General Order 40

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The Federal Radio Commission's (FRC) General Order 40, dated August 30, 1928, described the standards for a sweeping reorganization of radio broadcasting in the United States. This order grouped the AM radio band transmitting frequencies into three main categories, which became known as Clear Channel, Regional, and Local. It also included provisions for coordination with Canadian station assignments. The majority of the reassignments resulting from the plan's implementation went into effect on November 11, 1928.

Contents

Background

Radio transmissions in the United States were originally regulated by the Department of Commerce, as authorized by the Radio Act of 1912. The first formal regulations governing broadcasts intended for the general public were adopted effective December 1, 1921. This initially established just two transmitting wavelengths — 360 meters (833 kHz) for "entertainment" broadcasts, and 485 meters (619 kHz) for "market news and weather reports". [1] The number of broadcasting stations grew dramatically in 1922, reaching over 500 by the end of the year, and the government began making available additional frequencies. By November 1924 a band of frequencies, from 550 to 1500 kHz, had been established, with higher-powered stations, known as "Class B", assigned to the frequencies from 550 to 1070, while lower-powered "Class A" stations were assigned to 1080 to 1500. [2]

In 1926, the government's regulatory authority under the 1912 Radio Act was successfully challenged, and, for a chaotic period that lasted until early 1927, radio stations were free to use any frequency and power they chose, while the number of stations increased to 732. The Radio Act of 1927 was passed to regain control of the situation. The Act established a Federal Radio Commission, which reduced the number of stations, primarily through its General Order 32, in addition to eliminating "temporary" and "portable" stations. The Commission also reallocated frequency assignments to reduce interference and provide better service to smaller communities and underserved rural areas. A constraint was the Davis Amendment, which specified that the station assignments had to be equitably made throughout the country.

Two technical issues limited the number of stations that could operate without interfering with each other. These issues were especially important at night, when a change in the ionosphere meant that radio signals traveled much greater distances. Most transmitters at this time were unable to precisely control their output frequencies, thus, signals from two stations operating on the same nominal frequency would combine to make a high-pitched "heterodyne" tone that interfered with the reception of both stations. Secondly, directional antennas would not be developed until the early 1930s, [3] so there was no effective method for limiting signals in a given direction.

General Order 40 provisions

Five U.S. zones used to help ensure stations were equally allocated as required by the Davis Amendment Federal Radio Commission General Order 40 Map.png
Five U.S. zones used to help ensure stations were equally allocated as required by the Davis Amendment

On August 30, 1928, the Commission issued General Order 40, which set new standards for radio broadcasting. A "broadcast band" was defined, consisting of 96 frequencies, spaced every 10 kilohertz, from 550 to 1500 kHz. Six of them—690, 730, 840, 910, 960, and 1030—were restricted for use only by Canadian stations, leaving 90 available for US assignment. The country was further divided into five zones, to coordinate the Davis Amendment directive of an equitable assignment of stations. [4]

Clear channels

Forty of the U.S. frequencies—eight in each zone—which came to be known as "Clear Channels", were generally limited nationally to a single station. The maximum power for these stations was to be determined later, and in most cases was set at 50,000 watts. In some cases, secondary stations were assigned the same frequency, with provisions to avoid interference with the primary station's coverage by locating the secondary stations long distances from the primary stations, limiting their power, or restricting them to daytime-only operation.

Due to a lack of Clear Channel frequencies, in several cases two stations were assigned the same frequency and required to share time on them:

Zone 5 Clear Channel frequency 790 kHz was assigned to General Electric's (GE) KGO in Oakland, California. Because of the separation between the stations, GE's WGY in Schenectady, New York was also assigned this frequency, but with KGO's power limited to 7,500 watts, until a directional antenna became feasible and KGO's power could be raised to 50,000 watts. KGO is the General Order 40 station on 790/810 kHz, not WGY.

