlanta up in NE Georgia on a mountain somewhere and were working with a station in Greenville, SC trying to have a "network" covering a big chunk of the SE? Was it the Dixie network? I remember something like that from the early 50s.

 

[w9wi]

I don't think it's a typo. Didn't they have the transmitter out of Atlanta up in NE Georgia on a mountain somewhere and were working with a station in Greenville, SC trying to have a "network" covering a big chunk of the SE? Was it the Dixie network? I remember something like that from the early 50s.

I would agree: the 345kw figure is very likely to be correct. There were some REALLY BIG facilities authorized back then, and a few of them even got on the air. Most didn't stick around for long though.

I wonder how many of the 15 that are still operating have operated continuously since 1950? (will have to look it up later) It was not unusual for an FM station to give up their license in the 1950s only to change their minds & take out a new license in the mid-1960s - usually on a different frequency.

 

[w9wi]

I'm thinking that I've posted this previously, but it is the time of the year for reruns!

This is a 1950 list. Some of the stations listed may not have been operating with the power listed, and/or may not have been operating at all (i.e., an unbuilt CP or licensed but silent).

It's interesting to note that, of the 15 stations still operating, only 6 are operating on the same frequency.

I've got a 1966 Yearbook and will intersperse a few comments:

FREQ CALLS LOCATION POWER

99.5 WGAU Athens 4,400 95.5, 5.2kw/260'. Off between 1950 and 1958?
90.1 WABE Atlanta 400 4.6kw/320'
94.1 WGST Atlanta 345,000 Deleted between 1950 and 1964. WKXI Smyrna is listed on 94.1 in 1966, 100kw/200', on the air since Jan. 1st 1964.
95.5 WBGE Atlanta 14,000 Deleted after 1950; 95.5 is WGAU-FM in 1966.
97.5 WATL Atlanta 44,000 Deleted; no station on this frequency or with these calls in 1966.
98.5 WCON Atlanta 54,000 This is WSB's frequency in 1966; 100kw/740'. On the air since 1948, so either WCON sold their FM to WSB or WSB-FM moved from 104.5 to 98.5.
103.3 WAGA Atlanta 50,000 WPLO-FM, 36kw/960', on the air since July 1 1959 so deleted as WAGA between 1950 and 1959?
104.5 WSB Atlanta 48,500 As mentioned above, WSB-FM was on 98.5 in 1966. No station is listed on 104.5. Either deleted (and WSB bought WCON-FM) or changed frequency.
96.1 WGAA Cedartown 5,500 Deleted since 1950; only WGAA-AM 1340 is listed.
93.3 WRBL Columbus 46,200 Listed on 102.9 with 100kw/1520'. On the air since Nov. 16, 1946.
95.1 WGBA Columbus 9,000 Listed as a construction permit on 107.3. Deleted between 1950 and 1966.
107.9 WDAK Columbus 10,000 Deleted after 1950; only WDAK-AM 540 is listed.
95.7 WDMG Douglas 4,900 Deleted after 1950; only WDMG-AM 860 is listed.
103.9 WDUN Gainesville 300 Listed on 106.7, 14kw/580'. On air since April 2, 1949 (same date as WDUN-AM 1240) so apparently changed frequency. Yes, WDUN-AM was on 1240 in 1966 - and WGGA was on 550. WLBA hadn't found 1130 yet either, they were on 1580.
104.1 WLAG LaGrange 5,100 Still listed here but reduced power to 2.3kw! On air since Sept. 1, 1947.
96.9 WNEX Macon 41,000 Deleted after 1950; only WNEX-AM 1400 is listed.
99.1 WMAZ Macon 32,000 May have been deleted between 1950 and 1957; listed as on the air since Feb. 10th, 1957 with 3kw/170' and a permit to increase to 26kw/660'.
100.7 WBML Macon 15,000 Deleted after 1950; only WBML-AM 1240 is listed.
92.3 WCOH Newnan 4,200 Listed on 96.5 with only 330 watts. No signon date listed so I don't know if there was a hiatus in operation.
106.5 WRGA Rome 1,400 Deleted after 1950; WRGA-FM is listed as a permit only, for 102.3 with 3kw/40'.
96.5 WDAR Savannah 13,200 Deleted after 1950; no listing for either WDAR-FM or 96.5.
97.3 WTOC Savannah 43,000 Moved to 94.1.
100.3 WSAV Savannah 15,500 Deleted after 1950; only WSAV-AM 630 (and WSAV-TV) are listed.
106.1 WLET Toccoa 10,000 Still there in 1966 though with only 730 watts.
92.5 WGOV Valdosta 7,000 Deleted after 1950; listed as permit only, for 92.9.

I only count three stations (WABE, WLAG, WLET) still on their original frequencies & without any hiatus in operation.

