What was the first radio station to go 24 hours a day?

[BMR]

BBC radio two went 24 hours a day in 1979- until that point most British radio stations closed down at night- including the commercial stations.

Which was the first American station to go 24/7?

 

[EddieTheRapFan]

I'm surprised the BBC took so long!! In Argentina, LS5 Radio Rivadavia started a 24-hour schedule in 1959! And I think many big American stations were already 24 hours by the mid 50s.

 

[BMR]

I'm surprised the BBC took so long!!

Yes, they were certainly late. And the BBC's pop station, Radio One, didn't go 24 hr until 1991.

Before 1979, Radio 2 did do occasional all-nighters, for general election results for example.

 

[fybush]

KGFJ in Los Angeles was boasting 24-hour operation as early as the late 1920s/early 1930s. Many larger US stations went to 24-hour operation during World War II to provide entertainment for workers in defense plants. While most reverted to earlier signoffs (often midnight or 1 AM) after the war, 24-hour operation became routine for many stations again by the 1950s.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I tend to think that WLW in Cincinnati went 24 hours beginning in the early days. I know up into the early 1960's, it was the only Cincinnati station that was doing so.

Most are certainly aware of WLW broadcasting at 500,000 watts from 1934-1939 until ordered by the U.S. government to reduce back to 50,000. I have been told that after that period, the station experimented with high power late at night and once got its wattage up to 750,000.

 

[DavidEduardo]

While most reverted to earlier signoffs (often midnight or 1 AM) after the war, 24-hour operation became routine for many stations again by the 1950s.

Yet it was not until the late 60's or early 70's that full 24/7 operation became common. Most stations, AM and FM alike, went off the air at midnight on Sunday for "maintenance" and came back at 5 AM or 6 AM on Monday morning.

And some major stations did not stay on 24-hours until the same time frame. The WBAP/WFAA 820 operation signed off every night, allowing nice clear reception of HJED's all night show from Cali.

Once place where 24/7 began early was San Jose, Costa Rica where Radio Atenea was on "all the time" from the early 50's. So unusual and so reliable was the station that a Costa Rican phrase of the 50's and 60's used to denote something that would never happen was "...cuando apague Atenea" or "...when Atenea goes off the air".

 

[DavidEduardo]

Most are certainly aware of WLW broadcasting at 500,000 watts from 1934-1939 until ordered by the U.S. government to reduce back to 50,000. I have been told that after that period, the station experimented with high power late at night and once got its wattage up to 750,000.

I've also heard the 750 kw story, but can find no documentation. Perhaps what has happened is a confusion of the efforts of the association of the 25 1-A clear channel stations with the actual operation of WLW. The association tried, all the way until the final FCC denial in the late 60's, to get powers as high as 750 kw for the member stations; the final denial paved the way to the breakdown of the 1-As to allow new 10 to 50 kw stations on the clears.

 

[LKellerIII]

While most reverted to earlier signoffs (often midnight or 1 AM) after the war, 24-hour operation became routine for many stations again by the 1950s.

Yet it was not until the late 60's or early 70's that full 24/7 operation became common. Most stations, AM and FM alike, went off the air at midnight on Sunday for "maintenance" and came back at 5 AM or 6 AM on Monday morning.

My memory is that in the mid 60s for Top 40 music in Los Angeles, KHJ (AM) did stay on the air overnights on Sunday, while KRLA and KFWB did sign off at midnight for "maintenance." IIRC, KHJ would switch to public service type programming at 2:00 AM, but at least us night-owl teens got a couple of extra hours of music.

 

[DavidEduardo]

KGFJ in Los Angeles was boasting 24-hour operation as early as the late 1920s/early 1930s. Many larger US stations went to 24-hour operation during World War II to provide entertainment for workers in defense plants. While most reverted to earlier signoffs (often midnight or 1 AM) after the war, 24-hour operation became routine for many stations again by the 1950s.

