Really Really Really Retro: Chicago, Sat. March 4, 1933

[KeithE4]

From the Chicago Tribune via JJ's Radio Logs. This was Inauguration Day for Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Frequencies not shown in the Tribune listings. Frequencies and powers are from the 1933 White's Radio Log (courtesy of David Eduardo's website). w=Watts full-time, d=daytime, l=limited time, s=shared time

Not all stations provided listings to the Tribune. Some listings were unreadable or only partially readable, hence the question marks.

560 WIBO 1000w Chicago
560 WPCC 500w Chicago (Only aired on Sundays)
670 WMAQ 5000w Chicago
720 WGN 25000w Chicago
770 WBBM 25000w Chicago
870 WLS 50000s Chicago
870 WENR 25000s Chicago
920 WAAF 500d Chicago
970 WCFL 5000w Chicago
1020 KYW 10000w Chicago
1080 WMBI 5000s Chicago
1080 WCBD 5000s Zion, IL
1130 WJJD 2000l Chicago
1200 WWAE 100w Hammond, IN
1210 WCRW 100s Chicago
1210 WEDC 100s Chicago
1210 WSBC 100s Chicago
1310 WCLS 100s Joliet, IL
1310 WKBB 100s Joliet, IL
1360 WGES 500s Chicago
1360 WJKS 1000s Gary, IN
1420 WHFC 100s Cicero, IL
1420 WEHS 100s Cicero, IL
1420 WKBI 100s Cicero, IL

WIBO & WPCC were kicked off 560 in 1934 to make room for WJKS, leaving 1360 for WGES. WJKS is now WIND.

KYW also used the call letters KFKX at times. That co-owned station had been in Hastings NE but was moved to Chicago in 1927. The KFKX calls were deleted later in 1933. KYW would move to Philadelphia in 1934, to Cleveland in 1956, then back to Philadelphia in 1965. It was the first radio station in Chicago, beginning in 1921.

WBBM shared 770 with KFAB Omaha, although this schedule doesn't seem to reflect this. The two stations synchronized their signals at night, but no evidence of any daytime sharing is evident, at least not on this day.

WCBD was a religious station in Zion. In 1941, it moved to 820 and to Chicago, went commercial, and became WAIT. There was a second WCBD Zion in the '40s & '50s, again a religious station, that shared time with WAIT (the old WCBD) on 820. It aired only on Sundays.

WCLS is now WJOL. This is the station where Harry Caray got his first radio gig. WKBB moved to Dubuque IA in the '40s and is now WDBQ.

WEHS and WKBI were bought out by WHFC in 1936. WHFC later used the WEHS call letters for its FM station beginning in the early '40s (originally W83C). That FM station moved to 97.9 and is now WLUP.

WIBO 560
7:30 AM Time Signal Express
9:30 AM Little Harry
10:00 AM Household Guild
11:00 AM Organ
12:00 N Melody Man; Reading Room
12:45 PM Keith Beecher's Orchestra
1:15 PM Patricia O'Hearn, sketch
1:45 PM Theater Reporter
2:00 PM Radio Gossip Club
3:00 PM Mary Alcott
3:30 PM Lillian Gordoni
4:00 PM Old Chestnuts
4:30 PM Nick Nichols
4:45 PM Dudley Craft Watson
7:00 PM Joel Lay
7:45 PM Aviation News
8:00 PM College Basketball: Northwestern vs Minnesota
9:30 PM Happy Shavers
9:45 PM Betty & Jean
10:00 PM Frank Hathaway
10:15 PM (unreadable)
11:00 PM Keith Beecher's Orchestra

WMAQ 670 (NBC Red)
7:00 AM The Wife Saver; Morning Worship
7:30 AM Pepper Pot
8:30 AM Inaugural Events
11:15 AM Presidential Inauguration
3:30 PM Marimba Band
4:00 PM Lady Next Door
4:30 PM Genna Zielinska (?)
4:45 PM Concert Echoes
5:00 PM Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra
5:15 PM Amateur Radio Club
5:30 PM Laws That Safeguard Security
5:45 PM Seckatary Hawkins
6:00 PM Ralph Kimble
6:30 PM Ozzie Nelson's Orchestra
7:00 PM Gallerno's (?) Ensemble
7:15 PM Art Kassel's Orchestra
7:30 PM E?? World Today
8:00 PM Reinsfeld's Viennese Program
8:30 PM Gus Van with George Olsen's Orchestra
9:00 PM Saturday Night Dancing Party
10:00 PM National Education Association program
10:15 PM Tweet Hogan's Orchestra
10:30 PM Inaugural Ball
11:30 PM Don Irwin's Orchestra
12:00 M Erskine Tait's Orchestra
12:30 PM Art Kassel's Orchestra

