January 27 In Radio History

In 1927...With the creation of the "United Independent Broadcasters" network in Chicago by New York talent-agent Arthur Judson. The fledgling network soon needed additional investors though, and the Columbia Phonograph Company, manufacturers of Columbia Records, rescued it in April 1927; as a result, the network was renamed "Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System". Columbia Phonographic went on the air on September 18, 1927, with a presentation by the Howard Barlow Orchestra from flagship station WOR in Newark, New Jersey, and fifteen affiliates.

William S. Paley

Operational costs were steep, particularly the payments to AT&T for use of its land lines, and by the end of 1927, Columbia Phonograph wanted out. In early 1928, Judson sold the network to brothers Isaac and Leon Levy, owners of the network's Philadelphia affiliate WCAU, and their partner Jerome Louchenheim. None of the three was interested in assuming day-to-day management of the network, so they installed wealthy 26-year-old William S. Paley, son of a Philadelphia cigar family and in-law of the Levys, as president. With the record company out of the picture, Paley quickly streamlined the corporate name to "Columbia Broadcasting System".

He believed in the power of radio advertising since his family's "La Palina" cigars had doubled their sales after young William convinced his elders to advertise on radio. By September 1928, Paley bought out the Louchenheim share of CBS and became its majority owner with 51% of the business.

In 1927...KXO 1230 AM went on the air in El Centro, California. (Today the station airs oldies)

In 1931...The NBC Radio Network first broadcast "Clara, Lu ’n’ Em" on its Blue network.

In 1957...The "CBS Radio Workshop" debuted.



In 1989...Scott Shannon leaves WHTZ Z100 NYC

In 1997...WNYC 820 AM / 93.9 FM taken over by “WNYC Foundation”

In 2003...WNEW 102.7 FM drops talk format in favor of music

In 2004...The Federal Communications Commission fined Clear Channel Radio for apparently airing indecent material over several broadcast stations during several days. The Commission proposed the highest fine the law provides resulting in a $27,500 for each of 26 apparent indecency violations for a total of $715,000.



In 2013…Philadelphia television pioneer/radio disc jockey/recording artist (the album Our Gal Sal, on which she was backed by Bill Haley & His Comets)/actress (The Outlaws Is Coming, The In Crowd, Holiday Journey, Mannequin on the Move) Sally Starr, who, in her blonde cowgirl persona, hosted children's TV shows on WFIL-TV (which became WPVI-TV in 1968) from the 1950s until the early 1970s, died at the age of 90.