Misplaced Pages

#616383

128-498: The network's English-language flagship is WHSQ , also owned by Audacy but licensed to Good Karma Brands to operate as an affiliate of ESPN Radio . WHSQ inherited the radio broadcast rights to the Mets from WCBS (AM) , its predecessor, and is operating under a contract signed with Audacy predecessor Entercom that began in 2018 and is scheduled to run until 2025. The Mets had previously aired their games on WFAN beginning in 1987, when

256-441: A middle of the road (MOR) music and personality format, which included limited talk programming. Personalities included morning host Jack Sterling, Bill Randle , and Lee Jordan. Like many MOR stations at the time, WCBS did mix in softer songs by rock-and-roll artists. Its ratings at the time were ordinary compared to the higher ratings at WOR and WNEW , both of which also had MOR formats and more distinct identities. Through it all,

384-472: A "chain". The Radio Corporation of America (RCA), General Electric , and Westinghouse organized a competing network around its own flagship station, RCA's WJZ (now WABC) in New York City, but were hampered by AT&T's refusal to lease connecting lines or allow them to sell airtime. In 1926 AT&T sold its radio operations to RCA, which used them to form the nucleus of the new NBC network. By

512-846: A 10 shilling receiver license fee. Both highbrow and mass-appeal programmes were carried by the National and Regional networks. The period from the early 1920s through the 1940s is often called the "Golden Age of Radio". During this period AM radio was the main source of home entertainment, until it was replaced by television. For the first time entertainment was provided from outside the home, replacing traditional forms of entertainment such as oral storytelling and music from family members. New forms were created, including radio plays , mystery serials, soap operas , quiz shows , variety hours , situation comedies and children's shows . Radio news, including remote reporting, allowed listeners to be vicariously present at notable events. Radio greatly eased

640-570: A central station to all parts of the United States", he was unable to overcome the inherent distance limitations of this technology. The earliest public radiotelegraph broadcasts were provided as government services, beginning with daily time signals inaugurated on January 1, 1905, by a number of U.S. Navy stations. In Europe, signals transmitted from a station located on the Eiffel Tower were received throughout much of Europe. In both

768-610: A concerted attempt to specify performance of AM receivers through the 1993 AMAX standard, a joint effort of the EIA and the NAB, with FCC backing... The FCC rapidly followed up on this with codification of the CQUAM AM stereo standard, also in 1993. At this point, the stage appeared to be set for rejuvenation of the AM band. Nevertheless, with the legacy of confusion and disappointment in the rollout of

896-635: A consortium, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), established on 18 October 1922, which was given a monopoly on broadcasting. This enterprise was supported by a tax on radio sets sales, plus an annual license fee on receivers, collected by the Post Office. Initially the eight stations were allowed regional autonomy. In 1927, the original broadcasting organization was replaced by a government chartered British Broadcasting Corporation . an independent nonprofit supported solely by

1024-564: A continuous-wave (CW) transmitter. Fessenden began his research on audio transmissions while doing developmental work for the United States Weather Service on Cobb Island, Maryland. Because he did not yet have a continuous-wave transmitter, initially he worked with an experimental "high-frequency spark" transmitter, taking advantage of the fact that the higher the spark rate, the closer a spark-gap transmission comes to producing continuous waves. He later reported that, in

1152-490: A decade to call the station home, after the New Jersey Nets left for WFAN in 2004. Howie Rose serves as play-by-play and color commentator on the broadcasts, alternating these roles with another broadcaster. Most recently this was Josh Lewin , who called games alongside Rose from 2012-2018. Wayne Randazzo replaced Lewin as co play-by-play commentator and serves as post-game host. Ed Coleman previously hosted

1280-580: A few " telephone newspaper " systems, most of which were established in Europe, beginning with the Paris Théâtrophone . With this in mind, most early radiotelephone development envisioned that the device would be more profitably developed as a "wireless telephone" for personal communication, or for providing links where regular telephone lines could not be run, rather than for the uncertain finances of broadcasting. The person generally credited as

1408-463: A few hundred ( Hz ), to increase its rotational speed and so generate currents of tens-of-thousands Hz, thus producing a steady continuous-wave transmission when connected to an aerial. The next step, adopted from standard wire-telephone practice, was to insert a simple carbon microphone into the transmission line, to modulate the carrier wave signal to produce AM audio transmissions. However, it would take many years of expensive development before even

SECTION 10

#1732802578617

1536-574: A full-time radio presence in New York City. CBS programming had earlier been heard on 710 WOR also on a part time basis. WOR remained independent for a few years, then helped form the Mutual Broadcasting System . After a short time broadcasting CBS programming three days a week, WABC-WBOQ was purchased by CBS president William S. Paley , and became a full-time CBS Network owned and operated station. WABC-WBOQ increased its transmitting power from 5,000 to its present 50,000 watts,

1664-516: A home audio device prior to the introduction of the high-fidelity , long-playing record in the late 1940s. Listening habits changed in the 1960s due to the introduction of the revolutionary transistor radio (Regency TR-1, the first transistor radio released December 1954), which was made possible by the invention of the transistor in 1948. (The transistor was invented at Bell labs and released in June 1948.) Their compact size — small enough to fit in

1792-474: A listening site at Plymouth, Massachusetts. An American Telephone Journal account of the December 21 alternator-transmitter demonstration included the statement that "It is admirably adapted to the transmission of news, music, etc. as, owing to the fact that no wires are needed, simultaneous transmission to many subscribers can be effected as easily as to a few", echoing the words of a handout distributed to

1920-487: A majority of early broadcasting stations operated on mediumwave frequencies, whose limited range generally restricted them to local audiences. One method for overcoming this limitation, as well as a method for sharing program costs, was to create radio networks , linking stations together with telephone lines to provide a nationwide audience. In the U.S., the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T)

2048-586: A monopoly on the all-news format. In New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, CBS had to compete with Westinghouse -owned stations, WINS, KFWB , and KYW , respectively. They had adopted all-news programming before the CBS stations did. While the Los Angeles stations made the switch within days of each other, WCAU in Philadelphia did not switch to the format until 1975, giving KYW a ten-year head start with