Zone 2 Clear Channel frequency 1020 kHz was initially used by a high-powered station in Zone 4, KYW in Chicago, Illinois. This discrepancy was resolved when KYW moved to Philadelphia in 1934, and the Philadelphia station previously on 1020, WRAX, moved to regional frequency 920 kHz, sharing time with WPEN.

Regional frequencies

44 frequencies, later known as "Regional", were designated to be used concurrently by stations in multiple zones. 40 of these frequencies had power limits of 1,000 watts, while the remaining four, 1460-1490, referred to as "Super Regional", had 5,000-watt limits. In numerous cases up to four stations in a given location were assigned the same frequency, requiring them to establish time-sharing agreements.

Local frequencies

The remaining six frequencies—1200, 1210, 1310, 1370, 1420 and 1500—later known as "Local", were issued to stations in all five zones, with a power limit of 100 watts.

Effects

The reorganization greatly reduced interference caused by the chaos that resulted from the earlier collapse of regulation. There was some controversy that the assignments had created groups of "have" and "have-not" stations—with the Clear Channel stations receiving a major economic boost, while many remaining stations, often with limited hours due to time-sharing, had constricted futures. Also, although the reorganization accounted for Canada, it did not include other nearby countries, most notably Mexico. Twelve years later this omission was addressed by the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA), which took effect March 29, 1941.

November 11, 1928 assignments

General Order 40's implementation took effect at 3 a.m. Eastern time on November 11, 1928, and required most U.S. radio stations to move to a new broadcast frequency. [5] A survey conducted by Radio Retailing magazine concluded that, despite some continuing issues, the changes meant that "on the whole, the broadcasting situation has been much improved". [6]

The table below presents a general outline of the allocations made under the order. For "Clear" frequencies, the zone of that frequency's principal station is listed, followed by the principal station's call letters and location, then the frequency that had been previously used by the principal station, and any additional stations assigned to that frequency. Bolded stations' call signs are the original primary assignments, while call signs shown in parentheses were owned by the same licensee as the principal station. The additional stations on a frequency were: 1) shared allocations, 2) daytimers, or 3) secondary stations which eventually achieved full-time status, but at lower power or using a directional antenna that protected the primary station's coverage.

