NYPR History Notes

Olympians on the Air!

Mayor Walker welcomes the 1932 French Olympic team to City Hall, July 14, 1932. The man standing at the bottom left with the microphone is WNYC's Chief Announcer Tommy Cowan. (Photo: Acme News Photo/WNYC Archive Collections)

"Negro News and Views"

"Jesse O. Thomas of Atlanta, Georgia, and Southern Field Director of the National Urban League and former New York State Supervisor of Negro Economics, will be the guest speaker on the third broadcast of the series Negro News and Views over station WNYC 810 k. Saturday, May 20, at 4:15 p.m. His topic with be 'The Negro's Contribution to the Culture of the South.'

"The series, arranged by the National Urban League in an effort to awaken the general public to the realization of the importance of the Negro's cultural contribution to American life, is directed by Edward Lawson, Managing Editor of Opportunity Magazine. Last week Dick Campbell, Director of the Rose McClendon Players, was the speaker."

Source: The New York Age, May 20, 1939, pg. 7.

August 26, 1938

A tape recorder was used for the first time in the U.S. to transmit a radio broadcast. The sapphire stylus engraved Millertape was invented by James Arthur Miller of the Miller Broadcasting Company. A 1,000 foot section of this tape could carry a 15-min program, which could be editted by cutting. This first program using this sound tape was transmitted by WQXR, the Interstate Broadcasting Company, in New York City from 6:30pm to 7 pm.

WNYC's 90th year of broadcasting is upon us. (The actual anniversary is next July 8th.) In this space we'll be linking to various WNYC champions and milestones. This week:The American Music Festival.

In the July,1944 WQXR Program Guide veteran correspondent and commentator Estelle M. Sternberger discussed the critical role played by accurate and level-headed news analysis of the war. Read it at:The Commentator's Responsibility to Listeners.

Lots of news about Russia lately. Pussy Riot hits the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The winter Olympics in Sochi begin today. Did you know a Russian reportedly invented the light bulb? Find out more at: Radio Moscow on the Hudson.

A must-read for any fan of WNYC History: Peter H. Darrow's Going Public: The Story of WNYC's Journey to Independence.

It's BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
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The WNYC Facebook page has a station timeline (1922-present) with more than 607 milestones, photos, and links to audio. (Right hand column)

We're also working on the WQXR Facebook timeline. (1929 - present)

Do your friends want to subscribe to this newsletter? Have them sign up at: NEWSLETTERS.

Check out the @mayorlaguardia Twitter feed straight from the WNYC broadcasts! His Honor now has 523 followers.

The WNYC Archives is on Twitter with 1768 followers @wnycarchives. We tweet daily reminders of, and links to, WNYC broadcasts from that day in the past.

Weâ€™ve got a Tumblr page too! More than 9,100 followers. Check it out at:

WNYC Archives in theâ€¦

LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS

WQXR - 'Long Reads' from WWII