WMBB-WOK

Last updated

WMBB-WOK was a high-powered radio station located in Homewood, Illinois, United States, a suburb of Chicago. It was deleted by the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) on September 1, 1928, as part of its implementation of General Order 32, which was used to reduce of the number of U.S. radio stations.

Contents

WMBB-WOK's owners responded with a series of court challenges to have the license reinstated, which lasted until 1932, but were all unsuccessful. These cases helped to establish the legitimacy of the Radio Act of 1927 and its Davis Amendment provisions, as well as the establishment of the FRC and its authority to regulate radio.

History

WCBZ / WOK

WOK was first licensed, as WCBZ, in April 1924 to the Coppotelli Brothers Music House in Chicago Heights, Illinois, for operation on 1210 kHz with a 50 watt transmitter. [1] Its call sign was randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call letters.

In 1925 the station was taken over by the Neutrowound Radio Manufacturing Company, which changed the frequency to 1380 kHz, [2] moved the station from Chicago Heights to Homewood, Illinois, changed the call letters from WCBZ to WOK, [3] and increased the transmitter power to 5,000 watts. [4] In April 1927, ownership was transferred to Trianon, Inc. [5]

WMBB

WMBB was first licensed on April 3, 1925, to the Trianon Ball Room (Woodlawn Theatre Company) in Chicago for 100 watts on 1200 kHz. [6] The call letters reflected the company's "World's Most Beautiful Ballroom" slogan. Ownership was changed on May 25 to the American Bond & Mortgage Company. [7]

Consolidation as WMBB-WOK

Following the establishment of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), existing stations were initially issued a series of temporary authorizations starting on May 3, 1927. [8] Later that year, both WMBB and WOK were assigned to 1190 kHz on a timesharing basis, still as separate stations, but with close cooperation. They were formally combined into a single entity on November 1, 1927, when WOK was merged with WMBB, now operating under the control of American Bond & Mortgage, using a dual call sign of WMBB-WOK. The combined station used WOK's 5,000 watt Homewood transmitter, a ten-fold increase for American Bond & Mortgage compared with WMBB's previous operation as a separate station with a 500 watt transmitter. [9]

The FRC conducted a review of existing stations, and notified them that if they wished to remain on the air they had to file a formal license application by January 15, 1928, as the first step in determining whether they met the new "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard. [10] The FRC's General Order 32, issued on May 25, 1928, [11] notified 164 stations, including WMBB-WOK, that they had been identified as questionable in meeting this new standard. Although a majority of the contacted stations survived their reviews and received licenses, WMBB-WOK's application was found to be insufficient, and it was announced that the station was deleted effective September 1, 1928. [12]

WMBB-WOK's owners turned to the federal courts in a series of unsuccessful attempts to have the station license restored. However, on November 5, 1929, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, issued an injunction prohibiting the station from further operations. [13] An attempt to get the original court to reverse its decision was unsuccessful, as was an appeal filed with the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The appeals court attempted to get the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on "six questions of law", but the Supreme Court declined getting involved. [14]

In 1932, the Supreme Court initially agreed to take up a group of related cases, including WMBB-WOK's, but later decided that the issues were best handled by the lower courts. [15] Thus, WMBB-WOK was never able to receive permission to return to broadcasting.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBEN (AM)</span> Radio station in Buffalo, New York

WBEN is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Buffalo, New York, featuring a talk radio format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Western New York, the Niagara Falls region, and parts of Southern Ontario. WBEN's studios are located in Amherst, while the transmitter site is in Grand Island. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WBEN is relayed over WKSE's HD3 digital subchannel, and is available online via Audacy.

WTVN – branded as "News Radio 610 WTVN" – is a commercial 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KQNT</span> Radio station in Spokane, Washington

KQNT is a commercial radio station licensed to Spokane, Washington. It is one of the oldest radio stations in Washington, going on the air in 1922 in Seattle. KQNT offers a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on East Sprague Street in Spokane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WADO</span> Radio station in New York City

WADO is a commercial radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by Latino Media Network. It broadcasts a Spanish-language sports radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KXNO (AM)</span> Radio station in Des Moines, Iowa

KXNO is a commercial AM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. KXNO is owned by iHeartMedia, and airs a sports radio format. KXNO's studios are located in Des Moines, while its 3-tower transmitter array is located on Northeast Broadway Avenue near Capitol Heights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGNC (AM)</span> Radio station in Amarillo, Texas

KGNC is an AM radio broadcast station in Amarillo, Texas, United States with a news/talk format. The station is owned by Alpha Media LLC. Studios for KGNC and its partners are located in southwest Amarillo near the former Western Plaza shopping center. KGNC's programming is also broadcast on 97.5 FM by translator K248DE in Amarillo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHP (AM)</span> Radio station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

WHP is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, serving the Harrisburg–Carlisle region of South Central Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on Corporate Circle in Harrisburg. Weekdays begin with a local talk show hosted by R.J. Harris followed by nationally syndicated conservative talk shows from Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Jesse Kelly, Clay Travis & Buck Sexton and "Coast to Coast AM with George Noory."

WRAK is a radio station licensed to serve Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and licensed to iHM Licenses, LLC. It airs a News/Talk format as "The News/Talk Network".

WYCK is a radio station that is owned by Bold Gold Media. Licensed to the city of Plains, it serves the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton radio market and broadcasts with 810 watts, non-directional.

