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Really, really retro - Golden age radio network affiliates

B

Bob E. Nelson

Although seemingly off topic for this [Classic TV, original posting
site] board, I think I can make a case (to KMR and the readership)
that this is the logical place on RI for this thread. Because of
the familial relationship between the radio networks (and stations),
much of television's early development came about from the Big 3
networks, Columbia, NBC Red and NBC Blue, later ABC. (I guess
Mutual would be somewhat comparable to the Fox of today as
the ``fourth'' network).

Now for the ``really, really retro'' part. I'm trying to piece together
what stations in key markets were associated with the major networks
during the ``Golden Age of Radio'', which I'll unilaterally define as
from 1934-1950. That 16-year span coincides with the settling down
of most frequencies (excepting NARBA 1941) with the advent of the FCC
and ends with the start of the inevitable rise of television as the
primary at-home electronic medium.

To get this thread started, here's what I'm *somewhat* sure of in
terms of a few markets. In short, if you wanted to hear ``The Lone
Ranger'' (on Mutual), Allen's Alley (on NBC-Red), Walter Winchell
(NBC-Blue/ABC) or ``The Goldberg's'' (Columbia), here's where you'd
tune (I'm using the post NARBA 1941 frequencies for convenience and
to make the present day facility readily identifed).

Please look this over and make any corrections/additions that you
know of not only with the markets listed but also from your hometown.

Since we're now in the 10th anniversay of the massive affiliation
flips with Fox, I'm aware that similar things happened with radio,
too (such as the Mutual network cnange in Detroit).

I think it's noteworthy how many of the stations and radio affiliate
realtionship survived into early televion (and many of which are the
same to this day).

NEW YORK
--------
WEAF (660) NBC-Red
WOR (710) Mutual
WJZ (770) NBC-Blue (later ABC)
WABC [sic] (880) Columbia

CHICAGO
-------
WMAQ (670) NBC-Red
WGN (710) Mutual
WBBM (780) Columbia
WENR/WLS (890) NBC-Blue/ABC

LOS ANGELES
-----------
KFI (640) NBC-Red
KECA (790) NBC-Blue/ABC
KHJ (930) Mutual
KNX (1070) Columbia

PHILADELPHIA
------------
WFIL (560) NBC-Blue/ABC
WIP (610) Mutual
KYW (1060) NBC-Red
WCAU (1210) Columbia

SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND
---------------------
KFRC (610) Mutual
KPQ (680) NBC-Red
KQW (740) Columbia
KGO (810) NBC-Blue/ABC

BOSTON
------
WEEI (590) Columbia
WBZ (1030) NBC-Red?
???? - Mutual?
???? - NBC/Blue/ABC?

DETROIT/WINDSOR
---------------
WJR (760) Columbia
CKLW (800) Mutual
WWJ (950) NBC-Red
WXYZ (1270) NBC-Blue/ABC (was an early Mutual affiliate)

PITTSBURGH
----------
KDKA (1020) NBC-Red
WCAE (1250) NBC-Blue/ABC
WJAS (1320) Columbia
KQV (1410) Mutual

WASHINGTON, DC
--------------
WMAL (630) NBC-Blue/ABC
WRC (980) NBC-Red
WOL (1260 [sic]) Mutual
WJSV (1500) Columbia

CLEVELAND
---------
WTAM (1100) NBC-Red
WGAR (1220) Columbia?
WHK (1420) Mutual?
???? - NBC-Blue/ABC?

ST. LOUIS
---------
KSD (550) NBC-Red
KXOK (630) NBC-Blue/ABC
KMOX (1120) Columbia
KWK (1380) Mutual

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
--------------------
WCCO (830) Columbia
WTCN (1280) NBC-Blue/ABC
WLOL (1330) Mutual
KSTP (1500) NBC-Red

HOUSTON
-------
KTRH (740) Columbia
KPRC (950) NBC-Red
KXYZ (1320) NBC-Blue/ABC?
???? - Mutual?

DALLAS/FT. WORTH (unique due to WBAP and WFAA's timeshare)
----------------
WBAP/WFAA (570) NBC-Blue/ABC
WBAP/WFAA (820) NBC-Blue
KRLD (1080) Columbia
WRR (1310) Mutual
 
Here's a good list from 1949:

