Common wisdom has long named KDKA Pittsburgh as the world's first real radio station. 

But while anyone who was around then is long gone, there's at least one longtime challenger to that title - WWJ Detroit. According to the lore, they were the first radio station on Earth, coming on with a test broadcast from the Detroit News on August 20, 1920. That would make this weekend their 102nd anniversary. 

But it wasn't always known as WWJ.

"By the fall of 1921...8MK was given a new frequency and new call letters WBL...[M]any listeners wrote into The News to complain about the new call letters, saying they couldn’t hear it clearly or understand it. The News staff brought their concerns to federal regulators and on March 3, 1922, officially became WWJ."

It's been that way ever since. Staying in business for more than a century is an incredible feat - although owner Audacy is doing its very best to destroy the place with endless layoffs. 

It's quite remarkable for WWJ to not only report the news but make some of its own. Will it still be here to celebrate its 200th birthday? None of us will be around to find out, but I would hope radio in some form will still exist well into the next century. 

WWJ turns 102: How Michigan’s pioneer radio station led the way

Here's another fascinating document. It's a WWJ pamphlet from around 1936. It shows a comparison of the local ratings from other stations (including CKLW), tours the studios, and predicts the coming of television, noting they "will be ready" when it is. You may have to give it a second or two to fully load before you can see anything. 

WWJ 1936 Pamphlet

WWJ Radio Firsts