KWSU is a non-commercial AM radio station licensed to Pullman, Washington. It is owned by Washington State University, and is the flagship station of Northwest Public Broadcasting's National Public Radio News network. It airs a news and talk radio format, using programming from NPR, American Public Media and Public Radio International, as well as locally produced offerings. It airs periodic fundraisers and seeks donations on its website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTAX (AM)</span> Radio station in Springfield, Illinois

WTAX is a commercial AM radio station in Springfield, Illinois. It is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Capitol Radio Group. WTAX simulcasts a news/talk radio format with 93.9 WTAX-FM. The radio studios and offices are on East Sangamon Avenue in Springfield.

KFIZ is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The station is owned by Randy Hopper's Mountain Dog Media and the license is held by RBH Enterprises, Inc. KFIZ airs a news/talk radio format. The station's studios and offices are on the southeast corner of Main and Cotton Streets in downtown Fond du Lac. KFIZ is among Wisconsin's oldest commercial radio stations, beginning experimental broadcasts in 1922.

WCAZ was formerly a commercial radio station, whose operating license was cancelled by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on April 21, 2017. First licensed in May 1922, WCAZ had been one of the oldest radio stations in the United States. At the time of its deletion the station was licensed to the Ralla Broadcasting Company in Carthage, Illinois, and featured a talk/personality format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJOL</span> Radio station in Joliet, Illinois

WJOL is a radio station broadcasting a news talk/sports format. Licensed to Joliet, Illinois, United States, the station is currently owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC. WJOL carries a variety of local programming, as well as nationally syndicated shows. WJOL's studios are located in Crest Hill, and its transmitter site is in Joliet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSOY (AM)</span> Radio station in Decatur, Illinois

WSOY is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a Talk radio format. Licensed to Decatur, Illinois, the station is owned by Neuhoff Corp., through licensee Neuhoff Media Decatur, LLC. Neuhoff owns four other local radio stations, WCZQ, WDZ, WDZQ and WSOY-FM. Studios and offices are located on North Water Street and the transmitter site is near St. Louis Bridge Road, sharing the same tower as WDZ.

Portable broadcasting stations in the United States was a category of AM band radio stations, which were not restricted to operation in a specific community, but instead were permitted to be transported for broadcasting from various locations. These authorizations began in the early 1920s during a period when radio regulation in the United States was the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. However, after the newly formed Federal Radio Commission (FRC) took over in early 1927, it was decided that allowing stations to make unrestricted relocations was impractical, and in 1928 the FRC announced that existing portables that had not settled into permanent locations would be deleted. Station owner C. L. Carrell attempted to overturn the new policy, but was unsuccessful.

WJAZ was the call sign used from 1922 to 1931 by a series of four separate, but closely related, broadcasting stations located in Chicago, Illinois and operated by the Chicago Radio Laboratory/Zenith Radio Corporations.

WCHI was a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that operated from January 1, 1925 until it was deleted in 1932. The station—owned by the Peoples Pulpit Association, a corporation of the Jehovah's Witnesses—was established as WORD in Batavia before moving to Chicago in 1930 and changing its call letters. At the time of its deletion, it was transmitting with 5,000 watts on 1490 kHz. Its license was revoked by the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) over its attacks on the medical profession and in order to allow another station full-time use of the 1490 kHz frequency.

WLWL was a noncommercial radio station in New York City. It was operated by the Paulist Fathers, with its main goal being "the spread of Catholic truth and culture". WLWL began broadcasting in September 1925, and was sold in 1937, becoming WBIL. WBIL in turn was deleted in 1939, as part of a consolidation that resulted in an upgrade for station WOV.

The Federal Radio Commission's (FRC) General Order 32, dated May 25, 1928, notified 164 of the over 600 existing U.S. radio stations that their applications for continued operation would be denied unless they showed that they met the FRC's "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard. The result was the elimination of more than 60 stations, plus numerous power reductions, that somewhat reduced the congestion of the broadcast band, in preparation for implementation of the General Order 40 reallocation later that year.

References

  1. ↑ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1924, page 3.
  2. ↑ "Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1925, page 9.
  3. ↑ "Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, June 1, 1925, page 11.
  4. ↑ "Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, September 1, 1925, page 7.
  5. ↑ "List of broadcasting stations issued temporary permits", Radio Service Bulletin, April 30, 1927, page 13.
  6. ↑ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1925, page 4.
  7. ↑ "Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, June 1, 1925, page 11.
  8. ↑ "List of broadcasting stations issued temporary permits", Radio Service Bulletin, April 30, 1927, pages 6-14.
  9. ↑ "List of broadcasting stations surrendering licenses during the period between March 15, 1927, and June 30, 1928", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission (year ending June 30, 1928),page 83.
  10. ↑ "Extension of Broadcasting Station Licenses", Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1927, page 7.
  11. ↑ "Hearings set for applicants for certain broadcast licenses which have not satisfied the commission" (General Order No. 32, May 25, 1928), Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1928, pages 8-9.
  12. ↑ Federal Radio Commission order: September 1, 1928", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission (year ending 1928), page 161.
  13. ↑ American Bond and Mortgage Company v. United States: Brief for Appellants (April 4, 1931), page 20.
  14. ↑ American Bond and Mortgage Company v. United States: Brief for United States (May 4, 1931), page 2.
  15. ↑ "Ether Ownership Issue Unsolved" by Robert Mack, Washington (D.C.) Sunday Star, February 28, 1932, part 4, page 5.
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.