WGN 720
7:00 AM Good Morning, musical program
8:30 AM Today's Food Bargains
9:00 AM Keep Fit Club
9:30 AM Clara Lu 'n Em
10:30 AM Vice Presidential Inauguration
11:15 AM Presidential Inauguration
12:00 N Army & Navy Bands
1:00 PM Inaugural Parade
3:00 PM Buying Tax Warrants; Joseph Hassner, baritone
3:30 PM Leon Belaseo's Orchestra
4:00 PM Russell Nelson, tenor
4:30 PM Legal Information; Prof. Bert Louis Kl???
4:40 PM Jane Carpenter, pianist
5:00 PM The Devil Bird, sketch
5:15 PM Trainland in Tunes
5:45 PM Little Orphan Annie
6:00 PM Uncle Quin, Davy Dreamer, and Wishbone
6:15 PM Palmer House Orchestra
6:45 PM Tom, Dick, & Harry
7:00 PM Easy Aces
7:15 PM (unreadable)
7:30 PM Seven League Beats
7:45 PM Lawson YMCA Glee Club
8:00 PM Bing Crosby
8:15 PM The Old Favorites
8:30 PM Walter Smith's Concert Band
9:00 PM Inaugural Ball
9:30 PM Tomorrow's Tribune
9:45 PM The Dream Ship
10:00 PM Hal Kemp's Orchestra
10:15 PM Milligan & Mulligan, sketch
10:30 PM Weather; Wayne King's Orchestra
10:50 PM Bernie Cummings' (?) Orchestra
11:10 PM Wayne King's Orchestra
11:30 PM Ted ? Orchestra
12:00 M Clyde McCoy's Orchestra
12:20 AM Hal Kemp's Orchestra
12:40 AM Clyde McCoy's Orchestra
1:00 AM Hal Kemp's Orchestra
1:20 AM Clyde McCoy's Orchestra
1:40 AM Hal Kemp's Orchestra

WBBM 770 (CBS)
7:30 AM Christian Science Program
8:00 AM Tony Woods (?); Gene & Charlie
8:30 AM Inaugural Events
9:00 AM Feast of the Air
9:15 AM Inaugural Events
11:15 AM Presidential Inauguration
3:00 PM The Bergstroms
3:15 PM Tom W(?) & piano duo
3:30 PM Chicago Hour; Julia Hayes
4:00 PM Eddie Duehin's Orchestra
4:30 PM Earl Hoffman's Orchestra
4:45 PM Cowboy Tom
5:00 PM Gene & Charlie
5:30 PM Skippy
5:45 PM Gertrude Nelsen
6:00 PM Orchestra
6:15 PM Isham Jones' Orchestra
6:30 PM Norm Sherr
6:45 PM The Steel Singer
7:00 PM Del Conn's Orchestra
7:15 PM Sports Review
7:30 PM Charlie Hamp
7:45 PM Rammondt's (?) Orchestra
8:15 PM Charley Steight's Orchestra
8:30 PM Paul Ash's Orchestra
9:00 PM Inaugural Ball
12:00 M Charley Steight's Orchestra
12:30 AM Paul Ash's Orchestra
1:00 AM Ben Pollack's Orchestra
1:20 AM Paul Ash's Orchestra
1:40 AM Herbie Mintz's Orchestra

WLS/WENR 870 (NBC Blue)
WLS
7:30 AM Red Foley
8:00 AM Steamboat Bill
8:30 AM Inaugural Events
WENR
10:15 AM Inaugural Ceremonies
11:15 AM Presidential Inauguration
WLS
11:45 AM Inaugural Program
WENR
3:30 PM Maurie Sherman's Orchestra
4:00 PM Concert Echoes
4:30 PM Musical Moments
4:45 PM M(?) Sisters
5:00 PM Pat Barnes' Program
5:15 PM Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra
6:00 PM Anson Weeks' Orchestra
6:15 PM Merle Thorpe
6:30 PM What's the News?
6:45 PM James G. McDonald
WLS
7:30 PM Barn Dance Party
8:30 PM Springtime Jubilee
10:00 PM Grace Wilson & Ned Miller
10:15 PM National Barn Dance
WENR
12:00 M Frank Libuse's Orchestra
12:30 AM Don Pedro's Orchestra