Freq.
(kHz)
Used forMax.
Power
(watts)
ZonePrincipal station(s)Other stations sharing
frequency (zone)
Calls, CityPrev.
freq.
550 Regional1,000  7 U.S. stations
560 Regional1,000  10 U.S. stations
570 Regional1,000  11 U.S. stations
580 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
8 Canadian stations
590 Regional1,000  5 U.S. stations
600 Regional1,000  7 U.S. stations
3 Canadian stations
610 Regional1,000  5 U.S. stations
620 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
630 Regional1,000  4 U.S stations
3 Canadian stations
640 ClearTBD5 KFI , Los Angeles, California640  WOI, Ames, Iowa (4)
WAIU, Columbus, Ohio (2)
650 ClearTBD3 WSM , Nashville, Tennessee890  KPCB, Seattle, Washington (5)
660 ClearTBD1 WEAF , New York, New York610  WAAW, Omaha, Nebraska (4)
670 ClearTBD4 WMAQ , Chicago, Illinois670 none
680 ClearTBD5 KPO , San Francisco, California710  KFEQ, Saint Joseph, Missouri (4)
WPTF, Raleigh, North Carolina (3)
690 ClearCanada CJCJ, Calgary, Alberta
NAA, Arlington, Virginia (2)
700 ClearTBD2 WLW , Cincinnati, Ohio700 none
710 ClearTBD1 WOR , New York, New York (Newark, New Jersey)710  KMPC, Los Angeles, California (5)
720 ClearTBD4 WGN/(WLIB) , Chicago, Illinois720 none
730 ClearCanada CKAC, Montreal, Quebec CKWX, Vancouver, British Columbia
740 ClearTBD3 WSB , Atlanta, Georgia630  KMMJ, Clay Center, Nebraska (4)
750 ClearTBD2 WJR , Detroit, Michigan680 none
760 ClearTBD1 WJZ , New York, New York (Newark, New Jersey)660  WEW, Saint Louis, Missouri (4)
KVI, Tacoma, Washington (5)
770 ClearTBD4 WBBM/(WJBT) , Chicago, Illinois770 none
KFAB, Lincoln, Nebraska940 
780 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
3 Canadian stations
790 ClearTBD5 KGO , San Francisco, California (Oakland)790  WGY, Schenectady, New York (1)
800 ClearTBD3 WFAA, Dallas, Texas550 none
WBAP , Fort Worth, Texas600 
810 ClearTBD4 WCCO , Minneapolis, Minnesota740 WPCH, New York, New York (1)
820 ClearTBD2 WHAS , Louisville, Kentucky930 none
830 ClearTBD5 KOA , Denver, Colorado920  WRUF, Gainesville, Florida (3)
WHDH, Boston, Massachusetts (1)
840 ClearCanada CFCA/CNRT, Toronto, Ontario
850 ClearTBD3 WWL , New Orleans, Louisiana1220 none
KWKH, Shreveport, Louisiana760 
860 ClearTBD1 WABC/(WBOQ) , New York, New York970  WHB, Kansas City, Missouri (4)
KMO, Tacoma, Washington (5)
870 ClearTBD4 WLS , Chicago, Illinois870 none
WENR/(WBCN), Chicago, Illinois1040 
880 Regional1,000  7 U.S. stations
7 Canadian stations
890 Regional1,000  9 U.S. stations
900 Regional1,000  7 U.S. stations
910 ClearCanada CFCF/CHYC, Montreal, Quebec CKY, Winnipeg, Manitoba
CJAT, Trail, British Columbia
920 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
930 Regional1,000  8 U.S. stations
5 Canadian stations
940 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
950 Regional1,000  4 U.S. stations
960 ClearCanada CFRB/CKGW, Toronto, Ontario CFRN, Edmonton, Alberta
970 ClearTBD5 KJR , Seattle, Washington970  WCFL, Chicago, Illinois (4)
980 ClearTBD2 KDKA , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania960 none
990 ClearTBD1 WBZ , Springfield, Massachusetts / WBZA, Boston910 none
1000 ClearTBD4 WHO , Des Moines560  KFVD, Los Angeles, California (5)
WOC, Davenport, Iowa800 
1010 Regional1,000  7 U.S. stations
2 Canadian stations
1020 ClearTBD2 KYW/(KFKX) , Chicago, Illinois (4)570  WRAX, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2)
1030 ClearCanada CFCF, Montreal, Quebec CNRV, Vancouver, British Columbia
1040 ClearTBD3 KRLD , Dallas, Texas650  KTHS, Hot Springs, Arkansas (3)
WKAR, East Lansing, Michigan (2)
1470  WKEN, Kenmore, New York (1)
1050 ClearTBD5 KNX , Los Angeles, California890  KFKB, Milford, Kansas (4)
1060 ClearTBD1 WTIC , Hartford, Connecticut560  WJAG, Norfolk, Nebraska (3)
KWJJ, Portland, Oregon (5)