http://members.aol.com/jeff99500/1949am.html



> Although seemingly off topic for this board, I think I can
> make a
> case (to KMR and the readership) that this is the logical
> place on
> RI for this thread. Because of the familial relationship
> between
> the radio networks (and stations), much of television's
> early
> development came about from the Big 3 networks, Columbia,
> NBC Red
> and NBC Blue, later ABC. (I guess Mutual would be somewhat
> comparable
> to the Fox of today as the ``fourth'' network).
>
> Now for the ``really, really retro'' part. I'm trying to
> piece together
> what stations in key markets were associated with the major
> networks
> during the ``Golden Age of Radio'', which I'll unilaterally
> define as
> from 1934-1950. That 16-year span coincides with the
> settling down
> of most frequencies (excepting NARBA 1941) with the advent
> of the FCC
> and ends with the start of the inevitable rise of television
> as the
> primary at-home electronic medium.
>
> To get this thread started, here's what I'm *somewhat* sure
> of in
> terms of a few markets. In short, if you wanted to hear
> ``The Lone
> Ranger'' (on Mutual), Allen's Alley (on NBC-Red), Walter
> Winchell
> (NBC-Blue/ABC) or ``The Goldberg's'' (Columbia), here's
> where you'd
> tune (I'm using the post NARBA 1941 frequencies for
> convenience and
> to make the present day facility readily identifed).
>
> Please look this over and make any corrections/additions
> that you
> know of not only with the markets listed but also from your
> hometown.
>
> Since we're now in the 10th anniversay of the massive
> affiliation
> flips with Fox, I'm aware that similar things happened with
> radio,
> too (such as the Mutual network cnange in Detroit).
>
> I think it's noteworthy how many of the stations and radio
> affiliate
> realtionship survived into early televion (and many of which
> are the
> same to this day).
>
> NEW YORK
> --------
> WEAF (660) NBC-Red
> WOR (710) Mutual
> WJZ (770) NBC-Blue (later ABC)
> WABC [sic] (880) Columbia
>
> CHICAGO
> -------
> WMAQ (670) NBC-Red
> WGN (710) Mutual
> WBBM (780) Columbia
> WENR/WLS (890) NBC-Blue/ABC
>
> LOS ANGELES
> -----------
> KFI (640) NBC-Red
> KECA (790) NBC-Blue/ABC
> KHJ (930) Mutual
> KNX (1070) Columbia
>
> PHILADELPHIA
> ------------
> WFIL (560) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WIP (610) Mutual
> KYW (1060) NBC-Red
> WCAU (1210) Columbia
>
> SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND
> ---------------------
> KFRC (610) Mutual
> KPQ (680) NBC-Red
> KQW (740) Columbia
> KGO (810) NBC-Blue/ABC
>
> BOSTON
> ------
> WEEI (590) Columbia
> WBZ (1030) NBC-Red?
> ???? - Mutual?
> ???? - NBC/Blue/ABC?
>
> DETROIT/WINDSOR
> ---------------
> WJR (760) Columbia
> CKLW (800) Mutual
> WWJ (950) NBC-Red
> WXYZ (1270) NBC-Blue/ABC (was an early Mutual affiliate)
>
> PITTSBURGH
> ----------
> KDKA (1020) NBC-Red
> WCAE (1250) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WJAS (1320) Columbia
> KQV (1410) Mutual
>
> WASHINGTON, DC
> --------------
> WMAL (630) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WRC (980) NBC-Red
> WOL (1260 [sic]) Mutual
> WJSV (1500) Columbia
>
> CLEVELAND
> ---------
> WTAM (1100) NBC-Red
> WGAR (1220) Columbia?
> WHK (1420) Mutual?
> ???? - NBC-Blue/ABC?
>
> ST. LOUIS
> ---------
> KSD (550) NBC-Red
> KXOK (630) NBC-Blue/ABC
> KMOX (1120) Columbia
> KWK (1380) Mutual
>
> MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
> --------------------
> WCCO (830) Columbia
> WTCN (1280) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WLOL (1330) Mutual
> KSTP (1500) NBC-Red
>
> HOUSTON
> -------
> KTRH (740) Columbia
> KPRC (950) NBC-Red
> KXYZ (1320) NBC-Blue/ABC?
> ???? - Mutual?
>
> DALLAS/FT. WORTH (unique due to WBAP and WFAA's timeshare)
> ----------------
> WBAP/WFAA (570) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WBAP/WFAA (820) NBC-Blue
> KRLD (1080) Columbia
> WRR (1310) Mutual
>
 
> Now for the ``really, really retro'' part. I'm trying to piece together
> what stations in key markets were associated with the major networks
> during the ``Golden Age of Radio'', which I'll unilaterally define as
> from 1934-1950. That 16-year span coincides with the settling down
> of most frequencies (excepting NARBA 1941) with the advent of the FCC
> and ends with the start of the inevitable rise of television as the
> primary at-home electronic medium.

My guess is that this probably belongs on the Classic Radio board.

The "Golden Age of Radio" is tough to define accurately. I call it as being between 1928 (the year Amos & Andy went network) and 1955 (the start of NBC's Monitor and the end of Jack Benny's radio show). Some people define it differently, however.

One definition of the end of that era is 1962, the year that Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar left the air. There were several programs still airing in the late '50s & early '60s. Amos & Andy lasted until 1960.

Long-form network news lasted into the '70s. ABC was airing a 30-minute evening news/sports/commentary block as late as 1976. Lowell Thomas' CBS evening newscast also ended that year.

One could also define the beginning of the era as 1926, when NBC was founded. CBS (originally called "The Columbia Chain" - a term that lasted until WW2) began a year later.