2176-506: A national scale. The introduction of nationwide talk shows, most prominently Rush Limbaugh 's beginning in 1988, was sometimes credited with "saving" AM radio. However, these stations tended to attract older listeners who were of lesser interest to advertisers, and AM radio's audience share continued to erode. In 1961, the FCC adopted a single standard for FM stereo transmissions, which was widely credited with enhancing FM's popularity. Developing

2304-484: A playing of " Imagine " by John Lennon and sign off by morning news anchor Wayne Cabot. Alongside ESPN Radio programming, WHSQ would retain its rights to the New York Mets, as they are owned by Audacy itself. The rights to Rutgers Scarlet Knights basketball were transferred to WFAN. From 1924 until the end of its all-news programming in 2024, WCBS was known for announcing the time every three minutes. This

2432-399: A policy allowing AM stations to simulcast over FM translator stations. Translators had previously been available only to FM broadcasters, in order to increase coverage in fringe areas. Their assignment for use by AM stations was intended to approximate the station's daytime coverage, which in cases where the stations reduced power at night, often resulted in expanded nighttime coverage. Although

2560-486: A prototype alternator-transmitter would be ready, and a few years beyond that for high-power versions to become available. Fessenden worked with General Electric 's (GE) Ernst F. W. Alexanderson , who in August 1906 delivered an improved model which operated at a transmitting frequency of approximately 50 kHz, although at low power. The alternator-transmitter achieved the goal of transmitting quality audio signals, but

2688-453: A religious broadcaster required a move in rights over the offseason). Good Karma Brands began operating WCBS as WHSQ on August 26, 2024, under a local marketing agreement with Audacy, with the station carrying ESPN Radio as a replacement for WEPN-FM . Good Karma holds no relationship to the Mets or its radio network, as Audacy remains the official rightsholder, and is responsible for the advertising time during Mets broadcasts. Likewise,

SECTION 20

#1732802578617

2816-423: A result, AM radio tends to do best in areas where FM frequencies are in short supply, or in thinly populated or mountainous areas where FM coverage is poor. Great care must be taken to avoid mutual interference between stations operating on the same frequency. In general, an AM transmission needs to be about 20 times stronger than an interfering signal to avoid a reduction in quality, in contrast to FM signals, where

2944-452: A shirt pocket — and lower power requirements, compared to vacuum tubes, meant that for the first time radio receivers were readily portable. The transistor radio became the most widely used communication device in history, with billions manufactured by the 1970s. Radio became a ubiquitous "companion medium" which people could take with them anywhere they went. The demarcation between what is considered "experimental" and "organized" broadcasting

3072-427: A short-range "wireless telephone" demonstration, that included simultaneously broadcasting speech and music to seven locations throughout Murray, Kentucky. However, this was transmitted using induction rather than radio signals, and although Stubblefield predicted that his system would be perfected so that "it will be possible to communicate with hundreds of homes at the same time", and "a single message can be sent from

3200-461: A widespread audience — dates back to the founding period of radio development, even though the earliest radio transmissions, originally known as "Hertzian radiation" and "wireless telegraphy", used spark-gap transmitters that could only transmit the dots-and-dashes of Morse code . In October 1898 a London publication, The Electrician , noted that "there are rare cases where, as Dr. [Oliver] Lodge once expressed it, it might be advantageous to 'shout'

3328-405: Is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmissions, but also on the longwave and shortwave radio bands. The earliest experimental AM transmissions began in the early 1900s. However, widespread AM broadcasting

3456-513: Is also used at other CBS-affiliated news radio stations nationwide. As an all-news station WCBS promoted its pairing of traffic and weather reports every ten minutes "on the eights", and used the tagline "Traffic and Weather Together". The station's chief meteorologist, Craig Allen , and its rush hour traffic reporter Tom Kaminski, were both with WCBS for over three decades and recorded a series of commercials together to that effect. Part-time WCBS meteorologist Todd Glickman , who filled in for Craig,

3584-455: Is because during the early 20th century, not all listeners had reliable time pieces. They relied on synchronising their clocks up with the radio almost every day. On the hour, WCBS played the iconic and distinctive CBS network "bong" indicating that the time is on the hour, although the station would later broadcast with a 10-second delay. The time was distinctly introduced with "WCBS news time: _:__". This standard practice, with slight variations,

3712-406: Is comparable to or better in audio quality than a standard analog broadcast". Despite the various actions, AM band audiences continued to contract, and the number of stations began to slowly decline. A 2009 FCC review reported that "The story of AM radio over the last 50 years has been a transition from being the dominant form of audio entertainment for all age groups to being almost non-existent to

3840-458: Is instead an affiliate of its radio network.) Coleman returned to the Mets' booth as pre-game host in 2019 On April 1, 2019, Entercom announced that it had discontinued the Mets' radio network and would be carrying games only on WCBS for the 2019 season. The Mets cited the loss of some of its affiliates prior to the season (among them WROW in Albany) and the relative expense of satellite space for

3968-502: Is largely arbitrary. Listed below are some of the early AM radio broadcasts, which, due to their irregular schedules and limited purposes, can be classified as "experimental": People who weren't around in the Twenties when radio exploded can't know what it meant, this milestone for mankind. Suddenly, with radio, there was instant human communication. No longer were our homes isolated and lonely and silent. The world came into our homes for

New York Mets Radio Network - Misplaced Pages Continue

4096-645: Is simpler than later transmission systems. An AM receiver detects amplitude variations in the radio waves at a particular frequency, then amplifies changes in the signal voltage to operate a loudspeaker or earphone . However, the simplicity of AM transmission also makes it vulnerable to "static" ( radio noise , radio frequency interference ) created by both natural atmospheric electrical activity such as lightning, and electrical and electronic equipment, including fluorescent lights, motors and vehicle ignition systems. In large urban centers, AM radio signals can be severely disrupted by metal structures and tall buildings. As

4224-652: The American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which began operation under that name in 1945. Control of the call sign WABC was retained by renaming a relay station from WEHG to WABC. Longtime, and unrelated, ABC radio flagship station on 770 kHz in New York was assigned the call sign WABC in 1953, after operating since its beginning in 1921 as WJZ. Over the next 20 years WCBS developed a series of radio soap operas, afternoon talk shows, and an all-night easy listening music show, Music 'til Dawn . It

