Radio in 1942

I got this GE Model LFC-1118 radio bought in Seattle in 1942. Attached is a photo of the best part showing the six preset buttons. KIRO, KXA, KJR, KOMO, KRSC, KOL. This radio was an surprise find here on Vashon and looks great sitting next to a 50KW trasmitter for KIRO 710. The buttons with KRSC and KOL are Awsome!
http://mediaexp.com/1942ge.jpg

The old FM band brought back memories of when my dad started to work at the 710 transmitter plant in 1974. In the back room was the actual Western Electric FM transmitter KIRO used to broadcast on the old FM band from Vashon.

There are photo's of the building in the 40's with a tall telephone pole with an FM antenna atop it. KIRO did not have anything on Queen Ann hill at the time so the only place they had available would have been the Vashon Transmitter plant. I'm going to have to dig into the old files, but I bet they tested the FM from Vashon. Any one have knowledge of the really really early days of FM in Seattle? See link to photo of the KIRO transmitter plant in the 40's The pole to the left that has the antenna on it. Is it an early FM transmit antenna? http://mediaexp.com/kiro301c.jpg

Then there is the KRSC button which would have been 1150 am back then and the soon to be call letters of Seattle's first TV Station.

The radio was bought on 11-16-1942 at a store called Lange J. Downie, Seattle. This is what is stamped on the owners manual. Does any one have info on this store?

xmtrland said:

I got this GE Model LFC-1118 radio bought in Seattle in 1942. Attached is a photo of the best part showing the six preset buttons. KIRO, KXA, KJR, KOMO, KRSC, KOL. This radio was an surprise find here on Vashon and looks great sitting next to a 50KW trasmitter for KIRO 710. The buttons with KRSC and KOL are Awsome!
http://mediaexp.com/1942ge.jpg

The old FM band brought back memories of when my dad started to work at the 710 transmitter plant in 1974. In the back room was the actual Western Electric FM transmitter KIRO used to broadcast on the old FM band from Vashon.

There are photo's of the building in the 40's with a tall telephone pole with an FM antenna atop it. KIRO did not have anything on Queen Ann hill at the time so the only place they had available would have been the Vashon Transmitter plant. I'm going to have to dig into the old files, but I bet they tested the FM from Vashon. Any one have knowledge of the really really early days of FM in Seattle? See link to photo of the KIRO transmitter plant in the 40's The pole to the left that has the antenna on it. Is it an early FM transmit antenna? http://mediaexp.com/kiro301c.jpg

Then there is the KRSC button which would have been 1150 am back then and the soon to be call letters of Seattle's first TV Station.

The radio was bought on 11-16-1942 at a store called Lange J. Downie, Seattle. This is what is stamped on the owners manual. Does any one have info on this store?

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Seattle radio has a great history. I am going to link to a rundown that provides a good summary. The coolest thing is many of the calls from the good 'ole days still exist today. The KJR-KOMO connection was indeed interesting. And network radio provided them to be a team for many years. The later years provided both to be extremely successful as they moved about the dial and studio locations. KIRO was also a competitor, but not until later. Seattle is unique to some extent that KIRO and KOMO still exist as successful radio stations, but also TV stations. KRSC, later KING, still obviously exists on TV, but not on AM radio, though KING-FM seemingly will always be around.

Here is the link I was referring to:

http://www.theradiohistorian.org/Seattle/kjr komo history.htm

I have seen that link. I'm interested in the seller of the radio where it was purchased in 1942. It sounds like a mom and pop operation. When I found this radio and saw those presets. It was like the radio was actually making a connection with me and I had to have it for my collection.

Not sure if alot of people know this but KOL sued KIRO because Warren G. Magnusen was an early investor in KIRO. KOL felt that Magnusen and others influenced the 50KW upgrade for KIRO

Here is a dividend check made out to Warren.
http://mediaexp.com/CCF10192015.pdf

Old letters about the law suit.
http://mediaexp.com/CCF10192015_0003.pdf

Some other checks issued by KIRO in the 40's
http://mediaexp.com/CCF10192015_0001.pdf
http://mediaexp.com/CCF10192015_0002.pdf

There is a newspaper article at the transmitter about the KOL/KIRO law suit I need to scan still.

I'm off for NRSC measurements with Mr Boyd right now so I'll try to scan it in to my collection.

Did some more reading of the old files at the KIRO 710 transmitter site. In regard to the 1942 radio and it's pre sets. When the radio was sold in 1942 KJR and KOMO would have been assigned to their new frequencies after the 1941 re shuffle. Putting KJR on AM 1000 and KOMO on AM 950. After the 1944 swap of the KOMO and KJR call letter putting KJR on 950 and KOMO on 1000 it would be easy to reprogram the buttons. I'll have to get the radio working to see what the presets are really on.

