1926 in radio
Encyclopedia
The year 1926 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.
Events
- 1 January – 2RN2RN2RN was the first radio broadcasting station in the Irish Free State. It began broadcasting on 1 January 1926 and continued until 1933, when it was succeeded by Radio Athlone...
, the first radio broadcasting station in the Irish Free StateIrish Free StateThe Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, goes on air. - 18 April – The Polskie RadioPolskie RadioPolskie Radio Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's national publicly funded radio broadcasting organization.- History :Polskie Radio was founded on 18 August 1925 and began making regular broadcasts from Warsaw on 18 April 1926....
company begins regular broadcasts from WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. - 15 May – American Telephone & TelegraphAmerican Telephone & TelegraphAT&T Corp., originally American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American telecommunications company that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications and professional services to businesses, consumers, and government agencies. AT&T is the oldest telecommunications company...
establishes the Broadcasting Company of AmericaBroadcasting Company of AmericaThe Broadcasting Company of America was a former, short-lived broadcasting subsidiary of AT&T.When AT&T employees, notably Lee DeForest, developed advances in vacuum tube technologies in the 1910s, the telephone giant entered the radio business. Throughout the 1920s, AT&T was involved in patent...
; containing WCAPWCAP (defunct)WCAP was a short-lived radio station that originated in Washington, D.C. during the early-to-mid 1920s. It was owned by AT&T, and its call letters allegedly derived from the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, the local telephone company controlled by AT&T which, based on available reports...
in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, WEAFWNBC (AM)WNBC was a radio station that operated in New York City from 1922 to 1988. For most of its history, it was the flagship station of the NBC Radio Network...
in New York, and the mini-network between both stations. - 29 May – The FinnishFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
national broadcasting company Yleisradio is founded. - 12 June – Radio Kaunas begins regular broadcasting in LithuaniaLithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. - 1 July – American Telephone & TelegraphAmerican Telephone & TelegraphAT&T Corp., originally American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American telecommunications company that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications and professional services to businesses, consumers, and government agencies. AT&T is the oldest telecommunications company...
exits the station ownership realm, selling off WEAF, WCAPWCAP (defunct)WCAP was a short-lived radio station that originated in Washington, D.C. during the early-to-mid 1920s. It was owned by AT&T, and its call letters allegedly derived from the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, the local telephone company controlled by AT&T which, based on available reports...
, and their mini-network, to RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
. The latter station is merged into time-share WRC (AM)WTEMWTEM — branded ESPN 980 — is a sports radio station licensed to Washington, D.C. and serving the Washington metro area. It is the flagship of a sports talk trimulcast with WWXT in Prince Frederick, Maryland and WWXX in Buckland, Virginia, all affiliated with ESPN Radio and owned by Red Zebra...
and takes the latter stations' callsign. - 13 September – Formation of the National Broadcasting Company by RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
is announced in newspaper advertisements around the country. - 10 November – Unión Radio takes over station EAJ-1 Radio Barcelona, laying the foundation for the creation of Spain's first national radio network.
Debuts
- 12 January – Sam 'n' HenrySam 'n' HenrySam 'n' Henry was a radio series by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll which aired on Chicago radio station WGN in 1926-1928. The ten minute program is often considered to be the first situation comedy...
debuts on WGNWGN (AM)WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Two years later, the creators of the show, Freeman GosdenFreeman GosdenFreeman Fisher "Gozzie" Gosden was an American radio comedian, and pioneer in the development of the situation comedy form. He is best known for his work in the Amos 'n' Andy series.-Biography:...
and Charles CorrellCharles CorrellCharles James Correll was an American radio comedian, best known for his work on the Amos 'n' Andy show with Freeman S. Gosden. Correll voiced the central character of Andy Brown, along with various supporting characters. Before teaming up with Gosden, Correll worked as a stenographer and a...
, leave and start the similar show Amos 'n' AndyAmos 'n' AndyAmos 'n' Andy is a situation comedy set in the African-American community. It was very popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s on both radio and television....
. - 26 November – The National Broadcasting Company commences operations on what would become the NBC Red NetworkNBC Red NetworkThe NBC Red Network was one of the two original radio networks of the National Broadcasting Company. After NBC was required to divest itself of its Blue Network , the Red Network continued as the NBC Radio Network.It, along with the Blue Network, were the first two commercial radio networks in the...
, composed of AT&T's WEAF-WCAP mini-network.