4352-581: The CBS Broadcast Center at 524 West 57th Street. Around this time, the station began referring to itself as "Newsradio 880". On December 2, 2011, the station moved operations to 345 Hudson Street, known as the Hudson Square Broadcast Center, sharing space with CBS Radio's other New York stations. On February 2, 2017, CBS agreed to merge CBS Radio with Entercom , at the time the fourth-largest radio broadcaster in

4480-578: The Electronic Industries Association (EIA) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) with the intention of helping AM stations, especially ones with musical formats, become more competitive with FM broadcasters by promoting better quality receivers. However, the stereo AM and AMAX initiatives had little impact, and a 2015 review of these events concluded that Initially the consumer manufacturers made

4608-625: The Emergency Alert System (EAS). Some automakers have been eliminating AM radio from their electric vehicles (EVs) due to interference from the electric motors , but the lawmakers argue that this is a safety risk and that car owners should have access to AM radio regardless of the type of vehicle they drive. The proposed legislation would require all new vehicles to include AM radio at no additional charge, and it would also require automakers that have already eliminated AM radio to inform customers of alternatives. AM radio technology

4736-493: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) expressed concerns that this would reduce the effectiveness of emergency communications. In May 2023, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the United States introduced legislation making it illegal for automakers to eliminate AM radio from their cars. The lawmakers argue that AM radio is an important tool for public safety due to being a component of

4864-431: The electrolytic detector and thermionic diode ( Fleming valve ) were invented by Reginald Fessenden and John Ambrose Fleming , respectively. Most important, in 1904–1906 the crystal detector , the simplest and cheapest AM detector, was developed by G. W. Pickard . Homemade crystal radios spread rapidly during the next 15 years, providing ready audiences for the first radio broadcasts. One limitation of crystals sets

4992-430: The " capture effect " means that the dominant signal needs to only be about twice as strong as the interfering one. To allow room for more stations on the mediumwave broadcast band in the United States, in June 1989 the FCC adopted a National Radio Systems Committee (NRSC) standard that limited maximum transmitted audio bandwidth to 10.2 kHz, limiting occupied bandwidth to 20.4 kHz. The former audio limitation

5120-603: The 1930s, most of the major radio stations in the country were affiliated with networks owned by two companies, NBC and CBS . In 1934, a third national network, the Mutual Radio Network , was formed as a cooperative owned by its stations. A second country which quickly adopted network programming was the United Kingdom, and its national network quickly became a prototype for a state-managed monopoly of broadcasting. A rising interest in radio broadcasting by

5248-660: The 1940s two new broadcast media, FM radio and television , began to provide extensive competition with the established broadcasting services. The AM radio industry suffered a serious loss of audience and advertising revenue, and coped by developing new strategies. Network broadcasting gave way to format broadcasting: instead of broadcasting the same programs all over the country, stations individually adopted specialized formats which appealed to different audiences, such as regional and local news, sports, "talk" programs, and programs targeted at minorities. Instead of live music, most stations began playing less expensive recorded music. In

New York Mets Radio Network - Misplaced Pages Continue

5376-532: The AM radio industry in the United States developed technology for broadcasting in stereo . Other nations adopted AM stereo, most commonly choosing Motorola's C-QUAM, and in 1993 the United States also made the C-QUAM system its standard, after a period allowing four different standards to compete. The selection of a single standard improved acceptance of AM stereo , however overall there was limited adoption of AM stereo worldwide, and interest declined after 1990. With

5504-647: The Atlantic Broadcasting Company, and it was announced that on December 17 "the new super power 5 kW station WABC, formerly WAHG, took to the air... from 113 West 57th St." debuting with a "gala concert". On March 26, 1925, a second station, WBOQ, standing for "Borough of Queens", had been licensed to A. H. Grebe & Company on 1270 kHz. Grebe's Atlantic Broadcasting Company eventually was licensed for four New York City-area stations: WABC, WBOQ, plus portable stations WGMU and WRMU. The two portable stations were deleted on July 31, 1928, after

5632-531: The British public pressured the government to reintroduce the service, following its suspension in 1920. However, the government also wanted to avoid what it termed the "chaotic" U.S. experience of allowing large numbers of stations to operate with few restrictions. There were also concerns about broadcasting becoming dominated by the Marconi company. Arrangements were made for six large radio manufacturers to form

5760-546: The CBS Radio Network late in their playing days. Sports announcer Marty Glickman served as sports director during a time in the 1960s. Mel Allen was originally renowned as an all-purpose broadcaster on WCBS and the CBS Radio Network before and during his tenure as the Yankees' lead broadcaster. Decades later, Ed Ingles established a 25-year career as sports director and morning sports anchor at WCBS, reporter for

5888-712: The Entercom transaction, and to gain regulatory approval of it, WBZ, along with several other Entercom stations, were sold to iHeartMedia effective December 19, 2017.) On October 10, 2022, after Audacy had reached a new deal with SAG-AFTRA , it was announced that the separate staffs and newsrooms of WCBS and WINS would be combined. Concurrently, WNYL (92.3 FM) also became an FM simulcast of WINS. The move gave WINS an FM outlet, while WCBS remained only on AM radio and on an HD Radio digital subchannel of 101.1 WCBS-FM. Since WINS added its FM signal, WINS had seen increases in listeners (especially among young adults) and revenue at

6016-557: The Jets and St. John's broadcasts, and mentor to several veteran local and national broadcasters such as Barry Landers, Bill Schweizer, Spencer Ross and Bill Daughtry. In 2023, WCBS aired Sunday afternoon NFL games from Compass Media Networks . The station also carried Notre Dame Fighting Irish football broadcasts, distributed by Skyview Networks. ** = Audacy operates pursuant to a local marketing agreement with Martz Communications Group . AM broadcasting AM broadcasting

6144-526: The LMA and the station's advertising is sold by Audacy during Mets broadcasts. Likewise, the station is promoted by Audacy as Mets Radio 880 , and its associated stream on the Audacy app otherwise carries Infinity Sports Network outside of Mets games. The station was first licensed, as WAHG, on September 20, 1924, to Alfred H. Grebe & Company, for 500 watts on 950 kHz. It made its debut broadcast on

