The Pioneers of Broadcasting
From Jay Collier
WGBH built it's own vision of educational broadcasting on the shoulders of those who came before. The following Web sites, annotated by Don Hallock, provide valuable reference materials about the early history of this field.
Some of the following historians have provided photos or text that was used in the development of this Web site.
From Don Hallock
GGN Information Systems
A broadcast history site, devoted to early FM and Television. An eclectic collection of technical data as well as trivia, hosted by Norm Gagnon, a longtime broadcast engineer. Norm has also generously contributed to our web site many wonderful materials from his collection, significantly expanding our documentation of the history of WGBH.
History of American Broadcasting
Meanings of requested call letters of the 1920s - History of New York City AM Calls, by Bob Harrison - A chronology of AM broadcasting 1900-1960 - Broadcasting magazine special issues of 1962 and 1970 - World short wave stations as of 1926 and 1931 - U. S. and Canadian short wave stations as of 1947 - Slogans used by radio stations in the 1920s and 1930s.
Television History - The First 75 Years
Learn about the history of TV-set design, development and marketing. ...you will find photographs of television sets from around the world, year-by-year links to important facts, magazine covers and advertising. See examples of the world's first television sets, up to and including HDTV models.
The Chuck Pharis Television Museum
This site is a luscious treat for TV old timers. Chuck has assembled possibly the most complete collection of equipment anywhere. This restorer extraordinaire has put enormous scholarship, and love of the medium and its hardware, into the collection he shares with us on his web site.
Quadruplex Park
"Where the Broadcast Dinosaurs Live!" ... for those who are interested in collecting electronic equipment used in broadcasting, [and] especially for those who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains, switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
Auman Museum of Radio and Television
"This collection is one man's 40 year effort to preserve a part of our nation's history. Thank you, curator-Larry Auman"
Pavek Museum of Broadcasting
The Pavek Museum of Broadcasting houses one of the world's finest collections of antique radio, television, and broadcast equipment. The Pavek has gained international recognition for its continuing efforts in preserving and documenting the history of an industry that has made monumental changes in the fabric of modern life.
Fybush.com
Take one average kid from the suburbs. Raise him a few hundred yards from three AM directional arrays. Immerse him in the history of broadcasting. Hire him at stations like WCAP in Lowell, R News in Rochester, and WBZ in Boston.
Give him a column that covers everything there is to report about radio and TV in the Northeast. Drive him to thousands of radio and TV towers and studios from coast to coast and look what happens!
Scott Fybush lives, breathes, sleeps and eats North American radio and television. For the last decade and then some, it's been his project to learn everything there is to know about the media - and then to try to make it better.
Historytv.net
Welcome to History TV .net where you will find the earliest photograph collection of experimental television.
The collection begins with the 1929 Felix the Cat broadcast image of a paper mache likeness. You can also view television inventor, Dr. V. K. Zworykin's personal photographs from 1932, which show the first tv screen images of Baseball, Football and even Mickey Mouse. In 1936 the First TV Dinner was served; also in 1936, the Inkspots and Hildegarde performed the earliest live broadcasts of music on television. The New York World's Fair of 1939 introduced television to the world, commercials would come in 1941.
The Remote Truck Book
Not in the industry, but wonder what technology and skill sets are required to produce television outside a studio? This book explains the industry on three levels. Foremost it provides a picture essay of the business. It also provides nearly 70,000 words of narration to tie the pictures into a story. Want to delve a little deeper into some of the technical and production issues involved? The book has dozens of sidebars that look a little further under the hood of this interesting industry. From concept, to planning, through setup to air time, the reader walks through the process of performing television on location.
Radio Era Archives
Restored Radios - Un-restored Radios - Information - Books - Flea Market - Schematic Diagrams - Service Manuals - Catalogs - CD-ROM Publications - New Books About Radio - Old Books About Radio - Radio Servicing & Restoration - Price Evaluation - Appraisals - Buy Radio Estates - Operators Manuals - Tubes - Zenith Trans-Oceanic Museum - Antique Radio Museum - Ham Radio Museum - Marine Radio Museum - Schematics Pre-WWII - Schematics Post-WWII and much more on this web site!
Play Things of the Past
Play Things Of Past is a supplier of vintage radios, radio tubes, parts, books, literature, manuals, etc. to the antique radio hobby. We have been in business 10 years and have a vintage radio store in the west side of Cleveland, Ohio. If you would like to visit us just gives us a call.
The Broadcast Archive
If broadcast history is your hobby, passion, or just today's matter of interest, we are glad you are here! Oldradio.com's mission is to find and share information about pioneer broadcast radio stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and clear up some myths.
MHP-TV
"Dedicated to television - particularly the bits before, in between and after the actual programmes."
Order of the Iron Test Pattern
Through snow and glitches, dropouts, ghosts and now cliff-effect, we survive - undaunted. Dedicated to "hanging in" under all circumstances, we unsung heroes of the broadcast and cable industries are on the working end of the "show-must-go-on" button — even if it means using our own finger in place of the fuse (ouch!). Our association serves no purpose other than to recognize one another for what we are - survivors! Welcome to our very own web site!
The Buffalo Broadcast Pioneers
During the pioneering decades of broadcasting in America, the Buffalo area played a significant role in the development of talent, programming and technology. From the sign-on of the city's first radio station in 1922 to the future deployment of digital television, the broadcast media have led the pop-cultural development of Niagara Frontier. The BBP is dedicated to preserving and promoting WNY's rich local broadcasting history, saluting and encouraging quality broadcasting today and in the future, and most importantly to promote quality broadcasting. Future plans call for a permanent museum.
Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters
Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters was founded in 1966 by announcer Art Gilmore and a group of 178 original members. Edgar Bergen (Charlie McCarthy) was the founding Chairman of the Board. Jim Jordan (Fibber McGee) was the second Chairman followed by Ralph Edwards, the third Chairman. Art Gilmore is the current Chairman of the Board and the membership stands at over 600.
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
Author Richard Corliss [in Time Magazine] refers to this site as "invaluable...a trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics."
Jim Hawkin's WOR-TV North Bergen Transmitter Page
The 760 ft. WOR-TV, WOR FM tower in North Bergen, NJ weighed about 420 tons, was designed to withstand winds in excess of 120 mph., and was completed by Terry Steel Construction around July 1949. At that time, it became the 10th tallest man-made structure in the world.
Jim Hawkins: "There seems to be no trace of information about this facility or its history on the web. Hence it is my intention here to fill that void with this overview of an important event in radio and television history (not to mention my own). The articles, especially in 'Electronics' give much more operational details."
Society of Television Engineers
The Society of Television Engineers is a unique organization that embraces the television industry and key individuals involved in the areas of television broadcast engineering and the manufacture of television broadcast equipment. It is unique to the Los Angeles and surrounding areas. It was started in 1940 by chief engineers of Los Angeles independent and network-owned television stations. The purpose of the STE was, and still is, to provide a common ground for key engineering personnel to get together and discuss common technical problems, and to help each other solve them.