America's Leading Broadcasters

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 38, 29 March 1935, Unnumbered Page

America's Leading Broadcasters

At present the best heard American broadcasters are the high power transmitters. There are 28 using 50 kw.’ and one (WLW) asing 500 kw. All of these stations carry network programmes execpt WOR Newark, WGN Chicago, and IKKNX Hollywood. WOR, WGN, and WLW are sometimes linked together for quality programmes, There are five networks in North America. The two NBC chains have about 100 stations with an average power of 17 kw. The 100 CBS stations average 5 kw. The CRC has 50 stations with an average power of 1 kw., and the 20 ABS stations average i.5 kw. The last two chains have nv 50 kw. affiliates. There are seven 50 kw. stations in the CBS. Of the 22 NBO associates, four carry WJZ programmes, five WEAI features, and the. others carry both. Most of the high power stations are located about 25 miles from the centres of the cities. They generally come on the air at about 7 a.m. local time and close down at midnight or | a.m. WLW is on the air from 6.30 a.m. to 2 ‘’ a.m. E.S.T The increase in 50 kw. stations has been fairly rapid. Five years ago there were only eight on the air. Transatlantic reception of America should be ‘improved with this. increase in power. New England is served by two stations, WBZ Boston 990, and WTIG Hartford 1040. WBzZ is one of the pioneer statious of the country, It went on the air in 1921. It was first located . at Springfield, but has now been moved closer to Boston. A _ booster station for Springfield WBZA 1 kw. is synchronised with WBZ on 990 ke. A short wave transmitter WIXAZ carries the programmes to other lands, WBZ carries WJZ programmes. WTIO is heard wel] in the British Isles. WEAF programmes are radiated New York City has tour 50 kw. stations. WEAF transmits from Long Island, and WABC, WOR, WJZ from New Jersey. All but’ WOR are key stations for major networks. WJZ was opened in 1921; this was really: the start of the radio boom in America. WJZ was then located in Newark. Its transmitter is now located at Bound Brook, New Jersey. W3XAL radiates the programmes on short waves, The studios. of WJZ and WEAF are in Radio City; WAR’ — «auarters are at 485 Madison Avenue; WOR broadcasts from Newark. The programmes of WABC are heard throughout the world via W2X5s. Upstate New York has two 50kw. stations, WHAM Rochester 1150, and WGY Schenectady 790. Rochester is heard very wel] in both New York and Ontario. Tt belongs to the WJZ chain, Many fine musical programmes come from the city of Rochester, WGY, the General Electric station. is heard best through the short wave transmitters W2XAD and W2XAF, WRAF pro grammes are relayed. In the early days of short waves W2XAD was often heard testing with GASW. and W2XAF with VK2ME. . Pennsylvania has two high power broadcasters, WCAU Philadelphia 1170. and KDKA Pittsburgh 980. WCAU is the kev station of the Dixie network of the CRS Programmes go out on short waves via W8ZAU KDKA has maintained a regular schedule longer than any other station in the world. It is now in,its fifteenth

year of broadcasting. The WJZ net-. work programmes are radiated’ to America on 980 ke. and to the world through W8XK., Many interesting and unusual. broadcasts have been heard from this pioneer Westinghouse station. Turning ‘to the South we find four 50 kw. stations. WBT Charlotte, North Carolina 1080 and WHAS Louisville, Kentucky 820 are OBS affiliates. WSB Atlanta, Georgia 740 and WSM Nashville, Tennessee 650 belong to the NBC chain. WBT is heard very well as far north as Pennsylvania, Louisville 1s in the centre of the famous Kentucky pblue-grass_ region. WSB "covers Dixie tke the dew." The southern drawl of the Atlanta announcers is well known to American listenevs. Nashville is called the ‘‘Athens ot the South.’’ WSM’s transmitting mast is one of the highest in the world, reaching to 878 feet. The most famous programme of this station is the "Grand Old Opry,’’ now in its tenth year. It is broadcast each® Saturday night from 8 p.m. to midnight, CST, and consists of barn dance music, banjo players, old mountain ditties, cowboy tunes-a cross-section of rural America, The programme is popular throughout the entire nation, Ohio has WTAM Oleveland 1070, member of the WEAF chain. and WLW Cincinatti 700 NBC associate, The former is wel] heard in western Ontario, which lies just across Lake Erie. WLW has been operating since May 2, 1934 on 500 kw. Tt is Ineated near the centre of population of the United States and is heard better than any other station. Daylight recention is provided to a distance of 400 miles. The station. is heard o¢ well as if it were surrounded by a ring of 50 kw. stations at a distance of 200 miles. At night the station is heard well within a radius of 2500 miles. WSXAL relays LW on short waves. There are three S50 tw, stations in

Chicago. WENR-WLS 870 and WMAQ 670 are affiliates,, and WGN 720 is an independent. W9XF relays the programmes of WENR. WGN broadcasts from the Drake Hotel. There are three. high power midwest stations. WCCO Minneapolis 810 and KMOX St. Louis 1090 are members of the CBS. WHO Des Moines 1s an NBC station. These broadcasters serve the rich farming area of this region. Texas listeners have WOAI San Antonio 1190 and WBAP-WFAA Fort Worth-Dallas 800, both NBO stations. They carry many interesting programmes to all parts of the southwest. Th plains country of Texas is famous fo cattle, Two 50 kw. Mexican borde stations are heard well in Texas,’ XEPN Piedras Negras 590 and XENT Nuevo Laredo 910. Rocky Mountain _ listeners receive NBC programmes through KOA Denver 830 and CBS vvoyrammes through KSL Salt Lake City 1130. The famous Mormon choir is frequently heard from Salt Lake over the CBS chain. On the Pacific coast KPO San Francisco 680 radiates NBC features with 50 kw. power. California is famed throughout the world for its climate. In the southern part of the state KFI Los Angelés 640 and KNX Hollywood 1050 are leading stations. KFT carries NBC programmes to many listeners in America and even to. Australasia. KNX has no chain connections. It is well heard in manv parts of the United States.