6272-506: The Mets announced that the WCBS stream on the Audacy app would stream Mets games in full to make up for the radio network's shortfall throughout the Mets' home territory, and also be made available on the team's website under the same restriction. The team and Audacy will also produce and stream the team's Spanish-language broadcast, which will return to WEPN after a one-year interregnum on TelevisaUnivision 's WQBU-FM (a sale of that station to

6400-711: The NBA's New York Knicks . In 2016, the New York Islanders moved their flagship station to WCBS for that year's playoffs, with WFAN airing select games when available; the Islanders had, up to that point, resorted to airing on noncommercial WNYE , which had limited the team's ability to earn money from the broadcasts. WCBS served as a springboard to athletes-turned-broadcasters in its pre-all-news period. Most notably, former football Giants Pat Summerall and Frank Gifford were employed in various capacities by WCBS and

6528-606: The National Football League. It also served as the flagship commercial station for St. John's University basketball games during the Johnnies' renaissance in the 1980s and 1990s. WCBS also served two tenures as the flagship station of the New York Jets . In its pre-all-news days, WCBS also carried the baseball Giants (as part of the 1930s-40s Giants-Yankees home game package), the football Giants, and

SECTION 50

#1732802578617

6656-411: The Twenties when radio exploded can't know what it meant, this milestone for mankind. Suddenly, with radio, there was instant human communication. No longer were our homes isolated and lonely and silent. The world came into our homes for the first time. Music came pouring in. Laughter came in. News came in. The world shrank, with radio. The idea of broadcasting — the unrestricted transmission of signals to

6784-694: The United States and France this led to a small market of receiver lines geared for jewelers who needed accurate time to set their clocks, including the Ondophone in France, and the De Forest RS-100 Jewelers Time Receiver in the United States The ability to pick up time signal broadcasts, in addition to Morse code weather reports and news summaries, also attracted the interest of amateur radio enthusiasts. It

6912-405: The United States; the sale was conducted using a Reverse Morris Trust so that it would be tax-free. While CBS shareholders retained a 72% ownership stake in the combined company, Entercom was the surviving entity, separating WCBS radio (both 880 and FM 101.1) from WCBS-TV. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17. As part of the agreement with CBS, Entercom

7040-469: The WCBS Audacy stream began to carry Mets broadcasts within the team's broadcast territory. Later that year, the station became the flagship for Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball , replacing longtime home WOR . WCBS served three stints as the radio flagship of the Yankees, with the most recent running from 2002 until 2013. The station had previously carried the Yankees from 1939 to 1940 (when

7168-490: The all-news format on WCBS effective August 26, citing that "the headwinds facing local journalism nationwide made it essential to strategically reimagine how we deliver the news for the most impact", and that it would therefore focus exclusively on WINS moving forward. Audacy entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Good Karma Brands , under which the ESPN Radio programming of WEPN-FM would move to WCBS, and

7296-523: The antenna wire. This meant that the full transmitter power flowed through the microphone, and even using water cooling, the power handling ability of the microphones severely limited the power of the transmissions. Ultimately only a small number of large and powerful Alexanderson alternators would be developed. However, they would be almost exclusively used for long-range radiotelegraph communication, and occasionally for radiotelephone experimentation, but were never used for general broadcasting. Almost all of

7424-482: The audience has continued to decline. In 1987, the elimination of the Fairness Doctrine requirement meant that talk shows, which were commonly carried by AM stations, could adopt a more focused presentation on controversial topics, without the distraction of having to provide airtime for any contrasting opinions. In addition, satellite distribution made it possible for programs to be economically carried on

7552-485: The audience. Many blame this as the primary reason WCAU did not succeed in competing with KYW. The all-news format on WCAU lasted only three years. In contrast, the other CBS all-news stations experienced success and stability with the format. In 1995, Westinghouse merged with CBS, making WCBS a sister station to its longtime archrival WINS. In October 2000, WCBS made another move, from CBS corporate headquarters at 51 West 52nd Street (the building known as " Black Rock ") to

7680-599: The call letters WCBS from 1946 to 2024. In 1967, the station began an all-news format, competing primarily with WINS (1010 AM). WCBS later became a sister to WINS after CBS's merger with Westinghouse Broadcasting ; the two stations were differentiated in their style and extent of coverage. In 2017, CBS Radio would merge with Entercom (now Audacy), ending the ownership of WCBS by CBS. In 2022, WCBS began to combine its operations with WINS. In August 2024, Audacy announced that it would end WCBS's all-news format after 57 years, and enter into an LMA with Good Karma Brands to operate

7808-424: The case to come to trial. Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson's book The Murrow Boys asserted that WCBS executive Arthur Hull Hayes admitted on the stand the station's overall ratings, not Faulk's specifically, had slipped. The controversy became the subject of the 1975 CBS television movie Fear on Trial , based in part on Faulk's autobiography of the same name. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, WCBS evolved into

SECTION 60

#1732802578617

7936-404: The characteristics of arc-transmitters . Fessenden attempted to sell this form of radiotelephone for point-to-point communication, but was unsuccessful. Fessenden's work with high-frequency spark transmissions was only a temporary measure. His ultimate plan for creating an audio-capable transmitter was to redesign an electrical alternator , which normally produced alternating current of at most

8064-566: The co-flagship of the ESPN Radio network. The station's transmitter is located on High Island in the Bronx ; its 50,000-watt clear channel signal can be heard at night throughout much of the eastern United States and Eastern Canada. First signing on in September 1924, the station had been an affiliate and owned-and-operated flagship of the CBS radio network for much of its existence, and held

8192-403: The commission estimated that fewer than 250 AM stations were transmitting hybrid mode signals. On October 27, 2020, the FCC voted to allow AM stations to eliminate their analog transmissions and convert to all-digital operation, with the requirement that stations making the change had to continue to make programming available over "at least one free over-the-air digital programming stream that