Three (WRBL, WDUN, and WTOC) have been in continuous operation since before 1950 but on changed frequencies. WCOH and WSB may also belong in this category.

Five (WGAU, WGBA, WMAZ, WRGA, and WGOV) seem to have had a hiatus in operation sometime between 1950 and 1966.

 

[RickRose]

98.5 WCON Atlanta 54,000 This is WSB's frequency in 1966; 100kw/740'. On the air since 1948, so either WCON sold their FM to WSB or WSB-FM moved from 104.5 to 98.5.
103.3 WAGA Atlanta 50,000 WPLO-FM, 36kw/960', on the air since July 1 1959 so deleted as WAGA between 1950 and 1959?
104.5 WSB Atlanta 48,500 As mentioned above, WSB-FM was on 98.5 in 1966. No station is listed on 104.5. Either deleted (and WSB bought WCON-FM) or changed frequency.



When the Cox owned Atlanta Journal bought the Atlanta Constitution in 1950 they also got a hold of the permits for WCON Channel 2 and WCON 98.5fm. I know Cox decided to move WSB TV to channel 2 and give up the channel 8 license and I would assume Cox gave up the 104.5 fm signal to put WSB FM on 98.5.

 

[BSteve]

You are correct on the WSB switch. They also gave up the AM station on 550KC, WCON.

In Macon 940 (the old WMAZ AM) and 99.1(the old WMAZ FM) are still owned by the same company,(not the original company) but the owners as well as the call letters have changed several times since they were operated as WMAZ AM & FM. Thanks to consolidation.

The license for WBML -FM and WNEX-FM were relinquished in the early 50s when it seemed FM was not going to be a money maker. TV was "all the rage". So the owners decided to pool their efforts and apply for a TV station in Macon. They were awarded channel 47, WETV, and put the first station on in Macon in August 1953. It was also supposedly the first UHF station in Georgia on the air. Unfortunately, only about 60% of the TV sets in use could pick up UHF. When Channel 13, WMAZ signed on a few weeks later things "went south" for "pictures from heaven on Channel 47". Advertisers chose the VHS station because more viewers were likely to be watching. With revenues falling and debt piling up the station was sold to new owners and calls were changed to WOKA-TV but they gave up in less than a month and suspended operations. Channel 47 never returned.

I know this is a radio board, but that is a little insight into why two FM stations gave up their liscense.

 

[ssnake]

93.3 WRBL Columbus 46,200

Another station not shown in this listing had an impact here - 102.9 WRLD-FM in Valley, Alabama. Maybe WRBL-FM jumped to 102.9 to facilitate the upgrade to 100kW on the then-world's tallest tower in Cusseta, Ga.?

 

[upstate29651]

WRLD is not a Georgia station, as per the whole point of this thread.

G

 

[Art Sutton]

93.3 WRBL Columbus 46,200

Another station not shown in this listing had an impact here - 102.9 WRLD-FM in Valley, Alabama. Maybe WRBL-FM jumped to 102.9 to facilitate the upgrade to 100kW on the then-world's tallest tower in Cusseta, Ga.?

I've been reading a bunch of old Broadcasting Magazines from the 1950s. TV was the rage. The networks were putting the strong arm on their radio affiliates to start a TV station much like they did with FM in the 1940s. At a point in the 1950s, the FCC decided that an AM station could not buy a FM station in the same market and if an AM/FM combo in the same market wanted to sell, they had to find separate buyers for each station. That probably lead to a bunch of FM licenses being surrendered.

The FCC did not limit FM power in the 1950s and that's why we still have a handful of super power FMs around the nation. The closest to Georgia, I think, is WMC-FM in Memphis. If these stations file to change their tower height, locations, etc. , they have to go to the max allowed on their channel now.

Finally...it seems from my reading that everyone had the world's tallest tower at one point. Believe it or not, but WSB-TV advertised its existing tower as the world's tallest tower. It's 1000 feet but when the very early 1950s, 1000 feet was a big deal. A few years later, WIS-TV in Columbia advertised their 1500 ft tower was the tallest then WRBL-TV at 1700 some feet. Finally a station in North Dakota put up a 2000 ft and that shut up all the bragging. Now even 2000 ft towers aren't that unusual.

 

[jovialjay]

WRLD is not a Georgia station, as per the whole point of this thread.

Two different stations.

In the beginning, God created th..uh..well, let me just start over.

In the beginning, WRLD(AM) was licensed to West Point, Georgia, as was the original WRLD-FM on 102.9. At some point in time...not sure when (or why)...WRLD(AM)'s COL was changed to Lanett, Alabama. Today's WRLD-FM was "birthed" around 1990, and has always licensed to Valley, Alabama.

 

[FloydB]

In the beginning, God created th..uh..well, let me just start over.

You know you have to break it down like that for some.... well, most of us radio folk! ;D

That's funny right there!