WFMN (Alpine, New Jersey)

Last updated

WFMN (originally W31NY) was a commercial FM radio station located in Alpine, New Jersey. It was licensed from 1941 until around 1953 to inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong, and was co-located with two other Armstrong stations, W2XMN (until its suspension in 1949), and W2XEA/KE2XCC (1945-1954). However, for most of its existence WFMN was authorized for significantly lower power than the other two stations, and appears to have rarely been on the air.

Contents

History

In May 1940, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized an FM band effective January 1, 1941, operating on 40 channels spanning 42–50 MHz. [1] (This was later changed to 88–106 MHz, and still later to 88–108 MHz, which increased the number of channels to 100.) At this time Edwin Howard Armstrong, the inventor of "wide-band" FM, was already operating experimental station W2XMN on 42.8 MHz, transmitting from a tower he had constructed a few kilometers north of New York City in Alpine, New Jersey. Under the new provisions he was granted an additional authorization for a commercial station broadcasting on 43.1 MHz from the Alpine site, which was issued the call sign W31NY. [2]

Under the initial regulations, commercial FM frequencies were divided into three categories, with "Class C" stations having the greatest coverage. [3] W31NY was assigned to one of three Class C frequencies available to the New York City area, [4] which had an estimated coverage area of 15,610 square miles (40,400 km2), corresponding to a radius of approximately 70 miles (110 km). [5] There are very few reports of W31NY actually making any broadcasts, in contrast to W2XMN, which was assigned to a similar frequency but with higher power. However, one example occurred in March 1942, when it was reported that W31NY had been used to rebroadcast a program relayed from station W43B near Boston. [6] Effective November 1, 1943, the FCC modified its policy for FM station call letters, [7] and W31NY's call sign was changed to WFMN. [8]

On June 27, 1945, the FCC announced that due to interference concerns it was reallocating the existing FM "low band" frequencies to other services, with 42–44 MHz going to "non-government fixed and mobile", and 44–50 MHz allocated to television channel 1. (The TV allocation was later reassigned as additional "non-government fixed and mobile" frequencies.) This in turn meant that existing FM band stations would be relocated to 88-106 MHz (later expanded to 108 MHz). [9] [10] Armstrong had strenuously objected to this move when it was still a proposal under review for being unnecessarily disruptive. However, at the time of its adoption he also announced that to help ease the transition he had developed the technology needed for stations to simultaneously broadcast on both their original "low band" and new "high band" frequencies. [11]

Armstrong immediately filed an application for WFMN to move to 92.1 MHz in the new FM band. [12] However, the station was instead assigned to 100.9 MHz, and designated as a "metropolitan" station, which was a classification that was limited to an Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of 20 kW and a Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT) of 500 feet (150 meters). Operating from the Alpine tower, WFMN's HAAT was calculated to be 795 feet (242 meters), so to maintain the same coverage it was restricted to an ERP power of 6 kW. [13] Armstrong quickly complained that WFMN's power was inadequate for sufficient coverage, especially compared to the 100 to 125 kilowatts in use by W2XMN. [14] In 1945, the FCC implemented a major reallocation, known as the "CBS plan", designed to standardize the coverage of New York City FM stations [15] This resulted in WFMN being reassigned to 98.9 MHz. [16] A subsequent reallocation in the fall of 1947 assigned WFMN to 93.1 MHz. [17]

There is little evidence that WFMN actually made any broadcasts after transferring to the new band, in part because it continued to be limited to a power of 6 kW. [18] On August 6, 1945, Armstrong was issued an authorization for a third station at Alpine, W2XEA (KE2XCC after 1949), operating under an experimental grant on 92.1 MHz with 50,000 watts. In late 1948 W2XEA moved from 92.1 MHz to share WFMN's assignment on 93.1 MHz. [19] Although some contemporary sources included notifications that there was a relationship by W2XMN and W2XEA with WFMN, [20] any broadcasts appear to have been conducted by the more powerful experimental stations. An example of this occurred in February 1951, when it was reported that WFMN was being used as a test relay station for daily facsimile transmissions, [21] however Armstrong quickly corrected this, reporting that it was actually KE2XCC that was conducting the tests. [22]