A complete list of network affiliates from 1949 is here:
<a target="_blank" href=http://members.aol.com/jeff99500/1949am.html>http://members.aol.com/jeff99500/1949am.html</a>

Here's a chronology of that era:
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.old-time.com/golden_age>http://www.old-time.com/golden_age</a>
 
> > Now for the ``really, really retro'' part. I'm trying to
> > piece together what stations in key markets were associated
> > with the major networks during the ``Golden Age of Radio''
> > [...]

> My guess is that this probably belongs on the Classic Radio
> board.

That's where I initially intended to post my message (and where
the moderator(s) ultimately moved it).

My rationale for even bringing such a topic to ``Classic TV'' in
the first place was to trace the lineage between the legacy radio
networks and their visual counterparts into the TV age. Given the
overlapping topicality, it was something of a tossup.

Just off the top of my head, through the infancy, adolesence and
maturation of television, a number of markets had a one-to-one
mapping between the ``Big Three'' TV stations and their radio
ancestors, sharing common affiliation: New York, Chicago,
Philadelphia, Buffalo, Tidewater VA, DC, Memphis, Nashville,
D/FW, Seattle are some that spring immediately to mind.

> Long-form network news lasted into the '70s. ABC was airing
> a 30-minute evening news/sports/commentary block as late as
> 1976. Lowell Thomas' CBS evening newscast also ended that
> year.

I well remember hearing that block on WLS. WCFL must've wished
the Big 89 would've kept it.

CBS seemed to have more synergy with its radio and TV side
than did NBC and ABC. I recall that portions of both Arthur
Godfrey and Art Linkletter were simulcast on both CBS radio
and television. There was also more crossover with the newstaff
on CBS, viz. Douglas Edwards, Cronkite and, of course, Murrow.
Howard Cosell did both radio and TV for ABC as did David Brinkley,
to a more limited extent on NBC.

> A complete list of network affiliates from 1949 is here:
> http://members.aol.com/jeff99500/1949am.html

Thanks for the reminder about that link. Jeff Miller and I both
worked in Beckley, WV, albeit during different years. I'm
still trying to pin down something similar to what Jeff has
from the pre-WW II era and from the years when radio owners
were putting on TV outlets.

In particular, here's one of personal interest (since I grew up
in Pittsburgh): What factors led to KDKA-TV becoming a CBS afilliate
in spite of the radio counterpart never having an affiliation with
Paley's web? NBC would've seemed more likely a choice.

> Here's a chronology of that era:
> http://www.old-time.com/golden_age

Great resource -- the URL is appreciated.
 
> In particular, here's one of personal interest (since I grew
> up in Pittsburgh): What factors led to KDKA-TV becoming a CBS
> afilliate in spite of the radio counterpart never having an
> affiliation with Paley's web? NBC would've seemed more likely a choice.

Not if you take into account the poisoned politics between Westinghouse and NBC in that era.

When Westinghouse bought WDTV from DuMont in 1955, the station was clearing programming from all four networks - indeed, this was what made it such a valuable property for DuMont, since WDTV's status as the only station in what was then (I think) a top-10 market gave it a great deal of leverage to get favorable deals from CBS, NBC and ABC to get their shows on the air in Pittsburgh.

Even after channel 2 became KDKA-TV, it continued to carry shows from all three nets until the arrival of WIIC in 1957 and WTAE-TV in 1958.

And by 1957, Westinghouse and NBC were bitter enemies, thanks to NBC's attempt to strongarm Westinghouse into giving up its biggest TV property, WPTZ Philadelphia, in exchange for NBC's WNBK Cleveland. (The alternative would have been the loss of NBC affiliation in a market where CBS wasn't available, which would have made WPTZ a much less valuable ABC or indie outlet.)

By 1957, NBC had forced that swap, and Westinghouse had already gone to court to try to get it reversed (which they did, in 1965, when a court ruled that NBC had improperly used the threat of loss of affiliation as leverage over Westinghouse.)

It's hard to imagine, in that sort of political climate between the two companies, that Westinghouse would have given an inch to NBC as long as another good option - CBS - was available. (It was also at about this time that Westinghouse dropped the NBC Radio affiliations at WBZ and KDKA, and it was just a couple of years later that NBC tried to buy WNAC AM-FM-TV in Boston and pull the NBC-TV affiliation from WBZ-TV as well.)

s<P ID="signature">______________
Tower Site Calendar 2005 NOW AVAILABLE! - <a target="_blank" href=http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html#calendar>www.fybush.com</a></P>
 
