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February 12, 2022 8:57 pm  #1


44 Great Radio Pics From The Past 100 Years

It's incredible to think you can now run a radio station from a simple computer, without any real human intervention. (I'm looking at you, CHAM.) But 100 years ago, when radio was in its infancy, it took a lot more than that. Here are 100 years (give or take) of photos of one of the great 50K watt giants of the Northeast - WGY Schenectady, which is celebrating its centenary this year. 

Some samples: a look at what passed for a control board in 1923 and a mic hidden behind a lampshade to discourage stage fright in 1924. Just two of 44 great pics on the site below. It's nice to see someone saved their own history, which many radio stations did not. 

https://clearthis.page/?u=https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Century-club-WGY-Schenectady-s-hometown-16845422.php#

When you think back on editing reel to reel tape and using carts, it seems almost primitive compared to the technology available now. But what must it have been like to try to make radio back then? I can't even imagine. 



 

February 15, 2022 4:36 pm  #2


Re: 44 Great Radio Pics From The Past 100 Years

This one's for Scott Fybush, although I strongly suspect he's already been there. By the way, the video points out in an original broadcast that the call letters "WGY" stand for: "W" as in Wireless, "G" as in General Electric, which started the station, and "Y" for the last letter in Schenectady. Never knew that.  

The WGY Tower 

     Thread Starter
 

February 16, 2022 5:39 pm  #3


Re: 44 Great Radio Pics From The Past 100 Years

Great stuff! The WGY tower is actually the cover image of my calendar this year, and I'm hoping to be at WGY's 100th anniversary celebration this weekend. 

As with so many of those early callsigns, the "meaning" was derived after the fact. The calls were assigned sequentially, but that's not a fun story!