An interesting folder detailing KJR in 1941, after the assignment to AM 1000, KJR/Fisher applied for and was issued a construction permit to build a new 50KW facility on the corner of Ambaum and S.W. 136th st. Turns out the Fisher's owned property on the west side of Ambaum from 136th to 144th, North of Lake Burien. Now that location is home to a large apartment complex.

KIRO filled an objection and asked the FCC to reconcider this location due to the proximity of Boing Field and putting a 50KW facility in one of the fasted growing neighbor hoods in the area. KIRO argues that the new 50KW KJR, facility would exceed the blanketing contour of such a facility as set by the FCC.

In April 1942 the FCC issued an order for KJR to find a new location. It's interesting to note that in the petition filled by KIRO in November 1941, states that KJR/Fisher could build a suitable 50KW site on Vashon-Maury Island. The Fishers had to scrap their plans for a 50KW facility operating on AM 1000 from the Lake Burien site.

As we all know the FCC latter set rules for duopoly ownership making the fishers divest themselves of one of their stations. The fishers swapped the call letters of KOMO and KJR and re applied for a transmitter site for KOMO now on 1000Khz on Vashon and went on the air from their around 1944/5. KJR was sold and stayed on Harbor Island at the transmitter site the Fishers built in 1936.

Here is the original order from the FCC on the matter.
http://mediaexp.com/fcc1942_order.pdf

Information on the KJR-KOMO separation can be found here. http://nwradiohistory.com/seattle/station-separation-komo-kjr/

Here is the rest of the KIRO petition to deny the KJR lake Burien transmitter site. It takes a while to scan and post this stuff.

Interesting reading because WWII is going on at the time and the tone of the letters in it's regard to the war. I do not have all the exhibits ready to post. There are two other maps and 23 photos of the area showing new construction of homes. Some you can still find on google maps today. It really demonstrates the building boom in the Burien/White center area. Also interesting in the petition to deny is no mention of Sea-Tac airport because the it did not exist at the time.

Here are the files.
http://mediaexp.com/kiro_letters.pdf
http://mediaexp.com/kiro_pettion_to deny_kjr_lb.pdf
http://mediaexp.com/kiro_exhibts1.pdf
http://mediaexp.com/kiro_a1.jpg
http://mediaexp.com/kjr_responce.pdf

the FCC letter to deny KJR is posted in the above post.

Minor point: The KJR site was not on Harbor Island, but on West Waterway. Harbor Island, a man-made island, became home for KOL for many years.

bossbill said:

Minor point: The KJR site was not on Harbor Island, but on West Waterway. Harbor Island, a man-made island, became home for KOL for many years.

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Bill is correct. KJR (KOMO) was never located on Harbor Island, but KOL was. Technically, the KJR address was in West Seattle. Another little history factoid: Much of Harbor Island was made up of material removed during the "Denny regrade".

Yes I stand corrected I should have said "near Harbor Island". Really no worse referring to the stations on Maury Island saying they are on Vashon Island. What I get a good laugh from is people who actually come Vashon Island thinking it's Vancouver Island.

It is interesting to Google "Denny regrade harbor Island" Lots of neat pictures. Looks like they washed the dirt to the water front and barged the fill to where Harbor Island was established.

I do hope people enjoyed or found interesting the old file I found and posted. Any thoughts on what if the KJR, Ambaum location was actually built. How would it have affected the growth of the area. Would it still be there today? Was it a bad idea from the start?

I love those old 1940s radios. Especially the fact that there were push-buttons for presets. Several years ago I was in the office of an auto repair shop near Bothell where they had an old GE or Zenith radio as a display. They had Seattle (KOMO/KIRO) buttons and Portland (KGW/KXL etc) buttons as well. I wonder if those were regionally made by the radio manufacturer for each radio sold, or if the store that sold them had a supply of local call-sign labels.

xmtrland said:

Yes I stand corrected I should have said "near Harbor Island". Really no worse referring to the stations on Maury Island saying they are on Vashon Island. What I get a good laugh from is people who actually come Vashon Island thinking it's Vancouver Island.

It is interesting to Google "Denny regrade harbor Island" Lots of neat pictures. Looks like they washed the dirt to the water front and barged the fill to where Harbor Island was established.

I do hope people enjoyed or found interesting the old file I found and posted. Any thoughts on what if the KJR, Ambaum location was actually built. How would it have affected the growth of the area. Would it still be there today? Was it a bad idea from the start?

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Or the ones who look for Vancouver on Vancouver Island.

bossbill said:

Or the ones who look for Vancouver on Vancouver Island.

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That would be the vast majority of Americans because unless you're from the Northwest you have no idea there's two Vancouvers.

Good tip David...Just spent $50 on ebay on a few vintage call sheets and early station publications.

My dad just donated his Altair 8800 to my collection. Its from watching him build the kit as a kid that made me good at remembering which way to align ribbon cables in S100 bus computers. Had a BE with the S100 computer in it and that knowledge helped keeping that running.