> Although seemingly off topic for this [Classic TV, original
> posting
> site] board, I think I can make a case (to KMR and the
> readership)
> that this is the logical place on RI for this thread.
> Because of
> the familial relationship between the radio networks (and
> stations),
> much of television's early development came about from the
> Big 3
> networks, Columbia, NBC Red and NBC Blue, later ABC. (I
> guess
> Mutual would be somewhat comparable to the Fox of today as
> the ``fourth'' network).
>
> Now for the ``really, really retro'' part. I'm trying to
> piece together
> what stations in key markets were associated with the major
> networks
> during the ``Golden Age of Radio'', which I'll unilaterally
> define as
> from 1934-1950. That 16-year span coincides with the
> settling down
> of most frequencies (excepting NARBA 1941) with the advent
> of the FCC
> and ends with the start of the inevitable rise of television
> as the
> primary at-home electronic medium.
>
> To get this thread started, here's what I'm *somewhat* sure
> of in
> terms of a few markets. In short, if you wanted to hear
> ``The Lone
> Ranger'' (on Mutual), Allen's Alley (on NBC-Red), Walter
> Winchell
> (NBC-Blue/ABC) or ``The Goldberg's'' (Columbia), here's
> where you'd
> tune (I'm using the post NARBA 1941 frequencies for
> convenience and
> to make the present day facility readily identifed).
>
> Please look this over and make any corrections/additions
> that you
> know of not only with the markets listed but also from your
> hometown.
>
> Since we're now in the 10th anniversay of the massive
> affiliation
> flips with Fox, I'm aware that similar things happened with
> radio,
> too (such as the Mutual network cnange in Detroit).
>
> I think it's noteworthy how many of the stations and radio
> affiliate
> realtionship survived into early televion (and many of which
> are the
> same to this day).
>
> NEW YORK
> --------
> WEAF (660) NBC-Red
> WOR (710) Mutual
> WJZ (770) NBC-Blue (later ABC)
> WABC [sic] (880) Columbia
>
> CHICAGO
> -------
> WMAQ (670) NBC-Red
> WGN (710) Mutual
> WBBM (780) Columbia
> WENR/WLS (890) NBC-Blue/ABC
>
> LOS ANGELES
> -----------
> KFI (640) NBC-Red
> KECA (790) NBC-Blue/ABC
> KHJ (930) Mutual
> KNX (1070) Columbia
>
> PHILADELPHIA
> ------------
> WFIL (560) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WIP (610) Mutual
> KYW (1060) NBC-Red
> WCAU (1210) Columbia
>
> SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND
> ---------------------
> KFRC (610) Mutual
> KPQ (680) NBC-Red
> KQW (740) Columbia
> KGO (810) NBC-Blue/ABC
>
> BOSTON
> ------
> WEEI (590) Columbia
> WBZ (1030) NBC-Red?
> ???? - Mutual?
> ???? - NBC/Blue/ABC?
>
> DETROIT/WINDSOR
> ---------------
> WJR (760) Columbia
> CKLW (800) Mutual
> WWJ (950) NBC-Red
> WXYZ (1270) NBC-Blue/ABC (was an early Mutual affiliate)
>
> PITTSBURGH
> ----------
> KDKA (1020) NBC-Red
> WCAE (1250) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WJAS (1320) Columbia
> KQV (1410) Mutual
>
> WASHINGTON, DC
> --------------
> WMAL (630) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WRC (980) NBC-Red
> WOL (1260 [sic]) Mutual
> WJSV (1500) Columbia
>
> CLEVELAND
> ---------
> WTAM (1100) NBC-Red
> WGAR (1220) Columbia?
> WHK (1420) Mutual?
> ???? - NBC-Blue/ABC?
>
> ST. LOUIS
> ---------
> KSD (550) NBC-Red
> KXOK (630) NBC-Blue/ABC
> KMOX (1120) Columbia
> KWK (1380) Mutual
>
> MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
> --------------------
> WCCO (830) Columbia
> WTCN (1280) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WLOL (1330) Mutual
> KSTP (1500) NBC-Red
>
> HOUSTON
> -------
> KTRH (740) Columbia
> KPRC (950) NBC-Red
> KXYZ (1320) NBC-Blue/ABC?
> ???? - Mutual?
>
> DALLAS/FT. WORTH (unique due to WBAP and WFAA's timeshare)
> ----------------
> WBAP/WFAA (570) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WBAP/WFAA (820) NBC-Blue
> KRLD (1080) Columbia
> WRR (1310) Mutual
>
ATLANTA:

During World War II, the affiliations were:

WAGA (590) NBC-Blue/ABC
WSB (750) NBC-Red/NBC
WGST (920) CBS
WATL (1400) Mutual

Around 1948, WAGA got the CBS affiliation for
its new television station, which signed on
in March 1949. WAGA radio signed with CBS as
well, causing an affiliation swap with
WGST. By the early '50s, Mutual
had a new affiliate as well, so the affiliate
lineup became:

WAGA (590) CBS
WSB (750) NBC
WQXI (790) Mutual
WGST (920) ABC
 
> ATLANTA:
>
> During World War II, the affiliations were:
>
> WAGA (590) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WSB (750) NBC-Red/NBC
> WGST (920) CBS
> WATL (1400) Mutual
>
> Around 1948, WAGA got the CBS affiliation for
> its new television station, which signed on
> in March 1949. WAGA radio signed with CBS as
> well, causing an affiliation swap with
> WGST. By the early '50s, Mutual
> had a new affiliate as well, so the affiliate
> lineup became:
>
> WAGA (590) CBS
> WSB (750) NBC
> WQXI (790) Mutual
> WGST (920) ABC

Where did WCON/550 fit into this, if at all? By the way, what was
the lifespan of that station?
 
> > In particular, here's one of personal interest (since I
> > grew up in Pittsburgh): What factors led to KDKA-TV
> > becoming a CBS afilliate in spite of the radio counterpart
> > never having an affiliation with Paley's web? NBC would've
> > seemed morelikely a choice.
>
> Not if you take into account the poisoned politics between
> Westinghouse and NBC in that era.
>
> [...]
> It's hard to imagine, in that sort of political climate
> between the two companies, that Westinghouse would have
> given an inch to NBC as long as another good option - CBS -
> was available. (It was also at about this time that
> Westinghouse dropped the NBC Radio affiliations at WBZ and
> KDKA, and it was just a couple of years later that NBC tried
> to buy WNAC AM-FM-TV in Boston and pull the NBC-TV
> affiliation from WBZ-TV as well.)

Thanks for the explanation, Scott. Now to fork off further
into Boston, arguably the largest market with the most
volatile network affiliation relationships.

1). During the WWII era, what was the affiliation lineup on
the radio side?

2). What impact did WLAW have on the Boston radio landscape?

3). With the dawn of TV, was there a one-to-one mapping between
the legacy radio stations and the TV siblings they started,
especially in terms of networks?

4). Jeff Miller's 1949 affiliate list shows an 850 in the Albany
market. Is this correct...and, if so, was WHDH still a daytimer
during this time? When did WHDH become a big enough player to
win the channel 5 allotment?
 
> > ATLANTA:
> >
> > During World War II, the affiliations were:
> >
> > WAGA (590) NBC-Blue/ABC
> > WSB (750) NBC-Red/NBC
> > WGST (920) CBS
> > WATL (1400) Mutual
> >
> > Around 1948, WAGA got the CBS affiliation for
> > its new television station, which signed on
> > in March 1949. WAGA radio signed with CBS as
> > well, causing an affiliation swap with
> > WGST. By the early '50s, Mutual
> > had a new affiliate as well, so the affiliate
> > lineup became:
> >
> > WAGA (590) CBS
> > WSB (750) NBC
> > WQXI (790) Mutual
> > WGST (920) ABC
>
> Where did WCON/550 fit into this, if at all? By the way,
> what was
> the lifespan of that station?
>
I stand corrected about a straight WAGA/WGST swap.
WCON had the ABC affiliation from about 1948 until
the early '50s, and WGST was Mutual. The affiliate
lineup directly above is from 1953, by which time
WCON was history. WCON was sold around 1951, and
the story behind it follows:

WCON didn't have a long life, and the reason can be blamed
on the Cox family. In the '40s the Coxes owned the Journal
and WSB, while another company owned the Constitution and had
the license for WCON-TV on Channel 2 (WSB-TV was originally
on Channel 8). WSB-TV went on the air in September 1948.
Before WCON-TV could get on the air, the Cox family bought
the Constitution and WCON radio and television. Unable to
own two radio and two television stations in the same market,
they sold the WCON stations and moved WSB-TV to Channel 2.
In September 1951 Atlanta's third television station, WLTV,
came on the air on Channel 8; a couple of years later it
was kicked upstairs to Channel 11 and is now WXIA. Channel
8 was licensed to the University of Georgia. (There was also
an interference problem as Channel 9, now in Chattanooga, was
then in Dalton.)

As for WCON radio, I think a small company bought it and
changed the call letters, but I know nothing about the
station beyond the early '50s, except that WDUN in Gainesville
operates on 550.
 
> >
> SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND
> ---------------------
> KFRC (610) Mutual
> KPQ (680) NBC-Red
> KQW (740) Columbia
> KGO (810) NBC-Blue/ABC

The NBC Red affiliate's call letters were KPO, not KPQ.
KPO and KGO were owned by General Electric in the early days(ironic, considering GE eventually took over NBC).
The station on 810 was originally licensed to Oakland, and GE wanted the call letters 'KGEO'(for General Electric Oakland), but settled for the 3-letter call sign still used today.
KPO's calls changed to KNBC in the late '40s, and eventually became KNBR in the early '60s.
 
> Thanks for the explanation, Scott. Now to fork off further
> into Boston, arguably the largest market with the most
> volatile network affiliation relationships.
>
> 1). During the WWII era, what was the affiliation lineup on
> the radio side?

My 1944 Broadcasting Yearbook shows:

WBZ - NBC (ex-Red)
WEEI - CBS
WHDH - Blue
WNAC (1260) - Mutual/Yankee
WLAW - CBS

By 1950, Blue/ABC had shifted to WLAW and WCOP, and WHDH was an independent.

> 2). What impact did WLAW have on the Boston radio landscape?

This is probably a better question for Donna Halper on the boston-radio-interest list, and I encourage you to cross-post it there. Opposite the Boston listings in my '44 BY is a full-page WLAW ad showing the three towers (I think at the old site in Andover?) and boasting of being "Columbia's voice in Northern New England" and of coverage of 2 million people inside the 2-millivolt contour of its 5000 watt signal.

It seems to me that WLAW was essentially a Boston player from day one, and of course it wasn't that much longer before WNAC got that nice 680 signal and there was no question what market it called home.

> 3). With the dawn of TV, was there a one-to-one mapping
> between
> the legacy radio stations and the TV siblings they started,
>
> especially in terms of networks?

No, in large part because CBS was dragging its corporate heels on acquiring TV stations. That decision was all wrapped up in the infamous color-TV standards wars, in which CBS believed that it would win and that VHF B/W TV would be made obsolete by color and an all-UHF world. The corporate line was that buying additional VHF stations would make it look like CBS lacked confidence in its own technology. (This would cost the company dearly later on, as it had to pay much higher prices for stations in LA, Philly and Chicago that it could once have had for almost nothing.)

Anyway, with WEEI not rushing into TV (CBS at one point in 1950 had the chance to buy WRTB, Channel 2 in Waltham, and to put it on the air as WEEI-TV from above Malden Hospital, at the site that would later be WEEI-FM and is now WFNX), that left WBZ and WNAC as the players.

The WBZ-TV/NBC link was inevitable; WBZ radio was then still in good standing with NBC, and it fit generally with the idea that in most markets, the first TV station on went with the biggest network, which was certainly NBC in 1948. I think WBZ later took some DuMont offerings as well.

WNAC had strong ties to Mutual, since the Yankee Network that it operated was linked with Mutual. But Mutual, of course, had no TV presence, so WNAC-TV was free to go with choice #2, which was CBS. WNAC-TV also had secondary ABC service. (After 1954, WMUR would become a de facto ABC affiliate for the northern half of the market, too.)

> 4). Jeff Miller's 1949 affiliate list shows an 850 in the
> Albany market. Is this correct...and, if so, was WHDH still a
> daytimer during this time? When did WHDH become a big enough player
> to win the channel 5 allotment?

Dan Strassberg is the acknowledged world expert on WXKW, Albany. Read all about it here: <a target="_blank" href=http://www.capitalgold.org/articles/wxkwhistory.html>http://www.capitalgold.org/articles/wxkwhistory.html</a>
It coexisted with a 5,000-watt fulltime WHDH, though uncomfortably, and was gone in 1952.

WHDH itself wasn't that big a player at the time - but its parent, the Boston Herald-Traveler, was. That's really how the contested channel 5 allocation ended up with WHDH in 1957, and it was the source of the market-concentration concerns that took WHDH-TV off the air in 1972. That's a post unto itself, though.

As the third station in the market, WHDH followed the pattern and took what was left, which was ABC. It was a strong enough player out of the gate to wrest CBS away from WNAC a couple of years later, and so 5 became CBS and 7 ABC, which would hold until 1972 and the demise of WHDH-TV, when CBS returned to the established WNAC-TV and left the new WCVB with ABC.

(We can also leave for another post the what-ifs that would have resulted from NBC's never-consummated 1960 purchase of WNAC radio/TV. WBZ might well have become "CBS4" much, much earlier!)<P ID="signature">______________
Tower Site Calendar 2005 NOW AVAILABLE! - <a target="_blank" href=http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html#calendar>www.fybush.com</a></P>
 
>
> DALLAS/FT. WORTH (unique due to WBAP and WFAA's timeshare)
> ----------------
> WBAP/WFAA (570) NBC-Blue/ABC
> WBAP/WFAA (820) NBC-Blue
> KRLD (1080) Columbia
> WRR (1310) Mutual
>

WRR (1310) was the Mutual affiliate in Dallas, while KFJZ (1270) was the Mutual affiliate in the Fort Worth market. They were seperate markets at the time, and while the "Big 3" had huge signals that blanketed all of north Texas, such was not the case up the dial with 1270 and 1310. As time went on, WRR and KFJZ actually "combo sold" at times.
The 570 frequency originated in Wichita Falls as KGKO, and was moved to Fort Worth in the late 30s. The relative ease of this move was in part to help NBC clear its blue network in the north Texas/south Oklahoma region. The KGKO calls were later deleted with WBAP riding on 570 while WFAA was on 820, and vice versa. Even though the call letters would flip back and forth between the stations throughout the day, the network programming always remained on the same channel - NBC Blue (and later ABC) on 570 and NBC on 820.
 
WLS long-form news programming

> > Long-form network news lasted into the '70s. ABC was airing
> > a 30-minute evening news/sports/commentary block as late as
> > 1976. Lowell Thomas' CBS evening newscast also ended that year.
>
> I well remember hearing that block on WLS. WCFL must've wished
> the Big 89 would've kept it.

