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WRR second oldest station in the US???

C

ContinuousWave

I think City of Dallas HR took a little too liberal of a step with the job posting on TAB's web site:

"Rich with heritage, WRR Classical 101.1 FM was licensed by the FCC in 1921, continuously owned by The City of Dallas and is Texas’ first radio station, America’s second radio station"

HUH??? Second??

(though I think they are still running the same studio gear!)

The FM was not licensed until after WWII....(the former 1310 WRR, of course, has been gone from the city's hands for over 4 decades)

Tsk tsk.....bad posting City of Dallas
 
Always remember that Texas thinks it is bigger than the rest of the world. By their standards, any rewriting of history is permissible.
 
The original licensee was listed as "The City of Dallas Police and Fire Signal Department." Sounds like the station did police calls: 211 in progress, handle code 3.

Detroit Police had better call letters: KOP
 
A lot of MWs did do police calls until the signals moved above the broadcast band into the current Ex band and close to the current 160m ham band (remember Wonderful WINO?? "1750 on your dial...just above the police calls kids!"..NOT many people caught that in Carlin's early days either and they were from that generation!!)
 
In fairness I'm sure they're not the only ones to do something like that with a job posting for a station that started out on AM, added an FM and sold the AM later.
Still doesn't make it accurate. Also, what difference does it make how old the station is? WRR-FM is rich with heritage too, regardless of what they did to the AM station.
 
benb said:
What makes your source more accurate?
Click to expand...

The Wikipedia data on most radio station's histories seems like it were written by someone currently on the staff who gathered information that was no better than hearsay.

The source cited by CW is based on FCC records.

Of course, in this case an FM station wants to claim it is over 90 years old. That fails to take into account the fact that Maj. Armstrong had not yet invented FM then and the other fact that the "old" station is the AM which, as previously reported, was sold long ago.
 
Well, thanks for setting me straight.

After all, it's common knowledge the government keeps impeccable records and I would not presume to doubt them.
 
Last edited:
benb said:
Well, thanks for setting me straight.

After all, it's common knowledge the government keeps impeccable records and I would not presume to doubt them.
Click to expand...

We are not talking about getting historical data from today's FCC. We are talking about using the old DOC lists from the period where stations began to get licenses. This information, which comes primarily from the Radio Service Bulletins of the Department of Commerce ( http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Service-Bulletin-Guide.htm ) is independently verifiable via consultation with a variety of radio publications from the eras, such as Radio Digest, Radio News, Wireless Age, Citizens Radio Callbook and others.

In fact, all of those are available at the same website as the link for the RSB's.

There is no need to be snarky, particularly since it is very common knowledge that much of the wikipedia data is in need of correction, amplification or rewriting. Wikipedia is a good starting source, but nothing there should be taken as fact without verification.
 
Nothing should ever be taken as fact without verification, regardless of the source.

And I don't need a reason to be snarky. It comes naturally.

Happy new year and take care. :)
 
DavidEduardo said:


The Wikipedia data on most radio station's histories seems like it were written by someone currently on the staff who gathered information that was no better than hearsay.

The source cited by CW is based on FCC records.

Of course, in this case an FM station wants to claim it is over 90 years old. That fails to take into account the fact that Maj. Armstrong had not yet invented FM then and the other fact that the "old" station is the AM which, as previously reported, was sold long ago.
Click to expand...
I'm reasonably certain that KFI started on 833(approximately)KHz but there should be no doubt that the current 640 is directly tied to the legacy of that station. Merely changing bands shouldn't make a difference. Can't you say the same about KNX and KNXT or KABC, if you don't want to go back that far?
 
semoochie said:
I'm reasonably certain that KFI started on 833(approximately)KHz but there should be no doubt that the current 640 is directly tied to the legacy of that station. Merely changing bands shouldn't make a difference. Can't you say the same about KNX and KNXT or KABC, if you don't want to go back that far?
Click to expand...

Yes, but...

The WRR-FM ad said the station was the second oldest station or somesuch. Since WRR-FM did not go on the air until several decades after the first hundreds of AM stations went on the air, it could not be among the first stations in the U.S. or even in Texas.

WRR (AM) (now with different calls) is not the same station as WRR-FM.
 
DavidEduardo said:


Yes, but...

The WRR-FM ad said the station was the second oldest station or somesuch. Since WRR-FM did not go on the air until several decades after the first hundreds of AM stations went on the air, it could not be among the first stations in the U.S. or even in Texas.

WRR (AM) (now with different calls) is not the same station as WRR-FM.
Click to expand...
This seems to be a question of semantics among radio people. About three years ago in Portland, KXL moved calls and programming from AM to FM. It's the same station it was before the change, just on FM. Prior to three years ago, it was unquestionably tied in to the station that went on the air in 1926. If you asked any member of the general public who knew of the station, they'd say it used to be on 750 but moved to 101. I submit that only broadcast people would consider it to be anything different.
 
semoochie said:
This seems to be a question of semantics among radio people.
Click to expand...

Its not semantics...since you obviously did not read my original post, let me quote (again) the ACTUAL words from the job posting on TAB's site:

"Rich with heritage, WRR Classical 101.1 FM was licensed by the FCC in 1921, continuously owned by The City of Dallas and is Texas’ first radio station, America’s second radio station"

WRR Classical 101.1 FM was NOT licensed in 1921, NOT Texas' 1st radio station NOR America's 2nd radio station....period.
 
ContinuousWave said:
"Rich with heritage, WRR Classical 101.1 FM was licensed by the FCC in 1921, continuously owned by The City of Dallas and is Texas’ first radio station, America’s second radio station"

WRR Classical 101.1 FM was NOT licensed in 1921, NOT Texas' 1st radio station NOR America's 2nd radio station....period.
Click to expand...

But, other than those things, I think it's safe to say the statement is completely accurate!! ;)
 
ContinuousWave said:
"Rich with heritage, WRR Classical 101.1 FM was licensed by the FCC in 1921, continuously owned by The City of Dallas and is Texas’ first radio station, America’s second radio station"
Click to expand...

If I were writing the verbiage for that site, here's how I would have phrased it:

Rich with heritage, WRR Classical 101.1 FM has its roots in the former WRR, originally on 1280 AM and later on 1310 AM, which was licensed by the FCC in 1920 as Texas' first radio station, owned by the City of Dallas. WRR-FM began operation in 1947, and the AM station was sold in 1978 and is now KTCK. Combining the two stations histories, WRR has provided continuous service to Dallas for nearly 100 years.

BTW, note that the site even got WRR (AM)'s inaugural year wrong, which I discovered while doing a little research at David's site to come up with the above ...
 
K.M. Richards said:
If I were writing the verbiage for that site, here's how I would have phrased it:

Rich with heritage, WRR Classical 101.1 FM has its roots in the former WRR, originally on 1280 AM and later on 1310 AM, which was licensed by the FCC in 1920 as Texas' first radio station, owned by the City of Dallas. WRR-FM began operation in 1947, and the AM station was sold in 1978 and is now KTCK. Combining the two stations histories, WRR has provided continuous service to Dallas for nearly 100 years.

BTW, note that the site even got WRR (AM)'s inaugural year wrong, which I discovered while doing a little research at David's site to come up with the above ...
Click to expand...
Actually, without looking it up, I would have to guess that WRR started on 833. Is there anything that didn't in those days? Nevertheless, only broadcasters would make the distinction that being on FM makes it a different station. Now if the current Los Angeles station, KRLA, on 870, were to claim legacy with 1110, that would be a different matter.
 
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