The 1937 Broadcasting Yearbook, on page 217, has an ad for WNEW that says "on the air 24 hours a day".

 

[radiorob2.0]

Yet it was not until the late 60's or early 70's that full 24/7 operation became common. Most stations, AM and FM alike, went off the air at midnight on Sunday for "maintenance" and came back at 5 AM or 6 AM on Monday morning.

WVLK AM/FM and WLAP AM/FM Lexington, KY signed off at late Sunday night/Monday morning for "maintenance" until about 1987. I stayed up many a late Sunday/early Monday morning DXing, missed those opportunities.

It's worth noting WVLK AM and FM signed off nightly for short time in 1984. A transmitter engineer left and they didn't fill the position as an cost cutting experiment. It didn't last long as they hired a transmitter engineer. Part of the duty was a live shift on the AM which was a very safe (no loud screaming guitars) AC at the time. The transmitter engineer started mixing in Urban with the Anne Murray and Air Supply. The GM and PD heard it and instead of getting mad they told him to go all Urban. The overnight format lasted about four years before it was replaced with Talknet.

 

[cd637299]

As to the 750 kW question, there was talk around 1979-80 that the FCC was considering "superpower" AM stations, some with maximum power of 750 kW.

I wanna say that WSM & WGN were the main cheerleaders of the proposal, but of course it never came to pass.

Maybe that was the source of the possible confusion.

cd

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

As per what I was told, WLW increasing power to 750,000 watts at night came in the late 1930's when it was still broadcasting with 500,000 watts.

 

[1L6E6VHF]

I had heard on a documentary that KGMB in Honolulu was operating all night in 1941 or earlier (one Sunday morning, some of their listeners changed the world forever).

KGMB would later start TV channel 9, then get out of radio.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

What about WWSW in Pittsburgh?

 

[DavidEduardo]

As to the 750 kW question, there was talk around 1979-80 that the FCC was considering "superpower" AM stations, some with maximum power of 750 kW.

I wanna say that WSM & WGN were the main cheerleaders of the proposal, but of course it never came to pass.

Maybe that was the source of the possible confusion.

cd

There was a group called the Clear Channel Broadcasters Service with the acronym CCBS. If you look at this link, you can see over 200 Broadcasting Magazine mentions of the group.

Until 1968, when the FCC finally turned down any further consideration of higher powers, the CCBS wanted the 1-A clears to be authorized for powers up to 750 kw.

No 750 kw operation was ever authorized, although it was a 30-year dream of those 25 licensees.

http://www.americanradiohistory.com...1&zoom_cat[]=2&zoom_cat[]=3&zoom_per_page=100

 

[w9wi]

WSM and WGN personnel were indeed the leaders of the CCBS -- the names Jack DeWitt and Ward Quaal come up very frequently in CCBS proceedings & if I recall properly, WSM provided clerical services for the organization. (if I get a chance to go review the old CCBS documents at the TV transmitter I'll check)

Fundamentally the question was, "what is the best way to serve 'white areas'", "white areas" being places not receiving decent quality AM service at night.

("white" because they drew maps with the night coverage area of each station marked in black. Any area that wasn't colored in for any station's nighttime service showed up white on the maps...)

- CCBS argued white areas were best served by allowing stations that already broadcast at night to increase power.
- DBA (Daytime Broadcasters' Association) argued that most of these white areas received *daytime* service from at least one station, and if that station was allowed to operate at night the "white areas" would receive fulltime service.

Somewhat complicating the matter was a resolution passed in the 1930s that stated it was the sense of the Senate that powers of more than 50kw were not in the public interest. It wasn't a *binding* resolution -- it didn't *prohibit* the FCC from authorizing higher powers -- but if the Commission had allowed 750kw, the Commissioners knew they might find themselves facing some angry Senators. At least, until those who were in the Senate in the 1930s left...

In any case, I'd argue that FM (and satellite TV) have long since made it a moot point.