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WSB - 90 Years Old in March
- Thread starter trusty
- Start date
My bad. WGST (actually its predecessor) debuted through "the facilities of Georgia Power." it wasn't owned by Georgia Power.
"Seven commercial medium wave stations carried the president's speech that evening. They included stations WGBS, WMIE, and WCKR in Miami, Florida; WSB in Atlanta, Georgia; WCKY in Cincinnati, Ohio; WKWF in Key West, Florida; and WWL in New Orleans, Louisiana. An eighth station -- KAAY in Little Rock, Arkansas -- joined the network on Wednesday (October 25, 1962), and began broadcasting the Voice of America programs from 11 p.m. until dawn, the period when their signal reaches into Cuba. KAAY asked to join the network." KAAY was the only one with the late start time for some unknown reason.
The VOA call sign at the top of each hour seemingly sufficed.
The VOA call sign at the top of each hour seemingly sufficed.
Here is the first newspaper mention of what would become WGST, from the Atlanta Constitution, March 21, 1922: (The copyright has expired).
"The Constitution's radio-phone broadcasting service-got busy last night with its daily government wireless market quotations, crop conditions estimates, receipts and stocks, weather forecasts and warnings, Arlington time, state and general news flashes and so on. The service was opened at 6 p.m. running to 6:30 p.m. and at 9 p.m., running to 9:30 p.m."
"The Constitution's radio-phone broadcasting service-got busy last night with its daily government wireless market quotations, crop conditions estimates, receipts and stocks, weather forecasts and warnings, Arlington time, state and general news flashes and so on. The service was opened at 6 p.m. running to 6:30 p.m. and at 9 p.m., running to 9:30 p.m."
Thanx for the newspaper clip. I found a site about "Arlington time". 'Twas like rebroadcasting WWV.
Thanks. I guessed that "Arlington Time" was a government operated time coordinate. At the sound of the tone, the time will be exactly.....
Oops 
Got the following email on Feb 14th and been so busy that I forgot. I guess better late than never...
___
"I’m handling the upcoming WSB anniversary project. We’re doing a bunch of stuff…pieces on the morning news the week of March 12, then a series of vignettes that will play at various times of day, probably for the rest of the year. Also Scott Slade’s weekend program on March 11 will be about the anniversary, and everything we do on air will also be posted on WSBRadio.com along with photos and maybe the raw extended interviews, etc.
Appreciate your interest. Do you have a connection to the station? Radio buff? Just a fan with a good memory for dates? Haha Still looking for ideas, and very interested any turning up any “new” old recordings of the station.
Chris Chandler
Afternoon Anchor
WSB Radio"
Got the following email on Feb 14th and been so busy that I forgot. I guess better late than never...
___
"I’m handling the upcoming WSB anniversary project. We’re doing a bunch of stuff…pieces on the morning news the week of March 12, then a series of vignettes that will play at various times of day, probably for the rest of the year. Also Scott Slade’s weekend program on March 11 will be about the anniversary, and everything we do on air will also be posted on WSBRadio.com along with photos and maybe the raw extended interviews, etc.
Appreciate your interest. Do you have a connection to the station? Radio buff? Just a fan with a good memory for dates? Haha Still looking for ideas, and very interested any turning up any “new” old recordings of the station.
Chris Chandler
Afternoon Anchor
WSB Radio"
WSB started at 740 and moved to 750 when the FCC changed most
of the frequencies in 1941. It was a charter NBC (Red) affiliate, one
of fifteen stations that carried NBC's inaugural broadcast on November
15, 1926.
WAGA was at 1480 for years and was the NBC (Blue) affiliate (which
became ABC). I'm not sure if the switch to 590 came at the same time
WSB went to 750, but I know that WAGA switched to CBS around 1948,
in time to get the CBS affiliation for Ch. 5, which went on the air in March
1949.
I know that by 1950 WCON (550) had the ABC affiliation; WCON's television
station was to have been the ABC affiliate on Ch. 2 (WSB was originally assigned
Ch. 8), but when the Cox family bought the Constitution, FCC rules at the time
would not allow them to own two television stations. WSB moved to Ch. 2 and
WCON never went on the air; instead, a consortium of businesspeople bought
the station, put it on the air in 1951 as WLTV (now WXIA, the station moved to
Ch. 11 around 1953).
WGST was affiliated with CBS during the '30s and the war years; I think it
was Mutual during the WCON years, before getting ABC and WQXI, Mutual.
I'm not sure who had Mutual prior to the late '40s.
Someone on another thread, discussing WSB radio's loss of CNN's news service,
predicted that the station would pick up NBC's quasi-network and that it might
lead to a reversal of the switch between Chs. 2 and 11 (WSB back with NBC for
its 90th birthday). Instead, WSB radio announced it was affiliating with CBS come
April 1. Now if CBS could get Ch. 2 to switch, a move which might make Atlanta's
number-one television station even stronger, moving from the #3 network to the #1.
of the frequencies in 1941. It was a charter NBC (Red) affiliate, one
of fifteen stations that carried NBC's inaugural broadcast on November
15, 1926.
WAGA was at 1480 for years and was the NBC (Blue) affiliate (which
became ABC). I'm not sure if the switch to 590 came at the same time
WSB went to 750, but I know that WAGA switched to CBS around 1948,
in time to get the CBS affiliation for Ch. 5, which went on the air in March
1949.