WAAF 920
9:00 AM Sing and Sweep
9:30 AM Organ
10:00 AM Dottie & Heine
10:30 AM Pl(?) Ramblers
11:45 AM Estelle Lewis
1:30 PM Piano ?
3:00 PM The Bookworm
4:15 PM Waltz Melodies
5:30 PM Sports Review

WCFL 970
7:30 AM Cheerio
8:00 AM Airplane Club
9:00 AM German Program
9:15 AM Famous Soloists
10:00 AM Dance music
11:00 AM Red Hot and Low Down
11:15 AM Presidential Inauguration
12:45 PM Farmers' Union
1:45 PM Illinois Women's Press
2:00 PM Dave Unell's Orchestra; Harmony Four
3:30 PM Timely Topics
4:30 PM Eddy Hansen
5:00 PM Tripoli Trio
5:15 PM Children's Air Theater
8:00 PM Dorothea D?
8:15 PM Night Court
8:30 PM Eddie Makin's Orchestra
9:15 PM Al Rainier's Orchestra
9:45 PM Harry LeGrand's Orchestra
10:30 PM Dick Ruck's Orchestra
11:00 PM Elmer Kaiser's Orchestra
12:00 M Harry LeGrand's Orchestra

KYW 1020
7:00 AM Musical Clock
9:00 AM Inaugural Events
11:15 AM Presidential Inauguration
3:30 PM Today's Tunes
4:00 PM Three Strings
4:15 PM Minstrel Stars
5:00 PM Little German Band
5:30 PM Uncle Bob's Club
6:00 PM Harold Stern's Orchestra
6:30 PM Vocal duo
6:45 PM Octavus Roy Cohen Mystery
7:15 PM Rochester Symphony Orchestra
8:00 PM Bad News Picnic
8:30 PM Southern Singers
9:15 PM Program to WHAM (?)
9:45 PM Cuckoo
10:30 PM Jack Chapman's Orchestra
11:00 PM Mark Fisher's Orchestra
11:30 PM Don Pedro's Orchestra
12:00 M Jack Chapman's Orchestra
12:30 PM Maurice Meret's Orchestra

WJJD 1130
7:00 AM Cowboy singer; Gym class
10:15 AM Neighborhood Store
11:00 AM Carnival
11:45 AM Singing Minstrels
12:00 N Univ. of Chicago French Class
1:15 PM Waltz Time
1:30 PM Hill Billy Time
3:00 PM The Old Gardener
3:15 PM Dance tunes
3:30 PM Cowboy singer; Rhapsody
4:15 PM Young Mother's Club
6:15 PM Sports Reel
6:30 PM Half Pint Jackson
6:45 PM Carolina Rounders
7:30 PM (?) Orchestra

WSBC 1210
10:30 AM Bobby Danders
11:00 AM Jerry Sullivan
2:30 PM Estelle Lewis
3:15 PM Drama

WGES 1360
9:00 AM Canary, concert

 

[w9wi]

l=limited time,

("limited time" means the station could remain on until sunset at the "dominant" station on the frequency. WJJD could remain on until sunset at KSL in Salt Lake City. They could also use any nighttime hours KSL chose not to. For example, if KSL signed off between midnight and 6am Mountain time (1-7am Central) WJJD could come back on the air at 1 and stay on -- well, until 7, but by then the sun was up & they could remain on the rest of the day.)

WBBM shared 770 with KFAB Omaha, although this schedule doesn't seem to reflect this. The two stations synchronized their signals at night, but no evidence of any daytime sharing is evident, at least not on this day.

I'm pretty sure they didn't share time. Both stations operated simultaneously, but at night WBBM and KFAB "synchronized", carrying the same program. (both were CBS affiliates, after all) Hence the "Sy" after the "C" in the White's listing.