8320-475: The continued migration of AM stations away from music to news, sports, and talk formats, receiver manufacturers saw little reason to adopt the more expensive stereo tuners, and thus radio stations have little incentive to upgrade to stereo transmission. In countries where the use of directional antennas is common, such as the United States, transmitter sites consisting of multiple towers often occupy large tracts of land that have significantly increased in value over

8448-437: The continuous wave AM transmissions made prior to 1915 were made by versions of the arc converter transmitter, which had been initially developed by Valdemar Poulsen in 1903. Arc transmitters worked by producing a pulsating electrical arc in an enclosed hydrogen atmosphere. They were much more compact than alternator transmitters, and could operate on somewhat higher transmitting frequencies. However, they suffered from some of

8576-434: The decades, to the point that the value of land exceeds that of the station itself. This sometimes results in the sale of the transmitter site, with the station relocating to a more distant shared site using significantly less power, or completely shutting down operations. The ongoing development of alternative transmission systems, including Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), satellite radio, and HD (digital) radio, continued

8704-567: The decline of the popularity of the traditional broadcast technologies. These new options, including the introduction of Internet streaming, particularly resulted in the reduction of shortwave transmissions, as international broadcasters found ways to reach their audiences more easily. In 2022 it was reported that AM radio was being removed from a number of electric vehicle (EV) models, including from cars manufactured by Tesla, Audi, Porsche, BMW and Volvo, reportedly due to automakers concerns that an EV's higher electromagnetic interference can disrupt

8832-569: The demonstration witnesses, which stated "[Radio] Telephony is admirably adapted for transmitting news, stock quotations, music, race reports, etc. simultaneously over a city, on account of the fact that no wires are needed and a single apparatus can distribute to ten thousand subscribers as easily as to a few. It is proposed to erect stations for this purpose in the large cities here and abroad." However, other than two holiday transmissions reportedly made shortly after these demonstrations, Fessenden does not appear to have conducted any radio broadcasts for

8960-536: The discontinuation. At least one station, WTLA in Syracuse (the city that houses the Mets' AAA affiliate ), expressed objection to the cancellation, as that station had an affiliation deal that ran through 2020 and will not be honored. WHSQ, a maximum-power clear-channel station that can be received in most of the Eastern United States at night, now exclusively airs all games. On March 31, 2022,

9088-475: The evening of September 22. WAHG was a pioneering station in New York, and was one of the first commercial radio stations to broadcast from remote locations including horse races and yachting events. In December 1926, WABC, a station located in Asheville, North Carolina, changed its call sign to WWNC . Grebe took advantage of this to modify his station's call sign to one that reflected a change in ownership to

9216-648: The expectation is that listeners will primarily be tuning into the FM signal rather than the nominally "primary" AM station. A 2020 review noted that "for many owners, keeping their AM stations on the air now is pretty much just about retaining their FM translator footprint rather than keeping the AM on the air on its own merits". In 2018 the FCC, led by then-Commission Chairman Ajit Pai , proposed greatly reducing signal protection for 50 kW Class A " clear channel " stations. This would allow co-channel secondary stations to operate with higher powers, especially at night. However,

9344-433: The expense of WCBS; whereas in 2022, before the addition of WINS-FM, the two stations were neck-and-neck in revenue earnings (WCBS earning $ 30.9 million to WINS' $ 31.6 million). Following the addition, that number plummeted the following year to $ 29.7 million (more damningly, creating a further gap against WINS-AM/FM's $ 40 million). By 2024, it had become clear the move was draining listeners from WCBS, with

9472-445: The fall of 1900, he successfully transmitted speech over a distance of about 1.6 kilometers (one mile), which appears to have been the first successful audio transmission using radio signals. However, at this time the sound was far too distorted to be commercially practical. For a time he continued working with more sophisticated high-frequency spark transmitters, including versions that used compressed air, which began to take on some of

9600-401: The first time. Music came pouring in. Laughter came in. News came in. The world shrank, with radio. Following World War I, the number of stations providing a regular broadcasting service greatly increased, primarily due to advances in vacuum-tube technology. In response to ongoing activities, government regulators eventually codified standards for which stations could make broadcasts intended for

9728-493: The flagship New York chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) broadcasters' union. After Faulk and WCBS came under pressure from anti-Communist group Aware, Inc. , Faulk and attorney Louis Nizer sued Aware, Inc. for libel, a case often considered one of the key turning points in the battle against McCarthyism . Faulk was supported by fellow CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow , who

9856-624: The general public, for example, in the United States formal recognition of a "broadcasting service" came with the establishment of regulations effective December 1, 1921, and Canadian authorities created a separate category of "radio-telephone broadcasting stations" in April 1922. However, there were numerous cases of entertainment broadcasts being presented on a regular schedule before their formal recognition by government regulators. Some early examples include: Because most longwave radio frequencies were used for international radiotelegraph communication,

9984-417: The general public, or to have even given additional thought about the potential of a regular broadcast service, and in a 1908 article providing a comprehensive review of the potential uses for his radiotelephone invention, he made no references to broadcasting. Because there was no way to amplify electrical currents at this time, modulation was usually accomplished by a carbon microphone inserted directly in

10112-554: The isolation of rural life. Political officials could now speak directly to millions of citizens. One of the first to take advantage of this was American president Franklin Roosevelt , who became famous for his fireside chats during the Great Depression . However, broadcasting also provided the means to use propaganda as a powerful government tool, and contributed to the rise of fascist and communist ideologies. In

10240-411: The lack of any way to amplify the signals meant they were somewhat weak. On December 21, 1906, Fessenden made an extensive demonstration of the new alternator-transmitter at Brant Rock, Massachusetts, showing its utility for point-to-point wireless telephony, including interconnecting his stations to the wire telephone network. As part of the demonstration, speech was transmitted 18 kilometers (11 miles) to

10368-419: The late 1960s and 1970s, top 40 rock and roll stations in the U.S. and Canada such as WABC and CHUM transmitted highly processed and extended audio to 11 kHz, successfully attracting huge audiences. For young people, listening to AM broadcasts and participating in their music surveys and contests was the social media of the time. In the late 1970s, spurred by the exodus of musical programming to FM stations,