I know that by 1950 WCON (550) had the ABC affiliation; WCON's television
station was to have been the ABC affiliate on Ch. 2 (WSB was originally assigned
Ch. 8), but when the Cox family bought the Constitution, FCC rules at the time
would not allow them to own two television stations. WSB moved to Ch. 2 and
WCON never went on the air; instead, a consortium of businesspeople bought
the station, put it on the air in 1951 as WLTV (now WXIA, the station moved to
Ch. 11 around 1953).
WGST was affiliated with CBS during the '30s and the war years; I think it
was Mutual during the WCON years, before getting ABC and WQXI, Mutual.
I'm not sure who had Mutual prior to the late '40s.
Someone on another thread, discussing WSB radio's loss of CNN's news service,
predicted that the station would pick up NBC's quasi-network and that it might
lead to a reversal of the switch between Chs. 2 and 11 (WSB back with NBC for
its 90th birthday). Instead, WSB radio announced it was affiliating with CBS come
April 1. Now if CBS could get Ch. 2 to switch, a move which might make Atlanta's
number-one television station even stronger, moving from the #3 network to the #1.
I was looking up something last month in Atlanta'a radio history, and one thing led to another. It turned into a huge project. So I'll just add my two cents worth...
WSB landed on 740 in 1928. Previously, it had been on 833 (360 meters) and 619 (400 meters(?)) in 1922 and 1923, 700 in 1924 through 1926 and 630 in 1927.
In 1927, WTFI in Toccoa began on 1430 and moved to 1450 in 1928. In 1932, its city of license was changed to Athens and remained until the station went dark in 1936. In 1938, WAGA began on 1450 and moved to 1480, and then 590, in 1941. (I tried to place it on 1480 earlier, but Broadcasting Yearbook kept it on 1450. :) (WYZE began on 1480 in 1956.)
WCON signed on 550 in 1947 and stayed until 1949. The city of license was moved to Gainesville and WGGA went there from 1240 in 1953 (WGGA signed on 1240 in 1941.).
WGST is interesting. It seems that 2 days after WSB (Atlanta Journal) signed in on 1922, a station named WGM (Atlanta Constitution) signed on and was placed on or about 710 in 1922, but was moved to 1110 in 1923 when given to Ga. Tech and renamed WBBF. In 1925, WGST started on 1200 and quickly merged into WBBF at 1110, but kept the WGST calls. The station moved to 890 in 1928 and stayed until The Big Switch in 1941 that placed WGST on 920.
WAOK is even more interesting: WTHS started in Atlanta in 1927 on 1310. It signed off the next year and WRBI of Tifton, Ga. took the 1310 slot. It moved to 1370 and became WJTL in 1931 and moved to (incorporated) North Atlanta in 1932 - affiliated somewhat with Ogelthorpe University. In 1935, it moved to Atlanta and became WATL, where it stayed until 1941 when it was moved to 1400. WATL moved to 1380 in 1948, and 1400 was filled by WDUN in Gainesville (which moved to 1240 in 1953 to take the place of WGGA that had moved to 550). In 1954, WATL changed to WAOK, and that's that.
* Piecing together info from old Yearbooks and radio logs (which may or may not be totally accurate) is tough, but rewarding - like investigation. If you have any first-hand knowledge that adds to or changes the facts, please post them.
So I'll just add my two cents worth...WSB landed on 740 in 1928. Previously, it had been on 833 (360 meters) and 619 (400 meters(?)) in 1922 and 1923, 700 in 1924 through 1926 and 630 in 1927.
In 1927, WTFI in Toccoa began on 1430 and moved to 1450 in 1928. In 1932, its city of license was changed to Athens and remained until the station went dark in 1936. In 1938, WAGA began on 1450 and moved to 1480, and then 590, in 1941. (I tried to place it on 1480 earlier, but Broadcasting Yearbook kept it on 1450. :
) (WYZE began on 1480 in 1956.)WCON signed on 550 in 1947 and stayed until 1949. The city of license was moved to Gainesville and WGGA went there from 1240 in 1953 (WGGA signed on 1240 in 1941.).
WGST is interesting. It seems that 2 days after WSB (Atlanta Journal) signed in on 1922, a station named WGM (Atlanta Constitution) signed on and was placed on or about 710 in 1922, but was moved to 1110 in 1923 when given to Ga. Tech and renamed WBBF. In 1925, WGST started on 1200 and quickly merged into WBBF at 1110, but kept the WGST calls. The station moved to 890 in 1928 and stayed until The Big Switch in 1941 that placed WGST on 920.
WAOK is even more interesting: WTHS started in Atlanta in 1927 on 1310. It signed off the next year and WRBI of Tifton, Ga. took the 1310 slot. It moved to 1370 and became WJTL in 1931 and moved to (incorporated) North Atlanta in 1932 - affiliated somewhat with Ogelthorpe University. In 1935, it moved to Atlanta and became WATL, where it stayed until 1941 when it was moved to 1400. WATL moved to 1380 in 1948, and 1400 was filled by WDUN in Gainesville (which moved to 1240 in 1953 to take the place of WGGA that had moved to 550). In 1954, WATL changed to WAOK, and that's that.
* Piecing together info from old Yearbooks and radio logs (which may or may not be totally accurate) is tough, but rewarding - like investigation. If you have any first-hand knowledge that adds to or changes the facts, please post them.
R
Radio1360
Guest
Happy 90 WSB Radio!
R
Radio1360
Guest
According to Wikipedia, it was WSB-AM that gave NBC Radio (its affiliate at the time) its famous signature chime (N-B-C)
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