New York City TV & Radio History

Februrary 22, 1922 WOR owned by Bamberger’s Department Store debuts
March 2, 1922 WEAF 660 AM owned by AT&T originates and becomes the flagship station for the NBC Radio Network. The station becomes WNBC and eventually WFAN
March 19, 1922 WHN goes on the air on 833 AM in New York City. It would become WEPN 1050 AM
May 15,1923, WJZ (now WABC) in Newark, NJ starts broadcasting, run by Radio Corporation of American (RCA)
July 8, 1924: WNYC begins broadcasting on 570 AM (later 810 AM) radio in New York City
September 20, 1924 Alfred H. Grebe starts WAHG at 920 AM. It eventually becomes WCBS 880 AM
Sept. 27, 1927: CBS is founded in New York City by William S. Paley
1928 W2XBS Channel 1(NBC) in Van Cortlandt Park first experimental television broadcast of an image of Felix the Cat
July 21, 1931 Experimental station W2XAB goes on the air. It would would later become WCBS TV channel 2
Dec. 26, 1933: Inventor Edwin Armstrong develops FM radio and receives a patent.
Oct. 30, 1938: The infamous War of the Worlds adaptation is broadcast by Orson Welles, creating panic all over the country when some listeners believed that real aliens actually landed in New Jersey.
April 30, 1939 RCA introduces television to the American public at the New York World’s Fair. President Franklin Roosevelt becomes the first president to be televised
June 24, 1941 W2XBS receives a commerical license under the call letters WNBT for NBC Television
July 1, 1941: The first official commercial airs on television on station WNBT in New York.
Sept. 30, 1947: The first televised World Series allows Americans to watch the Yankees beat the Dodgers over seven games.
August 10, 1948 WJZ TV signs on, which will become WABC TV
Jan. 14, 1952: The Today Show first airs on television, broadcasting from New York City. Dave Garroway was the show’s first host.
April 22, 1964 debuted color television with an interactive studio at the RCA Pavilion of the 1964 New York’s Worlds Fair.
June 12, 2009 the United States switches from NTSC to ATSC television transmission

Februrary 22, 1922 WOR owned by Bamberger’s Department Store debuts

March 2, 1922 WEAF 660 AM owned by AT&T originates and becomes the flagship station for the NBC Radio Network. The station becomes WNBC and eventually WFAN

March 19, 1922 WHN goes on the air on 833 AM in New York City. It would become WEPN 1050 AM

May 15,1923, WJZ (now WABC) in Newark, NJ starts broadcasting, run by Radio Corporation of American (RCA)

July 8, 1924: WNYC begins broadcasting on 570 AM (later 810 AM) radio in New York City

September 20, 1924 Alfred H. Grebe starts WAHG at 920 AM. It eventually becomes WCBS 880 AM

Sept. 27, 1927: CBS is founded in New York City by William S. Paley

1928 W2XBS Channel 1(NBC) in Van Cortlandt Park first experimental television broadcast of an image of Felix the Cat

July 21, 1931 Experimental station W2XAB goes on the air. It would would later become WCBS TV channel 2

Dec. 26, 1933: Inventor Edwin Armstrong develops FM radio and receives a patent.

Oct. 30, 1938: The infamous War of the Worlds adaptation is broadcast by Orson Welles, creating panic all over the country when some listeners believed that real aliens actually landed in New Jersey.

April 30, 1939 RCA introduces television to the American public at the New York World’s Fair. President Franklin Roosevelt becomes the first president to be televised

June 24, 1941 W2XBS receives a commerical license under the call letters WNBT for NBC Television

July 1, 1941: The first official commercial airs on television on station WNBT in New York.

Sept. 30, 1947: The first televised World Series allows Americans to watch the Yankees beat the Dodgers over seven games.

August 10, 1948 WJZ TV signs on, which will become WABC TV

Jan. 14, 1952: The Today Show first airs on television, broadcasting from New York City. Dave Garroway was the show’s first host.

April 22, 1964 debuted color television with an interactive studio at the RCA Pavilion of the 1964 New York’s Worlds Fair.

June 12, 2009 the United States switches from NTSC to ATSC television transmission