10496-399: The marketplace decide" which was best. The lack of a common standard resulted in consumer confusion and increased the complexity and cost of producing AM stereo receivers. In 1993, the FCC again revised its policy, by selecting C-QUAM as the sole AM stereo implementation. In 1993, the FCC also endorsed, although it did not make mandatory, AMAX broadcasting standards that were developed by

10624-409: The maximum permitted by the FCC. Studios also moved into the CBS headquarters at 485 Madison Avenue, on the corner of 52nd Street . The station featured a mix of local interest programming along with dramas, comedies, news, sports, and music programs from CBS's national feed. As time went by, WABC turned more and more to the national programming provided by CBS and its affiliates, and its broadcast day

10752-432: The message, spreading it broadcast to receivers in all directions". However, it was recognized that this would involve significant financial issues, as that same year The Electrician also commented "did not Prof. Lodge forget that no one wants to pay for shouting to the world on a system by which it would be impossible to prevent non-subscribers from benefiting gratuitously?" On January 1, 1902, Nathan Stubblefield gave

10880-448: The multiple incompatible AM stereo systems, and failure of the manufacturers (including the auto makers) to effectively promote AMAX radios, coupled with the ever-increasing background of noise in the band, the general public soon lost interest and moved on to other media. On June 8, 1988, an International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-sponsored conference held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil adopted provisions, effective July 1, 1990, to extend

11008-537: The necessity of having to transmit a high power carrier wave to overcome ground losses, and the large antenna radiators required at the low broadcast frequencies, but can be sent over long distances via the ionosphere at night; however, they are much more susceptible to interference, and often have lower audio fidelity. Thus, AM broadcasters tend to specialize in spoken-word formats, such as talk radio , all-news radio and sports radio , with music formats primarily for FM and digital stations. People who weren't around in

11136-468: The new format and turn the station's low ratings around. The format debuted on August 28, 1967 – although on WCBS-FM , because a small airplane had crashed into and destroyed WCBS's AM antenna tower just a few hours earlier. Its original roster of anchors included Charles Osgood , Ed Bradley , Robert Vaughn and Pat Summerall . Later anchors included veteran newscaster Lou Adler , Jim Donnelly, Harvey Hauptman, Bill Lynch, and Gary Maurer. Initially,

11264-405: The new frequencies. It was now estimated that the expanded band could accommodate around 300 U.S. stations. However, it turned out that the number of possible station reassignments was much lower, with a 2006 accounting reporting that, out of 4,758 licensed U.S. AM stations, only 56 were now operating on the expanded band. Moreover, despite an initial requirement that by the end of five years either

11392-428: The new policy, by 2011 there were approximately 500 in operation, and as of 2020 approximately 2,800 of the 4,570 licensed AM stations were rebroadcasting on one or more FM translators. In 2009 the FCC stated that "We do not intend to allow these cross-service translators to be used as surrogates for FM stations". However, based on station slogans, especially in the case of recently adopted musical formats, in most cases

11520-411: The original station or its expanded band counterpart had to cease broadcasting, as of 2015 there were 25 cases where the original standard band station was still on the air, despite also operating as an expanded band station. HD Radio is a digital audio broadcasting method developed by iBiquity . In 2002 its "hybrid mode", which simultaneously transmits a standard analog signal as well as a digital one,

11648-454: The outlet was known as WABC); and from 1960 to 1966, a period that included a time in which the team was owned by CBS Inc., which purchased a majority interest in the Yankees in 1964. The broadcaster sold the club to a group led by George Steinbrenner in 1973. Until WFAN began broadcasting its all-sports format in 1987, WCBS was the primary outlet for CBS Radio Network coverage of professional sports events, including Major League Baseball and

11776-433: The overheating issues of needing to insert microphones directly in the transmission antenna circuit. Vacuum tube transmitters also provided high-quality AM signals, and could operate on higher transmitting frequencies than alternator and arc transmitters. Non-governmental radio transmissions were prohibited in many countries during World War I, but AM radiotelephony technology advanced greatly due to wartime research, and after

11904-823: The pre-game and post-game shows, which were called Mets Extra by WFAN, and served as a substitute broadcaster when necessary (usually for Lewin, who, in addition to his Mets duties, was the radio voice of the San Diego Chargers and was forced to miss weekend games in September in order to fulfill those duties). However, in January 2014 it was announced that Coleman would not be part of the WOR broadcasts as he has been employed by WFAN since its inception. (Although WFAN personalities Chris Carlin and Marc Malusis have been heard on WOR through its broadcasts of Rutgers University sporting events, WOR does not produce Rutgers' games and

12032-441: The primary early developer of AM technology is Canadian-born inventor Reginald Fessenden . The original spark-gap radio transmitters were impractical for transmitting audio, since they produced discontinuous pulses known as " damped waves ". Fessenden realized that what was needed was a new type of radio transmitter that produced steady "undamped" (better known as " continuous wave ") signals, which could then be "modulated" to reflect

12160-939: The primary overflow outlet for sister station WFAN (AM) and WFAN-FM 's coverage of the NFL 's New York Giants , the National Basketball Association 's Brooklyn Nets , and the National Hockey League 's New Jersey Devils . When the Mets moved to WCBS, Entercom allowed WFAN to split its AM and FM feeds to accommodate such conflicts—WFAN also broadcasts New York Yankees baseball, which it acquired from WCBS in 2014. The station continued continuous news coverage on its web feed when sports events could not be streamed due to NFL and NBA restrictions. (MLB allowed its local radio partners to stream games once again in 2019 after several years of exclusivity via MLB.com . There are no NHL radio blackouts.) In 2022,

12288-656: The process in 1972, when Godfrey's weekday morning variety show came to an end. The station built a reputation as an all-news powerhouse during the 1970s, and continued with an all-news format until August 2024. Although WINS has usually received the higher Arbitron ratings of the two all-news stations, WCBS typically had the better ratings in the suburbs because of its stronger, non-directional signal, unlike WINS's directional pattern. Its traffic reports and news coverage included more of Long Island and Westchester County than WINS did, and it occasionally allowed room for longer interviews and analysis pieces than WINS. The station

12416-545: The recently formed Federal Radio Commission (FRC) decided that movable stations were too difficult to regulate. On November 11, 1928, WABC and WBOQ were formally consolidated as WABC-WBOQ, and the FRC's General Order 40 moved the combined operation to a "clear channel" frequency of 860 kHz. WABC-WBOQ became a part-time network affiliate of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), which actually wanted

