Back around 1934-35 there was an outfit called the American Broadcasting System-not to be confused with what in '34-35 was still part of David Sarnoff's RCA-NBC empire as the Blue Network. Pittsburgh's KQV [which, ironically would affiliate with Blue from 1941-45 and would later be owned by ABC from '57-74] was a member of ABS. Does anybody know the history of the network?
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Question about a short-lived network
- Thread starter Kurt Toy
- Start date
Kurt Toy said:
The company that purchased the NBC Blue Network and later became ABC was originally called the American Broadcasting System, Inc. They didn't get the rights to the letters "ABC" until 1945, when the corporate name changed from "System" to "Company."
Are you sure you aren't confusing that "ABS" with the short-lived (it lasted only a few weeks in 1933) Amalgamated Broadcasting System that was founded by Ed Wynn? I can't find any info, but maybe KQV was an affiliate.
KeithE4 said:
... http://jeff560.tripod.com/am8.html has some info about Wynn's ABS. KQV apparently wasn't an affiliate; in fact, the network went under before the planned Pittsburgh and Chicago affiliates, WWSW and WCFL, could start carrying their programs. However, WCFL's planned affiliation sent a big message to NBC, and for a while additional NBC Blue programming was sent over to WCFL from WENR and WLS...
If you can find it, check out "I Looked And I Listened,"
by Ben Gross, longtime TV-radio editor of the New York
Daily News. He was present at the opening night of the
Amalgamated Broadcasting System and he has a detailed--
and humorous--account of the disaster it turned out to
be. BTW, ABS's flagship station was WNEW (the "EW"
stands for Ed Wynn).
by Ben Gross, longtime TV-radio editor of the New York
Daily News. He was present at the opening night of the
Amalgamated Broadcasting System and he has a detailed--
and humorous--account of the disaster it turned out to
be. BTW, ABS's flagship station was WNEW (the "EW"
stands for Ed Wynn).
Ultimajock said:
That article also describes a short-lived (1934-36) American Broadcasting System/Company, no relation to the current ABC, that were more-or-less successors to Ed Wynn's network. It's New York flagships were WMCA (as ABS), and later WNEW (as ABC). Wynn had nothing to do with either of them.
I'm guessing that this network is what the original poster was talking about.
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