RS%AI.AI.MIT.EDU@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu (Robert E. Seastrom) (08/29/89)
> [Moderator's Note: WEAF was the first AM broadcast station in the United > States. It was operated as an experimental station by AT&T. PT] I thought it was generally agreed that the first AM broadcast station was KDKA in Pittsburg (known as 8XK, as in W8XK at the time). Now, some people suggest that WGY was actually the first. Now you mention WEAF, which, if I remember correctly, was more notable for its pioneering work in FM broadcast than it was for AM. What's the story here? ---Rob [Moderator's Note: I think the first FM station in the United States was here in Chicago. WEFM went on the air in 1940. It was named for Edward F. McCormick, who at the time was the President of the Zenith Radio Corporation and active in research work at that firm regards FM broadcasting. I think Zenith started the station (they owned and operated it until 1970) mainly so that people who purchased their 'new type of radio' (FM) would have a station to listen to. I do not know about WEAF being involved in any FM experiments. Comments, anyone? PT]
Eric.Thayer@f.word.cs.cmu.edu (08/30/89)
> I thought it was generally agreed that the first AM broadcast station > was KDKA in Pittsburg (known as 8XK, as in W8XK at the time). Eek, there it isn't again^ Pittsburg => Pittsburgh. KDKA is in PA, not CA -- Eric H. Thayer School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon (412) 268-7679 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
jjc@fire.cis.pittsburgh.edu (Jeffrey James Bryan Carpenter) (08/31/89)
>I thought it was generally agreed that the first AM broadcast station >was KDKA in Pittsburg (known as 8XK, as in W8XK at the time). Now, >some people suggest that WGY was actually the first. Now you mention >WEAF, which, if I remember correctly, was more notable for its >pioneering work in FM broadcast than it was for AM. What's the >story here? KDKA was not the first AM radio station, but it was the first *commercial* AM radio station. I am not sure what non-commercial AM stations were around before KDKA, but WEAF may have been one of them. jeff ---------- Jeffrey J. B. Carpenter, University of Pittsburgh, Computer Center USMAIL: 600 Epsilon Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238 (412) 624 6424, FAX (412) 624-6436 | JJC@PITTVMS.BITNET | jjc@cisunx.UUCP JJC@VMS.CIS.PITT.EDU or jjc@unix.cis.pitt.edu