WFMN was also granted a series of "Special Temporary Authority" (STA) grants, allowing it to "remain silent" to allow for broadcasts by KE2XCC. [23] The last reported STA grant lasted until February 1, 1953, which was an authorization "to suspend regular broadcasting service of WFMN and to operate Class I Experimental Station KE2XCC using its regularly licensed equipment, power and emission on the additional frequency of 93.1 mc for providing FM program service..." [24] There appear to be no further references to WFMN after this, and all other broadcasting activities from the Alpine site ceased following Armstrong's death in early 1954.

Related Research Articles

FM broadcasting in the United States began in the 1930s at engineer and inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong's experimental station, W2XMN. The use of FM radio has been associated with higher sound quality in music radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FM broadcast band</span> Radio broadcast band

The FM broadcast band is a range of radio frequencies used for FM broadcasting by radio stations. The range of frequencies used differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa and in Australia and New Zealand, it spans from 87.5 to 108 megahertz (MHz) - also known as VHF Band II - while in the Americas it ranges from 88 to 108 MHz. The FM broadcast band in Japan uses 76 to 95 MHz, and in Brazil, 76 to 108 MHz. The International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT) band in Eastern Europe is from 65.9 to 74.0 MHz, although these countries now primarily use the 87.5 to 108 MHz band, as in the case of Russia. Some other countries have already discontinued the OIRT band and have changed to the 87.5 to 108 MHz band.

WQXR-FM is an American non-commercial classical radio station, licensed to Newark, New Jersey and serving the North Jersey and New York City area. It is owned by the nonprofit organization New York Public Radio, which also operates WNYC AM and FM and the four-station New Jersey Public Radio group. WQXR-FM broadcasts from studios and offices located in the Hudson Square neighborhood in lower Manhattan and its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPAT-FM</span> Spanish-language radio station in Paterson, New Jersey

WPAT-FM – branded "93.1 Amor" – is a radio station that programs both a Spanish AC and tropical radio formats. Licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, the station is owned by the Spanish Broadcasting System and serves the New York metropolitan area. It has studios in Midtown Manhattan, and the transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FM broadcasting</span> Transmission of audio through frequency modulation

FM broadcasting is the method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting offers higher fidelity—more accurate reproduction of the original program sound—than other broadcasting techniques, such as AM broadcasting. It is also less susceptible to common forms of interference, having less static and popping sounds than are often heard on AM. Therefore, FM is used for most broadcasts of music and general audio. FM radio stations use the very high frequency range of radio frequencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHUR-FM</span> Urban adult contemporary radio station in Washington, D.C.

WHUR-FM is an urban adult contemporary radio station that is licensed to Washington, D.C., and serving the Metro D.C. area. It is owned and operated by Howard University, making it one of the few commercial radio stations in the United States to be owned by a college or university, as well as being the only independent, locally-owned station in the Washington, D.C., area. Also, the staff of the station mentors the students of the university's school of communications. The studios are located on campus in its Lower Quad portion, and the transmitter tower is based in the Tenleytown neighborhood. It is also co-owned with its television partner, WHUT-TV, one of D.C.'s PBS affiliates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILL-FM</span> Radio station in Urbana, Illinois

WILL-FM is a public, listener-supported radio station owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States. It is operated by Illinois Public Media, with studios located at Campbell Hall for Public Telecommunication on the university campus. Most of WILL-FM's schedule is classical music with NPR news programs heard in weekday morning and afternoon drive times. Weekends feature classical and other genres of music, including jazz and opera.