Note that KFAB was licensed to Lincoln in 1933. The city-of-license changed to Omaha in the late 1940s. They're listed under Lincoln in the 1945 and 1948 Yearbooks, although with an Omaha address in 1948. By 1950 they're listed under Omaha. The power increased from 10kw to 50kw between 1946 and 1948, spurring WOW-590 to take out an ad in the 1948 Yearbook boasting of how their lower dial position meant a station on 1100 would need at least 60kw to match WOW's coverage. (they were obviously referring to KFAB but didn't name their rival)

 

[KeithE4]

WBBM shared 770 with KFAB Omaha, although this schedule doesn't seem to reflect this. The two stations synchronized their signals at night, but no evidence of any daytime sharing is evident, at least not on this day.

I'm pretty sure they didn't share time. Both stations operated simultaneously, but at night WBBM and KFAB "synchronized", carrying the same program. (both were CBS affiliates, after all) Hence the "Sy" after the "C" in the White's listing.

Note that KFAB was licensed to Lincoln in 1933. The city-of-license changed to Omaha in the late 1940s. They're listed under Lincoln in the 1945 and 1948 Yearbooks, although with an Omaha address in 1948. By 1950 they're listed under Omaha. The power increased from 10kw to 50kw between 1946 and 1948, spurring WOW-590 to take out an ad in the 1948 Yearbook boasting of how their lower dial position meant a station on 1100 would need at least 60kw to match WOW's coverage. (they were obviously referring to KFAB but didn't name their rival)

Yep, missed that one. KFAB was in Lincoln in 1933. My bad.

I don't know about the WOW boast, though. I think that even back then with less stations, KFAB on 1110 would have a bit better coverage with 50 kW than WOW did on 590 with 5 kW. If KFAB had been on a higher frequency, such as 1500, they would have had more credibility in their braggin'. The difference between 50 and 60 kW isn't that much to begin with.

 

[w9wi]

Yep, missed that one. KFAB was in Lincoln in 1933. My bad.

No problem. I think that's one of the more obscure facts about old radio: that the clear-channel stations we *think* have been around forever with the same facilities sometimes *haven't*.

Oh, BTW I think there was another similar simultaneous-day-synchronized-night operation on 1060 in Hartford and Baltimore. Seems to me they cleared it by having KTHS/Hot Springs, Ark. (today's KAAY) and WTIC/Hartford swap frequencies. That allowed both stations to operate fulltime by going directional at night to protect KRLD/Dallas and WBAL/Baltimore. (KRLD and KTHS had been in a simple time-sharing arrangement)

I don't know about the WOW boast, though. I think that even back then with less stations, KFAB on 1110 would have a bit better coverage with 50 kW than WOW did on 590 with 5 kW. If KFAB had been on a higher frequency, such as 1500, they would have had more credibility in their braggin'. The difference between 50 and 60 kW isn't that much to begin with.

A quick look at the FCC groundwave charts http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/73184/index.html suggest it isn't that far off.

A station on 590 in terrain with a ground conductivity of 30mS/m (typical in eastern Nebraska) is predicted as developing 0.45mV/m at 150km. (it doesn't say but I'm presuming that's for 1kW power to a quarter-wave antenna)

Changing the frequency to 1110 reduces the field to 0.16mV/m. Changing it to 1500 reduces the field to 0.065mV/m.

If I'm doing the math right (and it *is* 12:30 in the morning...), if the station on 590 was running 5kw, the station on 1110 would have to run a bit more than 39kw to match its field at 150km. The station on 1500 would have to run about 240kw.

So it's not quite 12 times the power as claimed in the ad. But it is about 8 times.

Now, that is assuming non-directional operation, which certainly isn't the case for KFAB at night. (I wonder what their directional situation was before the increase to 50kw? It's frustrating to know that there *were* plenty of directional stations pre-WW2, but there seems to be little record of *which* stations were directional and whether they were directional day and night or just at night.) It's also looking strictly at theoretical coverage, without any effect of interference, and it's assuming daytime groundwave, not nighttime skywave.

 

[radioman148]

>>The power increased from 10kw to 50kw between 1946 and 1948, spurring WOW-590 to take out an ad in the 1948 Yearbook boasting of how their lower dial position meant a station on 1100 would need at least 60kw to match WOW's coverage. (they were obviously referring to KFAB but didn't name their rival)>>

WIND did the same thing in the late 50s & early 60s in their battles with WJJD. They used to advertise how much power a station above 1100 (obviously referring to WJJD) would need to compete with their signal.