FLASHBACK: The Story of WMAL Washington, DC

From The Blog Faded Signals:

WMAL, Washington, D.C., signed on in 1925.  It was a CBS affiliate from 1928 to 1932.  It joined the NBC Blue Network in 1933 and later joined ABC.

Evening Star Broadcasting Company, owners of the defunct Washington Evening Star newspaper, acquired the station in 1938.  The company put WMAL-TV on the air in 1947. It was the nation’s first high-band VHF TV station, broadcasting over Channel 7.  In 1948, it started WMAL-FM at 107.3 MHz (now WRQX-FM).

WMAL-AM adopted a full-service format in the 1960s, which many consider to be one of the best executed line-ups in the country.  The station tried to offer something for everyone.  Among the popular personalities on WMAL were Frank Harden and Jackson Weaver, who hosted the station’s morning show for more than 40 years. 

Today, WMAL is a news/talk station, simulcasting on 630 AM and 105.9 FM, which uses the call letters WMAL-FM.

Rick McClure created a documentary about WMAL’s history.   Here’s a link to the 45-minute video: