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Which Are Oldest AM & Oldest FM Radio Stations in the Hudson Valley & Albany ?

Re: Which Are Oldest AM & Oldest FM Radio Stations in the Hudson Valley & Albany ?

I don't know if they count given that they're within the fringe of the Valley, but WVOS AM/FM is actually 60 years old this year.
 
Re: Which Are Oldest AM & Oldest FM Radio Stations in the Hudson Valley & Albany ?

WVOS-AM might be.
WVOS FM didnt sign on until 1969.
WSUL FM followed in 1977.
 
Re: Which Are Oldest AM & Oldest FM Radio Stations in the Hudson Valley & Albany ?

regarding the Albany listings:

mart said:
WGY-AM 1922
WABY-AM (now WAMC-AM) 1934
WTRY-AM (now WOFX-AM) 1940
WGY-FM (now WRVE-FM) 1940
Click to expand...

forgot WHAZ Troy, which started in 1922 (originally time-share with WGY on 833khz -> 790khz, then moved to 1300 -> 1330 in time-share with NYC stations). Still WHAZ, still on 1330, 1kw days/peanut power at night.

also forgot WOKO which was born in 1928, originally licensed to Mt. Beacon on 1430 (tx located where WSPK stick is today), license was sold then moved to Albany in 1930. NARBA shifted to 1460 in 1941. Still on 1460, calls today are WDDY (Radio disney affiliate), 5kw day & night.

Some little known trivia: WRUC 89.7 Schenectady, Union College's radio station, can trace it's history back to October 1, 1920 with station 2ADD which was operated by the Union College Radio Club. Was issued 3-letter call WRL shortly afterward, broadcast on 833khz.
 
Re: Which Are Oldest AM & Oldest FM Radio Stations in the Hudson Valley & Albany ?

Good catch on WHAZ and WDDY, I guess I didn't recognize the calls on those as being Albany/Hudson Valley. WVOS-AM started in 1947 and WVOS-FM in 1964.

BTW the first station in NYS is what is now known as WABC, started in 1921.
 
Re: Which Are Oldest AM & Oldest FM Radio Stations in the Hudson Valley & Albany ?

mart said:
BTW the first station in NYS is what is now known as WABC, started in 1921.
Click to expand...

Technically incorrect. Then-WJZ was originally licensed to Newark NJ in May of 1921, (signed on Oct 1, 1921) but did not get it's COL moved to New York until 5/15/1923 when Westinghouse sold it to RCA.

The first station originally licensed to New York City proper was WDT (12/22/1921), but that station was long gone by the end of '23. On a side note, WDY Roselle Park NJ was licensed and on-air in October 1921, but went off the air in Feb. 1922.

WHN (now WEPN) actually predates WJZ (now WABC) as being licensed to NY State, in which they were issued a license for Ridgewood NY on 03/18/1922. WWZ New York City followed suit shortly afterward when they were licensed on 03/25/1922. WWZ is known to have been on the air in 1922 and off the air by the fall of '23.

That in turn makes WGY the oldest station that's still on the air today, licensed to a location within New York State (02/04/1922, on-air 02/20/1922).


Other licenses in New York State from that era:
WJX New York (issued 10/23/1921, deleted June 1924, unknown if this station ever made it to air)
WJY New York (issued May 1923, deleted April 1927, sister station to WJZ operating on 740 AM)
WGR Buffalo (issued March 1922, still on the air)
WHQ Rochester (issued 02/24/1922, changed to WHAM July 1922, still on the air)
WNJ Albany (issued 03/27/1922, lic. deleted June 1924)
WRL Schenectady (issued 03/02/1922, was first known as 2ADD which began broadcasting in October 1920, is the predecessor of today's WRUC-FM)
WRW Tarrytown (issued 03/14/1922, deleted July 1926)
WSL Utica (issued 03/16/1922, deleted 04/29/1925, believed to be the predecessor of WIBX, which is still around today)
WWT Buffalo (issued 03/24/1922, deleted October 1922, no history that states this station ever made it to air)
 
Re: Which Are Oldest AM & Oldest FM Radio Stations in the Hudson Valley & Albany ?

AMonFM said:
mart said:
BTW the first station in NYS is what is now known as WABC, started in 1921.
Click to expand...
Technically incorrect. Then-WJZ was originally licensed to Newark NJ in May of 1921, (signed on Oct 1, 1921) but did not get it's COL moved to New York until 5/15/1923 when Westinghouse sold it to RCA.
Click to expand...

Wow, Thanks for the great history lesson .Not to quibble with someone so knowledgeable but I am confused. I thought Westinghouse sold to RCA what would become 660 WNBC. I know RCA owned WNBC as the flagship station to the NBC network for years. I thought that was the first NY station. NBC later had 2 networks the red and blue networks, one of which the FCC forced them to divest, and that became ABC.
 
Re: Which Are Oldest AM & Oldest FM Radio Stations in the Hudson Valley & Albany ?

RCA purchased then-WEAF (now-660 WFAN) from AT&T in 1925, and purchased WJZ (now WABC) from Westinghouse in 1923. Both later were used as 'flagship' stations of the NBC networks.
 
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