WASH is a commercial FM radio station owned and operated by iHeartMedia and located in Washington, D.C. Known on-air as "WASH-FM," the station airs an adult contemporary radio format. Studios and offices are on Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland. The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 17,500 watts, broadcasting from a tower at 242 metres (794 ft) in height above average terrain (HAAT). The transmitter site is on Chesapeake Street NW off Wisconsin Avenue in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. With a good radio, WASH coverage extends from Baltimore to Fredericksburg, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRVE</span> Radio station in Schenectady, New York, United States

WRVE is a commercial FM radio station licensed in Schenectady and serving the Capital District and Upper Hudson Valley New York. It broadcasts a Hot Adult Contemporary radio format and calls itself "99.5 The River," referring to the Hudson River. The station is owned by iHeartMedia as one of seven radio stations owned by the company in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy radio market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUKY</span> Radio station in Lexington, Kentucky

WUKY is a listener-supported, public FM radio station in Lexington, Kentucky. Owned by the University of Kentucky (UK), it has an Adult Album Alternative radio format, airing more than 100 hours of music per week. Some news and informational programming is supplied by National Public Radio (NPR), Public Radio International (PRI), American Public Media (APM) and the BBC. The station broadcasts from state of the art radio studios in northwestern Lexington at the intersection of Greendale Road and Spurr Road.

Apex radio stations was the name commonly given to a short-lived group of United States broadcasting stations, which were used to evaluate transmitting on frequencies that were much higher than the ones used by standard amplitude modulation (AM) and shortwave stations. Their name came from the tall height of their transmitter antennas, which were needed because coverage was primarily limited to local line-of-sight distances. These stations were assigned to what at the time were described as "ultra-high shortwave" frequencies, between roughly 25 and 44 MHz. They employed amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions, although in most cases using a wider bandwidth than standard broadcast band AM stations, in order to provide high fidelity sound with less static and distortion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHCN</span> Radio station in Hartford, Connecticut

WHCN is a commercial radio station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut. It broadcasts a classic hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is called "The River 105.9," a reference to the Connecticut River. The studios and offices are located on Columbus Boulevard in Hartford.

WA2XMN is an experimental FM radio station which broadcasts sporadically from the Armstrong Tower in Alpine, New Jersey. The station commemorates the pioneering broadcasts of the world's first FM radio station, W2XMN, built by Edwin Howard Armstrong, which began experimental broadcasts from this tower in June 1938 followed by full power broadcasting beginning on July 18, 1939. Armstrong's station signed off as KE2XCC on March 6, 1954.

W2XMN was an experimental FM radio station located in Alpine, New Jersey. It was constructed beginning in 1936 by Edwin Howard Armstrong in order to promote his invention of wide-band FM broadcasting. W2XMN was the first FM station to begin regular operations, and was used to introduce FM broadcasting to the general public in the New York City area. The station, in addition to being a testing site for transmitter and receiver development, was used for propagation studies and as an over-the-air relay station for distributing network programming to other FM stations in the region.

KE2XCC, first authorized in 1945 with the call sign W2XEA, was an experimental FM radio station located in Alpine, New Jersey and operated by inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong. It was located at the same site as Armstrong's original FM station, W2XMN, which dated to the late 1930s and primarily transmitted on the original FM "low band" frequencies. W2XEA was established as a companion station operating on the new FM "high band", which had been recently designated by the Federal Communications Commission as the replacement for the original FM station assignments. W2XMN shut down in 1949 after the "low band" was eliminated, and at this time W2XEA changed its call sign to KE2XCC and took over most of the functions previously performed by W2XMN.

WGTR was a pioneer commercial FM radio station, which was the first of two mountain-top stations established by the Yankee Network. It began regular programming, as experimental station W1XOJ, in 1939. In 1941 it was licensed for commercial operation from studios in Boston, initially with the call sign W43B, which was changed to WGTR in 1943. In 1947, its designated community of license was changed to Worcester, Massachusetts.

