The first decade of FM broadcasting, starting in 1936 to 1946, occurred in the 42 - 50 MHz band. The frequency band was changed to the current 88 to 108 MHz band in 1946. FM stations operating in the old frequency band were required to move to the higher frequencies and most did so before 1948.
Many initial call signs in the FM band were assigned in the following manner:
an initial "W" or "K", depending on whether the station location was east or west of the Mississippi River,
followed by two numbers, and
one or two letters usually representing the community of license, like K 47 SL (now KSFI, Salt Lake City, UT).
The early FM history cards in this folder came from a single microfiche sheet (#40) in the noncommercial educational FM history cards section. They include the experimental FM facilities constructed by Edwin H. Armstrong, the inventor of FM radio.
History cards were never intended to provide complete records for a station, but instead.list transactions (permits, licenses, assignments, etc.) at the Commission with limited details and comments added. The cards available here are not a complete list of authorizations issued in the 1930s and 1940s.
Grant Date | Station | Comment |
---|---|---|
6/12/1936 | W2XMN Alpine, NJ | Edwin H. Armstrong |
10/31/1940 | W 99 NY / W 59 NY New York, NY | Frequency Broadcasting Corporation Deleted 5/13/1942 |
2/18/1941 | W 81 SP Philadelphia, PA | Westinghouse Radio Stations, Inc. Deleted 4/21/1942 |
7/22/1941 | W 77 XL, Lansing, MI | WJIM, Inc. Deleted 9/7/1942 |
9/16/1941 | K 45 SF San Francisco, CA | Hughes Tool Company Deleted 1/20/1942 |
10/22/1941 | W 79 C Chicago, IL | Oak Park Realty and Amusement Co. Deleted 9/23/1942 |
11/25/1941 | K 49 LA Los Angeles, CA | Hughes Tool Company Deleted 1/20/1942 |
1/27/1942 | W 91 HJ / W 91 NJ West Orange, NJ | Deleted 9/29/1942 |
8/06/1945 (STA) | KE2XCC Alpine, NJ | Edwin H. Armstrong Deleted 11/22/1954 |
Additional early FM licensed stations with FCC History Cards and FCC Facility ID Numbers, 1938 to 1947:
These additional history cards were also in the folder above: | ||
1/10/1936 (STA) | W8XWJ, Detroit, MI | The Evening News Association Deleted 1/1/1941 Apex AM modulation |
6/3/1937 | KA-9952, Jackson, MS | Licensed 3/28/1938, Deleted 2/18/1952 (Misplaced intercity relay history cards) |
For more information on AM and FM radio broadcasting, please visit the Audio Division website, and the Broadcast Radio Links page.
For more information on Television broadcasting, please visit the Video Division website.
FCC > Media Bureau > Audio Division and Video Division, (202) 418-1600.