WLS quit running the WLS Farm Special and long-form news programming in 1969. Those shows or similar ones had been required by ABC of all their O&Os, IIRC. The long-form ABC evening news block ended up on WTAQ 1300 (now Chicago's Radio Disney station) in west-suburban LaGrange until the late '70s.

They were also required to run an hour of Don McNeil's Breakfast Club until that show went off the air in '68.
 
> Hey, how about the NBC Orange and Gold networks on the west coast?


Here's a good list from 1949:
>
> http://members.aol.com/jeff99500/1949am.html
>
>
>
> > Although seemingly off topic for this board, I think I can
>
> > make a
> > case (to KMR and the readership) that this is the logical
> > place on
> > RI for this thread. Because of the familial relationship
> > between
> > the radio networks (and stations), much of television's
> > early
> > development came about from the Big 3 networks, Columbia,
> > NBC Red
> > and NBC Blue, later ABC. (I guess Mutual would be somewhat
>
> > comparable
> > to the Fox of today as the ``fourth'' network).
> >
> > Now for the ``really, really retro'' part. I'm trying to
> > piece together
> > what stations in key markets were associated with the
> major
> > networks
> > during the ``Golden Age of Radio'', which I'll
> unilaterally
> > define as
> > from 1934-1950. That 16-year span coincides with the
> > settling down
> > of most frequencies (excepting NARBA 1941) with the advent
>
> > of the FCC
> > and ends with the start of the inevitable rise of
> television
> > as the
> > primary at-home electronic medium.
> >
> > To get this thread started, here's what I'm *somewhat*
> sure
> > of in
> > terms of a few markets. In short, if you wanted to hear
> > ``The Lone
> > Ranger'' (on Mutual), Allen's Alley (on NBC-Red), Walter
> > Winchell
> > (NBC-Blue/ABC) or ``The Goldberg's'' (Columbia), here's
> > where you'd
> > tune (I'm using the post NARBA 1941 frequencies for
> > convenience and
> > to make the present day facility readily identifed).
> >
> > Please look this over and make any corrections/additions
> > that you
> > know of not only with the markets listed but also from
> your
> > hometown.
> >
> > Since we're now in the 10th anniversay of the massive
> > affiliation
> > flips with Fox, I'm aware that similar things happened
> with
> > radio,
> > too (such as the Mutual network cnange in Detroit).
> >
> > I think it's noteworthy how many of the stations and radio
>
> > affiliate
> > realtionship survived into early televion (and many of
> which
> > are the
> > same to this day).
> >
> > NEW YORK
> > --------
> > WEAF (660) NBC-Red
> > WOR (710) Mutual
> > WJZ (770) NBC-Blue (later ABC)
> > WABC [sic] (880) Columbia
> >
> > CHICAGO
> > -------
> > WMAQ (670) NBC-Red
> > WGN (710) Mutual
> > WBBM (780) Columbia
> > WENR/WLS (890) NBC-Blue/ABC
> >
> > LOS ANGELES
> > -----------
> > KFI (640) NBC-Red
> > KECA (790) NBC-Blue/ABC
> > KHJ (930) Mutual
> > KNX (1070) Columbia
> >
> > PHILADELPHIA
> > ------------
> > WFIL (560) NBC-Blue/ABC
> > WIP (610) Mutual
> > KYW (1060) NBC-Red
> > WCAU (1210) Columbia
> >
> > SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND
> > ---------------------
> > KFRC (610) Mutual
> > KPQ (680) NBC-Red
> > KQW (740) Columbia
> > KGO (810) NBC-Blue/ABC
> >
> > BOSTON
> > ------
> > WEEI (590) Columbia
> > WBZ (1030) NBC-Red?
> > ???? - Mutual?
> > ???? - NBC/Blue/ABC?
> >
> > DETROIT/WINDSOR
> > ---------------
> > WJR (760) Columbia
> > CKLW (800) Mutual
> > WWJ (950) NBC-Red
> > WXYZ (1270) NBC-Blue/ABC (was an early Mutual affiliate)
> >
> > PITTSBURGH
> > ----------
> > KDKA (1020) NBC-Red
> > WCAE (1250) NBC-Blue/ABC
> > WJAS (1320) Columbia
> > KQV (1410) Mutual
> >
> > WASHINGTON, DC
> > --------------
> > WMAL (630) NBC-Blue/ABC
> > WRC (980) NBC-Red
> > WOL (1260 [sic]) Mutual
> > WJSV (1500) Columbia
> >
> > CLEVELAND
> > ---------
> > WTAM (1100) NBC-Red
> > WGAR (1220) Columbia?
> > WHK (1420) Mutual?
> > ???? - NBC-Blue/ABC?
> >
> > ST. LOUIS
> > ---------
> > KSD (550) NBC-Red
> > KXOK (630) NBC-Blue/ABC
> > KMOX (1120) Columbia
> > KWK (1380) Mutual
> >
> > MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
> > --------------------
> > WCCO (830) Columbia
> > WTCN (1280) NBC-Blue/ABC
> > WLOL (1330) Mutual
> > KSTP (1500) NBC-Red
> >
> > HOUSTON
> > -------
> > KTRH (740) Columbia
> > KPRC (950) NBC-Red
> > KXYZ (1320) NBC-Blue/ABC?
> > ???? - Mutual?
> >
> > DALLAS/FT. WORTH (unique due to WBAP and WFAA's timeshare)
>
> > ----------------
> > WBAP/WFAA (570) NBC-Blue/ABC
> > WBAP/WFAA (820) NBC-Blue
> > KRLD (1080) Columbia
> > WRR (1310) Mutual
> >
>
 
