Are there any current radio stations/programs that predate TV which are still currently active? Maybe put another way, are any of the radio programs which predate TV still on the air? What were the call letters of the first commerical radio station?
If you mean narrative or variety programs, no. Meet the Press began as a radio show, however.
According to this AOL page, the first commercial radio station in the US might be this: “Sept. 10, 1920. 6ADZ* (KGC, KNX) Los Angeles CA. According to KNX, on Sept. 10, Fred Christian, using 6ADZ, began broadcasting recorded music borrowed from music stores in return for plugs on the air.”
That’s the first specific mention of advertising I can find, although there might have been earlier advertisements on other stations.
This is subject to debate, as 6ADZ and other stations like it were classed as “experimental” KDKA in Pittsburgh http://www.kdkaradio.com/kdka.asp?contentGUID={1B08F8DC-1CD1-4801-ADF5-05306593FA17}&groupName=KDKA%20History claims to be the first commercial station in the U.S.
Paul Harvey was doing what he does now (however you want to describe it) as early as 1944 in Chicago, but he didn’t move to network radio until 1951.
The BBC has a number of radio programs which have been running continously since before television broadcasting began. Apart from the News, the Daily Service has been broadcast since (I think) about 1926. I think that Letter from America also predates television, at least television in the UK.
Answers a lot of questions. Great reading, too!
Are you sure? First UK TV broadcast was 1936.
OK. The correct position is as follows.
A predecessor programme to “Letter from America” (“American Half Hour” with Alastair Cooke) began in 1935. I do not know when it stopped.
TV broacasts began in 1936 and stopped in 1939.
“Letter from America” started in March 1946.
TV broadcasts started again (on a different system) in June 1946.
“Desert Island Discs” has been running continuously since 1942, so it too predates the current television service, but not the first television service.
Slight correction :- When BBC television restarted in 1946 it was on the same system ( 405 lines ) as pre war. What may have confused you is that for a short time in 1936 both this electronic system and the Baird mechanical system were run together until the BBC decided that the electonic system was much better and opted for that one.
There are hundreds of U.S. AM (mediumwave) stations on the air which started broadcasting before television. Also, the older stations tended to grab the best frequencies, so if you listen to the AM band at night, a majority of the out-of-town stations you pick up have been on the air since the 1920s and 1930s. I listed 102 stations that I found that go back to July 22, 1922 or earlier in a review I have at U.S. Pioneer Broadcast Service Stations. Some small town stations have things like church service programs which date back to the 1930s.
This is a surprisingly complicated and controversial question. I have my thoughts in a review the Financing Radio Broadcasting section of my site.