WCJ was a radio station, located in New Haven, Connecticut, that was licensed to the A. C. Gilbert Company from September 29, 1921 to December 1, 1922. Although short-lived, it was the first broadcasting station licensed in the state of Connecticut, [2] and one of the first in the United States.
Founded in 1909, the A. C. Gilbert Company was a prominent toy manufacturer with a target audience consisting primarily of young boys, best known for its Erector Set construction sets. After War World One, the company briefly expanded into selling amateur radio equipment, offering "Superdyne" regenerative vacuum tube receivers designed by the C. D. Tuska Company. [3]
In conjunction with the radio receiver sales, on September 29, 1921 the company was issued a Limited Commercial radio license with the randomly assigned call letters of WCJ, operating on a wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz). [4] There were no formal regulations in the United States about stations making broadcasts intended for the general public until December 1, 1921, when the Department of Commerce began requiring Limit Commercial licenses operating on wavelengths of 360 or 485 meters (833 and 619 kHz), which WCJ already held. This station was located at the A. C. Gilbert factory at 493 Blatchley Avenue in New Haven. A 125-foot (38 meter) tower was constructed in back of the factory, and an antenna and counterpoise were strung, over the building, from this tower to a pre-existing smokestack.
The company inaugurated a limited series of broadcasts, both in Morse code and full audio, some by company employees drafted by the company president, Alfred Carlton Gilbert, to provide entertainment. [5] WCJ's most prominent use occurred in the summer of 1922, when the company outfitted a railroad car with samples from its catalog, which company publicity described as "The most far-reaching and effective undertaking in co-operative merchandising between manufacturers and dealers ever conceived". [6] Included was a demonstration radio receiver used for reception of twice-daily broadcasts made by WCJ. (Once the train traveled beyond the station's range, covertly made transmissions from within the railroad car were substituted). [7]
The company soon faced difficulty related to its radio receiver sales, when the Radio Corporation of America complained that the patent rights held by Tuska were not transferable to additional companies like A. C. Gilbert. To avoid a lawsuit, the company ended the offending receiver sales, and WCJ ceased operations, and was formally deleted on December 1, 1922. [8]
Although WCJ was no longer in operation, the radio tower was left standing, and large letters spelling "ERECTOR" were installed vertically down the structure. This tower remained standing until January 9, 1978, when it was knocked down by a wind storm. [9]
The A. C. Gilbert Company was an American toy company, once one of the largest in the world. Gilbert originated the Erector Set, which is a construction toy similar to Meccano in the rest of the world, and made chemistry sets, microscope kits, and a line of inexpensive reflector telescopes. In 1938, Gilbert purchased the American Flyer, a manufacturer of toy trains. The Gilbert Company struggled after the death of its founder in 1961 and went out of business in 1967. Its trademarks and toy lines were sold to other companies.
KXLY is a commercial AM radio station in Spokane, Washington. It broadcasts a news/talk radio format with the branding "920 News Now". The station is owned by QueenB Radio, with its license held by Morgan Murphy Media.
KRKO is a commercial radio station licensed to Everett, Washington. The station broadcasts an oldies-classic hits-sports radio format to the Seattle metropolitan area. The station was established in 1922, and is currently operated by S-R Broadcasting Co., Inc., a locally owned company.
WQB was a radio station, located in Hartford, Connecticut, that was licensed to the C. D. Tuska Company from August 22, 1921 to June 24, 1922. Although it was never formally classified as being a broadcasting station by the United States government, it was one of the first stations in the U.S. to make regular broadcasts intended for the general public, and many contemporary publications included it in their broadcasting station reviews.
Clarence Denton "C. D." Tuska was an early radio experimenter and amateur operator, who also became one of the first radio receiver manufacturers. He is best known as the co-founder, along with Hiram Percy Maxim, of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). He was also the original editor and owner of the amateur radio publication QST, which he subsequently sold to the ARRL in 1919, as part of his reorientation toward professional activities within the radio industry.
KFC was a Seattle, Washington AM radio station that was licensed from December 8, 1921 to January 23, 1923. The station was owned by the Northern Radio & Electric Company, however both its studio and transmitter were located at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer building, and the newspaper was responsible for most of its operations.
WDW was a very short-lived AM broadcasting station, licensed to the Radio Construction & Electric Co. in Washington, D.C., which was issued an initial license in December 1921, and deleted a few months later.
WJH was a Washington, D.C. AM radio station, which was first authorized in December 1921, and went silent in mid-1924. It was originally licensed to the White & Boyer Company, which later became the William P. Boyer Company. WJH was the first radio station licensed in Washington, D.C. following the Department of Commerce's December 1, 1921 establishment of formal qualifications for broadcasting stations.
WDM was an AM radio station, licensed to Church of the Covenant in Washington, D.C., which was issued its first license in December 1921, and went silent in mid-1925. It was also the first broadcasting station to be operated by a church.
KOG was a short-lived AM broadcasting station, licensed to the Western Radio Electric Company in Los Angeles, California. It was issued its first license, as KZC, in December 1921, changed its call letters to KOG a few weeks later, and was deleted less than a year and one half after its start.
KYJ was a short-lived Los Angeles radio station, located atop Hamburger's department store and licensed to the Leo J. Meyberg Company. It was issued its first license in December 1921 and deleted 11⁄2 years later.
WOU was a short-lived Omaha radio station, originally licensed in December 1921 to Robert B. Howell, and later transferred to the city's Metropolitan Utilities District. It was the first formally recognized broadcasting station in the state of Nebraska, and was deleted in mid-1923.
KDN was a short-lived San Francisco radio station, licensed to the Leo J. Meyberg Company and located at the Fairmont Hotel. It was issued its first license in December 1921 and deleted a year and one half later.
KGB was a broadcasting station authorization issued on December 8, 1921 to Edwin L. Lorden in San Francisco, California and canceled on March 23 of the next year. The station does not appear to have actually made any broadcasts. Its owner was best known for stock fraud and also a contemporary, unsuccessful, scheme to surreptitiously use radio transmissions to gain an advantage in getting stock market quotes.
KZM was an early radio broadcasting station, initially licensed to Preston D. Allen in Oakland, California. It was issued its first license in December 1921, moved to nearby Hayward, California in 1928, and was deleted in mid-1931.
KYY was a short-lived San Francisco, California broadcasting station, licensed to The Radio Telephone Shop. It was issued its first license in December 1921, and deleted just over a year later.
KJJ was a short-lived radio station, licensed to The Radio Shop in Sunnyvale, California. It was issued its first license in December 1921 and deleted a year and one half later.
KJQ was a short-lived Stockton, California broadcasting station, licensed to Clarence O. Gould. It was issued its first license in December 1921, and deleted three and one-half years later.
WKC was a radio station, located in Baltimore, Maryland, that was licensed to the Joseph M. Zamoiski Company from March 23, 1922 until its deletion on November 24, 1923. It was the first broadcasting station licensed in the state of Maryland, and one of the first in the United States.
WDAL was an AM radio station in Jacksonville, Florida, licensed to the Florida Times-Union beginning May 19, 1922, which was deleted on December 22, 1923, and temporarily reactivated in October 1925.