12544-650: The reception of AM transmissions and hurt the listening experience, among other reasons. However the United States Congress has introduced a bill to require all vehicles sold in the US to have an AM receiver to receive emergency broadcasts. The FM broadcast band was established in 1941 in the United States, and at the time some suggested that the AM band would soon be eliminated. In 1948 wide-band FM's inventor, Edwin H. Armstrong , predicted that "The broadcasters will set up FM stations which will parallel, carry

12672-799: The same deficiencies. The lack of any means to amplify electrical currents meant that, like the alternator transmitters, modulation was usually accomplished by a microphone inserted directly in the antenna wire, which again resulted in overheating issues, even with the use of water-cooled microphones. Thus, transmitter powers tended to be limited. The arc was also somewhat unstable, which reduced audio quality. Experimenters who used arc transmitters for their radiotelephone research included Ernst Ruhmer , Quirino Majorana , Charles "Doc" Herrold , and Lee de Forest . Advances in vacuum tube technology (called "valves" in British usage), especially after around 1915, revolutionized radio technology. Vacuum tube devices could be used to amplify electrical currents, which overcame

12800-400: The same program, as over their AM stations... eventually the day will come, of course, when we will no longer have to build receivers capable of receiving both types of transmission, and then the AM transmitters will disappear." However, FM stations actually struggled for many decades, and it was not until 1978 that FM listenership surpassed that of AM stations. Since then the AM band's share of

12928-410: The sounds being transmitted. Fessenden's basic approach was disclosed in U.S. Patent 706,737, which he applied for on May 29, 1901, and was issued the next year. It called for the use of a high-speed alternator (referred to as "an alternating-current dynamo") that generated "pure sine waves" and produced "a continuous train of radiant waves of substantially uniform strength", or, in modern terminology,

13056-559: The station moved to the frequency it occupied until it shut down permanently, 880 kHz. On September 8, 1946, the call sign of a station in Springfield, Illinois, was changed from WCBS to WCVS . This allowed WABC in New York to change to WCBS on November 2, 1946, to identify more closely with its parent network, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). It also helped avoid confusion with the rival network of

13184-421: The station ran news only during drive time periods, and maintained an MOR format during midday and overnight hours. Within a couple of years, it expanded all-news programming to much of the broadcast day, still excepting overnights. "Newsradio 88" began its transformation into an all-news format in 1970, when the overnight American Airlines -sponsored Music Till Dawn ended in January of that year, and completed

13312-478: The station seeing a new low in the Nielsen Audio market ratings with just a 1.5 in the June 2024 books, a cume of 679,400 people (significantly behind WINS' 1,538,800), and the station ranking 24th place in the 25-54 demographic ratings, far behind WINS' ranking of 11th place (and a steep drop from 2022, when WCBS ranked 18th, just one spot behind WINS). On August 12, 2024, Audacy announced that it would end

13440-494: The station signed on at 1050 AM a replacement for WHN ; WHN had been the radio home of the Mets from 1983 on. The Mets would eventually move with WFAN down the dial to 660 AM in 1988 and would remain there for over two decades. After WFAN signed on to be the flagship for the New York Yankees beginning in 2013, the Mets moved their broadcasts to a new flagship, WOR . The Mets were the first professional sports team in

13568-516: The station under a sports format; in particular, it subsumed the programming of WEPN-FM , due to the expiration of GKB's LMA for the station with Emmis Communications . WHSQ, before the end of its all-news programmming, carried a mix of local and ESPN Radio national programming, The station is the flagship of the New York Mets Radio Network ; as the rights are owned by Audacy rather than Good Karma Brands, they are not part of

13696-644: The station would change its call letters to WHSQ. Good Karma Brands had been operating WEPN-FM under an LMA with its owner Emmis Communications , and did not plan to renew its contract when it expired at the end of August 2024. The station produced a three-hour retrospective special, WCBS 880 News: The People, the Moments, and the Events that Shaped our Lives , highlighting the history of WCBS and featuring appearances by station alumni. The station formally ended its news format at 12:01 a.m. on August 26, 2024, preceded by

13824-458: The stream for Mets games remains on the Audacy app under the "Mets Radio" branding, with Infinity Sports Network programming streamed at all other times. WHSQ WHSQ (880 AM , "ESPN New York 880") is a radio station in New York City. Owned by Audacy, Inc. and operated by Good Karma Brands (GKB) under a local marketing agreement (LMA), it broadcasts a sports radio format as

13952-426: The switch a year later. The programming shift was a gradual one just as it had been at WCBS, with the stations running all-news most of the day while some local and network non-news programming remained at first. KMOX, which had been programming a talk radio format for several years was left unaffected, though it would later evolve into a news/talk station. In Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, CBS-owned stations had

14080-411: The technology for AM broadcasting in stereo was challenging due to the need to limit the transmissions to a 20 kHz bandwidth, while also making the transmissions backward compatible with existing non-stereo receivers. In 1990, the FCC authorized an AM stereo standard developed by Magnavox, but two years later revised its decision to instead approve four competing implementations, saying it would "let

14208-401: The translator stations are not permitted to originate programming when the "primary" AM station is broadcasting, they are permitted to do so during nighttime hours for AM stations licensed for daytime-only operation. Prior to the adoption of the new policy, as of March 18, 2009, the FCC had issued 215 Special Temporary Authority grants for FM translators relaying AM stations. After creation of

14336-496: The upper end of the Region 2 AM broadcast band, by adding ten frequencies which spanned from 1610 kHz to 1700 kHz. At this time it was suggested that as many as 500 U.S. stations could be assigned to the new frequencies. On April 12, 1990, the FCC voted to begin the process of populating the expanded band, with the main priority being the reduction of interference on the existing AM band, by transferring selected stations to

14464-522: The variety show Arthur Godfrey Time remained a weekday mid-morning staple. Eventually, WCBS gained a foothold in local news coverage (WOR and WNEW's strengths), bolstered by its standing as CBS's flagship radio station. During the 1960s, CBS chairman William S. Paley , concerned about the station's low ratings, started a process that led to the creation of a news radio format that would become known as "Newsradio 88". Paley hired Clark B. George, then vice-president and general manager of WCBS-TV , to create