Florida generally seemed to be dotted by Mutual affiliates in 1949. My market of Fort Myers had the lonely WINK-AM with CBS. Of course WINK-AM still exists today at 1240am, with 1000w of power....with a stint for the call letters on 1200....and until recently with CBS until WINK-AM dropped CBS Radio News for FOX News Radio.

Mutual - 14
Daytona Beach WORD 1947 1340 250w
Fort Pierce WIRA 1946 1400 250w
Gainesville WRUF 1928 850 5000w
Jacksonville WJHP 1940 1320 5000w
Key West WKWF 1945 1600 500w
Miami Beach WKAT 1937 1360 5000w/1000w
Ocala WTMC 1939 1290 1000w
Orlando WLOF 1940 950 5000w
Panama City WDLP 1940 590 1000w
Pensacola WEAR 1947 1490 250w
St. Petersburg WTSP 1939 1380 5000w
Tallahassee WTAL 1935 1270 5000w
West Palm Beach WIRK 1947 1290 1000w
Winter Haven WSIR 1947 1490 250w

ABC - 8
Daytona Beach WMFJ 1935 1450 250w
Jacksonville WPDQ 1942 600 5000w
Miami WQAM 1920 560 5000w/1000w
Orlando WHOO 1947 990 10,000w/5000w
Palm Beach WWPG 1941 1340 250w
Pensacola WBSR 1946 1460 250w
St. Petersburg WSUN 1927 620 5000w
Tallahassee WRHP 1946 1450 250w

CBS - 8
Fort Myers WINK 1940 1240 250w
Jacksonville WMBR 1927 1460 5000w
Miami WGBS 1939 710 50,000w/10,000w
Orlando WDBO 1924 580 5000w
St. Augustine WFOY 1937 1240 250w
Sarasota WSPB 1939 1450 250w
Tampa WDAE 1922 1250 5000w
West Palm Beach WJNO 1936 1230 250w

NBC - 7
Jacksonville WJAX 1926 930 5000w
Lakeland WLAK 1936 1430 1000w
Lake Worth WEAT 1948 1490 250w
Miami WIOD 1926 610 5000w
Orlando WORZ 1947 740 1000w
Pensacola WCOA 1926 1370 5000w
Tampa WFLA 1926 970 5000w
 
I'd like to make a correction on the Pittsburgh part of the list. KDKA was an NBC-Blue station from 1926 to 1941 when it switched to the Red network. WCAE was never NBC-Blue. WCAE was NBC-Red during that same time that KD was the Blue. WCAE was also a secondary Mutual outlet from the mid-late 30s until '41, when it became full-time Mutual, which it was until '45, when it swapped nets with KQV[which was[NBC] Blue from '41 to '45], at the same time the Blue became ABC.
 
Bob E. Nelson said:
HOUSTON
-------
KTRH (740) Columbia
KPRC (950) NBC-Red
KXYZ (1320) NBC-Blue/ABC?
???? - Mutual?
Click to expand...
Between 1932 and 1944, Houston had only 3 stations. KPRC landed on 950 as a result of NARBA; KTRH and KXYZ landed on the frequencies shown in late 1942. KXYZ was NBC-Blue then ABC. KTHT signed on just after D-Day and affiliated with Mutual. Originally on 1230 w/250w it moved to 790 w/5Kw 4 years later.

Since the time span contemplated extends up to 1950, why not include Liberty Broadcasting System affiliates? In Houston the earliest was KATL, 1590, then KTHT, 790, and finally Gordon McLendon's own KLBS, 610, but by that time the network was just about toast.
 
Keith Elster said:
CBS (originally called "The Columbia Chain" - a term that lasted until WW2) began a year later.
Click to expand...

CBS was originally called "United Independent Broadcasters." After the Columbia Phonographic Manufacturing Company acquired an interest in the network, the name was changed to "Columbina Phoographic Broadcasting System." After Bill Paley gained control, he shortened the name to "Columbia Broadcasting System." The network always referred to itself as "Columbia," as "the Columbia Broadcasting System" or (later on) as "CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System." Eventually, CBS dropped the name and kept the initials.

"Chain" was a synonym for "network" in wide-spread use during radio's golden age. It was never part of CBS' name.

The network's original New York affiliate was WOR. Then WOR and WABC shared the affiliation until CBS acquired WABC.
 
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