WBAL , Baltimore, Maryland1050 
1070 ClearTBD2 WTAM/(WEAR) , Cleveland, Ohio750  KJBS, San Francisco, California (5)
WCAZ, Carthage, Illinois/
WDZ, Tuscola, Illinois (4)
1080 ClearTBD3 WBT , Charlotte, North Carolina1160  WMBI / WCBD, Chicago, Illinois (4)
1090 ClearTBD4 KMOX , Saint Louis, Missouri1000 none
1100 ClearTBD1 WLWL, New York, New York810  KGDM, Stockton, California (5)
WPG, Atlantic City, New Jersey1100 
1110 ClearTBD2 WRVA , Richmond, Virginia1180  KSOO, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (4)
1120 Regional1,000  10 U.S. stations
4 Canadian stations
1130 ClearTBD5 KSL , Salt Lake City, Utah990  WJJD, Chicago, Illinois (4)
WOV, New York, New York (1)
WMAK, Buffalo, New York
1140 ClearTBD3 WAPI, Birmingham, Alabama880 none
KVOO , Tulsa, Oklahoma860 
1150 ClearTBD1 WHAM , Rochester, New York1070 none
1160 ClearTBD4 WOWO , Fort Wayne, Indiana1310 none
WWVA , Wheeling, West Virginia (2)580 
1170 ClearTBD2 WCAU , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania1150  KTNT, Muscatine, Iowa (4)
1180 ClearTBD5 KEX , Portland, Oregon1080  WDGY/WHDI, Minneapolis, Minnesota (4)
KOB, Albuquerque, New Mexico760 
1190 ClearTBD3 WOAI , San Antonio, Texas1070  WICC, Bridgeport, Connecticut (1)
1200 Local100  48 U.S. stations
1210 Local100  44 U.S. stations
5 Canadian stations
1220 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
1230 Regional1,000  8 U.S. stations
1240 Regional1.000  3 U.S. stations
1250 Regional1,000  12 U.S. stations
1260 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
1270 Regional1,000  10 U.S. stations
1280 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
1290 Regional1,000  7 U.S. stations
1300 Regional1,000  12 U.S. stations
1310 Local100  53 U.S. stations
1320 Regional1,000  6 U.S. stations
1330 Regional1,000  5 U.S. stations
1340 Regional1,000  4 U.S. stations
1350 Regional1,000  5 U.S. stations
1360 Regional1,000  8 U.S. stations
1370 Local100  42 U.S. stations
1380 Regional1,000  4 U.S. stations
1390 Regional1,000  4 U.S. stations
1400 Regional1,000  9 U.S. stations
1410 Regional1,000  11 U.S. stations
1420 Local100  38 U.S. stations
1430 Regional1,000  7 U.S. stations
1440 Regional1,000  9 U.S. stations
1450 Regional1,000  9 U.S. stations
1460 Super
Regional
5,000  2 WJSV, Washington, D.C.1480none
4 KSTP, Saint Paul, Minnesota1360
1470 Super
Regional
5,000  3 WLAC/WTNT, Nashville, Tennessee1330none
5 KGA, Spokane, Washington1150
1480 Super
Regional
5,000  1 WKBW, Buffalo, New York1380none 
3 KFJF, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma1100
1490 Super
Regional
5,000  1 WFBL, Syracuse, New York1160none
2 WCKY, Cincinnati, Ohio (Covington, Kentucky)none
4WHT/WORD/WJAZ, Chicago, Illinoisvar.
1500 Local100  31 U.S. stations

See also

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References

  1. "Amendments to Regulations", Radio Service Bulletin, January 3, 1922, page 10.
  2. "Subcommittee No. 2: Allocation of Frequencies or Wave Lengths to Broadcasting Stations", Recommendations for Regulation of Radio adopted by the Third National Radio Conference, October 6-10, 1924, pages 16-17.
  3. "History of the Directional Antenna in the Standard Broadcast Band for Purpose of Protecting Service Area of Distant Stations" by Raymond M. Wilmotte, IRE Transactions on Broadcast Transmission Systems, (Volume: PGBTS-7, Issue: 1), February 1957, pages 51-55.
  4. "General Order No. 40" (August 30, 1928), Radio Service Bulletin, August 31, 1928, pages 9-10. The Davis Amendment was repealed in 1936.
  5. "Revised list of broadcasting stations, by frequencies, effective 3 a. m., November 11, 1928, eastern standard time", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928, pages 200-214.
  6. "Reallocations Improve Reception", Radio Retailing, December 1928, pages 46-47.