WMNE was a pioneer commercial FM radio station, which was the second of two mountain-top broadcasting stations established by the Yankee Network. It began regular programming, as experimental station W1XER, in December 1940. In 1941 it was licensed for commercial operation from studios in Boston, initially with the call sign W39B, which was changed to WMTW in 1943. In late 1946 the station's designated community of license was changed to Portland, Maine, and its call letters became WMNE.

WBCA was a short-lived commercial FM radio station, licensed to Schenectady, New York. The station, originally W47A, debuted on July 17, 1941, as the first "independent" commercial FM station, since it did not have an associated AM station partner. The call sign was changed to WBCA in 1943. Despite initial optimism that FM band stations would soon supplant the AM band, WBCA ceased operations in 1952 due to financial issues, largely the result of a lack of an audience with FM receivers.

References

  1. ↑ "FCC Order No. 67", Federal Register, May 25, 1940, page 2011.
  2. ↑ "Three FM Grants In New York Area", Broadcasting, June 23, 1941, page 18. The initial policy for commercial FM station call signs included an initial "W" for stations located east of the Mississippi River, followed by the last two digits of a station's frequency assignment, "31" in this case, and closing with a one or two character city identifier, which for New York metropolitan stations was "NY".
  3. ↑ "FM Rules to Speed Up Applications", Broadcasting, October 15, 1940, page 30.
  4. ↑ "FCC Sets Hearing On New York FM",Broadcasting, September 15, 1941, page 50.
  5. ↑ "FCC Authorization For 53 Commercial FM Outlets Given", Broadcasting, August 18, 1941, page 54.
  6. ↑ "Damm Is Elected At Meeting of FM Stations", Broadcasting, March 9, 1942, page 47.
  7. ↑ "Standard Broadcast Station Call Letters for All Outlets Starting Nov. 1, FCC Rule", The Billboard, September 4, 1943, page 7.
  8. ↑ "New Calls Named For FM Stations", Broadcasting, October 4, 1943, page 49.
  9. ↑ "FCC Allocates 88-106 mc Band to FM" by Bill Bailey, Broadcasting, July 2, 1945, pages 13-14.
  10. ↑ "FCC Allocations Order Text", Broadcasting, July 2, 1945, pages 64, 68.
  11. ↑ "Statements: Maj. E. H. Armstrong", Broadcasting, July 2, 1945, page 70.
  12. ↑ "Industry Supporting Decision on FM Move" by Bill Bailey, Broadcasting, July 9, 1945, page 18.
  13. ↑ "News of the Industry: Assignments and Standards for F-M", Electronics, November 1945, page 472.
  14. ↑ "FM Assignment Protests to be Heard", Broadcasting, October 8, 1945, page 77.
  15. ↑ "FCC Sets 231 AM Cases; Uses CBS FM Plan", Broadcasting, October 29, 1945, pages 15, 84.
  16. ↑ "Docket No. 6781: Table I" (October 26, 1945), Federal Communications Commission Reports (volume 11), page 1513.
  17. ↑ "New Frequency Assignments for FM Stations in the United States", Broadcasting, June 23, 1947, page 38.
  18. ↑ "Directory of FM Broadcasting Stations of the United States: New Jersey" (January 1, 1948), Broadcasting Yearbook (1948 edition), page 304.
  19. ↑ FCC History Cards for W2XEA (1945-1949) / KE2XCC (covering 1949-1952) (Federal Communications Commission)
  20. ↑ "Commercial FM Broadcasting Stations in U. S.", Broadcasting, July 22, 1946, page 66.
  21. ↑ "Facsimile Relay", Broadcasting, February 5, 1951, page 41.
  22. ↑ "Facsimile Facts" (letter from Edwin H. Armstrong), Broadcasting, February 19, 1951, page 18.
  23. ↑ "FCC Actions: July 21 Decisions: STA Extended", Broadcasting, July 25, 1949, page 83.
  24. ↑ "FCC Actions: August 21 Decisions: Extension of STA", Broadcasting, August 25, 1952, page 87.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.