14592-548: The war the availability of tubes sparked a great increase in the number of amateur radio stations experimenting with AM transmission of news or music. Vacuum tubes remained the central technology of radio for 40 years, until transistors began to dominate in the late 1950s, and are still used in the highest power broadcast transmitters. Unlike telegraph and telephone systems, which used completely different types of equipment, most radio receivers were equally suitable for both radiotelegraph and radiotelephone reception. In 1903 and 1904

14720-404: The youngest demographic groups. Among persons aged 12–24, AM accounts for only 4% of listening, while FM accounts for 96%. Among persons aged 25–34, AM accounts for only 9% of listening, while FM accounts for 91%. The median age of listeners to the AM band is 57 years old, a full generation older than the median age of FM listeners." In 2009, the FCC made a major regulatory change, when it adopted

14848-572: Was 15 kHz resulting in bandwidth of 30 kHz. Another common limitation on AM fidelity is the result of receiver design, although some efforts have been made to improve this, notably through the AMAX standards adopted in the United States. AM broadcasts are used on several frequency bands. The allocation of these bands is governed by the ITU 's Radio Regulations and, on the national level, by each country's telecommunications administration (the FCC in

14976-474: Was approved by the FCC for use by AM stations, initially only during daytime hours, due to concerns that during the night its wider bandwidth would cause unacceptable interference to stations on adjacent frequencies. In 2007 nighttime operation was also authorized. The number of hybrid mode AM stations is not exactly known, because the FCC does not keep track of the stations employing the system, and some authorized stations have later turned it off. But as of 2020

15104-716: Was given the rights to use the brand and trademarks for WCBS along with sister stations WCBS-FM, KCBS (AM) in San Francisco, and KCBS-FM in Los Angeles for a 20-year period after which Entercom (or succeeding entity) would be required to relinquish using those call-letters. Before the merger with Entercom, CBS Radio operated nine of the country's largest all-news radio stations: WCBS, WINS, KNX, WBBM, KYW, KCBS, WBZ in Boston , WWJ in Detroit, and KRLD in Dallas . (As part of

15232-425: Was hosted by Bob Hall and sponsored by American Airlines . During this time WCBS featured well-known personalities including Arthur Godfrey , future CBS News President Bill Leonard , author Emily Kimbrough , and folk singer Oscar Brand . In the 1950s, one of the stations daytime hosts, John Henry Faulk , was part of an anti-blacklisting wing (including CBS newsman Charles Collingwood ) that assumed leadership of

15360-400: Was immediately recognized that, much like the telegraph had preceded the invention of the telephone, the ability to make audio radio transmissions would be a significant technical advance. Despite this knowledge, it still took two decades to perfect the technology needed to make quality audio transmissions. In addition, the telephone had rarely been used for distributing entertainment, outside of

15488-523: Was influenced by CBS's growing interest in news programming. In 1939, the broadcasting operations were moved across 52nd Street from the headquarters to the new CBS Studio Building . On June 15, 1940, the generally unused WBOQ call sign was eliminated from the station's dual call signs, and it became just WABC. In 1941, due to the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA),

15616-443: Was less tightly formatted than WINS, and formatted at half-hour cycles instead of 20-minute cycles. Also unlike WINS, WCBS did not change anchors every thirty minutes during its daily schedule. Instead, each solo anchor or anchor team on weekdays had a set shift from 5   a.m. until 8   p.m., with two anchors switching every one or two hours after that. On weekends, anchors also alternated every hour. WCBS's switch to all-news

15744-703: Was not established until the 1920s, following the development of vacuum tube receivers and transmitters. AM radio remained the dominant method of broadcasting for the next 30 years, a period called the " Golden Age of Radio ", until television broadcasting became widespread in the 1950s and received much of the programming previously carried by radio. Later, AM radio's audiences declined greatly due to competition from FM ( frequency modulation ) radio, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), satellite radio , HD (digital) radio , Internet radio , music streaming services , and podcasting . Compared to FM or digital transmissions , AM transmissions are more expensive to transmit due to

15872-722: Was the first move in CBS Radio's long-term plans to convert its group of AM stations to some form of news programming. Along with WCBS, the group was then composed of KNX in Los Angeles, WBBM in Chicago, WCAU in Philadelphia , KMOX in St. Louis , WEEI in Boston , and KCBS in San Francisco. Once WCBS had been established in the format, CBS began to work on the rest of its AM outlets. KCBS, KNX, and WBBM all transitioned in 1968. WEEI adopted an all-news format in 1974, and WCAU made

16000-473: Was the first organization to create a radio network, and also to promote commercial advertising, which it called "toll" broadcasting. Its flagship station, WEAF (now WFAN) in New York City, sold blocks of airtime to commercial sponsors that developed entertainment shows containing commercial messages . AT&T held a monopoly on quality telephone lines, and by 1924 had linked 12 stations in Eastern cities into

16128-406: Was the lack of amplifying the signals, so listeners had to use earphones , and it required the development of vacuum-tube receivers before loudspeakers could be used. The dynamic cone loudspeaker , invented in 1924, greatly improved audio frequency response over the previous horn speakers, allowing music to be reproduced with good fidelity. AM radio offered the highest sound quality available in

16256-519: Was tipped off to Faulk's plight by Carl Sandburg . According to Murrow biographer Joe Persico, Murrow gave Faulk the money he needed to retain Nizer as his lawyer. Faulk finally won the case in 1963, in the meantime becoming a popular radio personality in his native Texas, and later, a national television personality as a regular in the cast of the country music/humor variety show Hee Haw . WCBS fired Faulk because of declining ratings while he waited for

16384-552: Was with the station from 1979 until 2024, when the station ended all-news programming. WCBS's promotional work was the inspiration for the title of the Fountains of Wayne album Traffic and Weather , according to an interview the New Jersey–based band gave to the station. In 2019 , WCBS became the new flagship station for Major League Baseball 's New York Mets , succeeding WOR. For several years prior, WCBS had served as

#616383