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.
WTVN – branded as "News Radio 610 WTVN" – is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves the Columbus metro area. The WTVN studios area located in the McKinley Avenue Corridor northwest of Downtown Columbus, and its transmitter site is near Obetz. In addition to a standard analog transmission, the station simulcasts over the HD digital subchannel of co-owned 93.3 WODC, and streams online via iHeartRadio. WTVN began broadcasting in HD Radio in June 2005, but the in-band on-channel subcarrier was discontinued by 2015.
WWJ is a commercial AM radio station licensed to serve Detroit, Michigan, featuring an all-news radio format known as WWJ Newsradio 950. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station services Metro Detroit, is the market affiliate for CBS News Radio, and the flagship station for the Michigan Sports Network. Operating on a regional broadcast frequency, its studios are in the Panasonic Building in Southfield.
KLZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Denver, Colorado. It airs a conservative talk radio format and is owned by Crawford Broadcasting, with studios on South Parker Road in Aurora. It is the oldest radio station in the state of Colorado, and one of the oldest in the United States.
WDRC is a commercial AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut. It is owned by Full Power Radio and airs a conservative talk radio format. The studios and transmitter site are located on Blue Hill Avenue in Bloomfield, Connecticut, with other radio stations.
KWG is a radio station licensed to Relevant Radio, Inc. in Stockton, California. It carries that company's Catholic talk radio programming.
KQL was a radio station, located in Los Angeles, California, that was licensed to Arno A. Kluge from October 13, 1921 to June 9, 1922. This was the first broadcasting station licensed in the state of California, and one of the first in the United States. However, the station was short-lived, because Kluge died just 21⁄2 months after it was authorized.
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.
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 callsign 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 radio station in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 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 to Edwin L. Lorden in San Francisco, California, on December 8, 1921, 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.
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.