1956 in radio
Encyclopedia
The year 1956 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.
Events
- February 13 - NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and Westinghouse BroadcastingWestinghouse BroadcastingThe Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
consummate a station ownership trade which saw NBC attaining owned-and-operated AMKYW (AM)KYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW is owned by the CBS Radio unit of CBS Corporation, and has broadcasted an all-news format since 1965. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia, and it transmitters...
and TVKYW-TVKYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
stations in Philadelphia (renamed WRCV), and Westinghouse receiving NBC's AMWTAMWTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
, FMWMJIWMJI — branded Majic 105.7 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio broadcasting a classic hits format. The station serves Cleveland, Akron and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio....
and TV stations in Cleveland (all of which took the KYWKYWKYW may refer to:* KYW , a radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States* KYW-TV, a television station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
callsign). A later legal battle found that NBC engaged in extortion to make the trade happen, even threatening to pull the NBC-TV affiliation off of both Westinghouse's TV stations in PhiladelphiaKYW-TVKYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
and BostonWBZ-TVWBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
. The swap was reversed by the FCC in June 1965. - November 9 - The Pittsburgh PolicePittsburgh PoliceThe Pittsburgh Police, or officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania...
"emergency band" frequency goes wild receiving CubanCubanCuban may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent. For more information about the Cuban people, see Demographics of Cuba and Culture of Cuba...
police dispatches and squawks from a Sheffield, England public safety band. The transmissions are never explained but cease by nightfall.
Debuts
- January 22 - Fort LaramieFort Laramie (radio)Fort Laramie was a radio Western series that aired Sunday afternoons at 5:30pm on CBS from January 22 to October 28, 1956.Produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, this Western drama depicted life at old Fort Laramie during the 19th Century. The 41 episodes starred Raymond Burr as Lee Quince,...
debuts on CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. - January 27 - CBS Radio Workshop debuts with Brave New WorldBrave New WorldBrave New World is Aldous Huxley's fifth novel, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in London of AD 2540 , the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis of...
. - January 29 - Indictment debuts on CBS.
- 19 May - First edition of the popular record request programme Sveriges bilradio (1956–1973) on Sveriges Radiotjänst (forerunner of Sveriges RadioSveriges RadioSveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
). - August 15: WWRI-West Warwick, Rhode Island begins broadcasting.
Closings
- June 30 - The Guiding LightGuiding LightGuiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
officially ends its 19 year run on CBS radio, having spent the previous four years on both radio and television. It continues on television until September 2009.
Births
- February 27 - Tim BrandoTim BrandoTim Brando is a radio host and CBS Sports studio host and play-by-play announcer.-Biography:...
, radio host and sportscaster. - March 27 - Dale ArnoldDale ArnoldDale Arnold is a New England sportscaster who hosts Boston Bruins broadcasts on NESN. He is formerly the co-host of a popular midday sports talk radio show on WEEI and formerly the Bruins' play-by-play announcer on NESN...
, American sportscaster - July 4 - Mark BellingMark BellingMark Belling is a conservative radio talk show host for 1130 WISN in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Belling hosts a three-hour weekday radio program, The Mark Belling Late Afternoon Show, which is regularly rated No. 1 for the afternoon-drive time slot...
, radio talk-show host for WISN in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. - July 16 - Jerry Doyle, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and radio talk showTalk showA talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host. - September 1 - Bernie WagenblastBernie WagenblastBernhard Robert Wagenblast is the founder and editor of the Transportation Communications Newsletter , an e-mail publication with over 7,000 subscribers as of January 2008 which is distributed via Yahoo Groups and Google Groups Monday through Friday...
, American editor and broadcaster - October 6 - Jimmy CefaloJimmy CefaloJames Carmen Cefalo, , is an American sportscaster, game show host and former professional American football wide receiver.-High school:Cefalo attended Pittston Area High School in Pittston, Pennsylvania...
, American sportscasterSportscasterIn sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, game showGame showA game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
host and former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player. Currently does play-by-play for the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - December 31 - Shelagh RogersShelagh RogersShelagh Rogers, OC is a Canadian radio broadcaster. She is currently the host of CBC Radio One's The Next Chapter.Rogers grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. She was the "Head Girl" at her high school, Lisgar Collegiate Institute. She played in the Ottawa Youth Orchestra and was a spare on the Reach for...
, Canadian radio host - Steve BuckleySteve Buckley (journalist)Steve Buckley is an Irish American journalist. He has been a regular columnist with the Boston Herald since 1995, contributing to the paper's Sports section. His columns often use historical perspective drawn from a diverse variety of sources. He joined Boston Sports radio station WEEI in 1993 and...
, Boston HeraldBoston HeraldThe Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
sports columnist, joined Boston, Massachusetts sports radioSports radioSports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
station WEEIWEEIWEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...
in 19931993 in radioThe year 1993 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*WIBF debuts it's modern rock in Jenkintown/Philadelphia*March 13 - Eagle 106 WEGX becomes WJJZ Smooth Jazz 106.1 and featured Smooth Jazz format. the final song played for Eagle 106 was I Will Remember You by Amy Grant... - Christopher O'RileyChristopher O'RileyChristopher O'Riley is an American classical pianist and public radio show host. He is the host of the weekly National Public Radio program From the Top. O'Riley is also known for his piano arrangements of songs by alternative artists....
, American classical pianistPianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and host of the weekly NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
program From the TopFrom the TopFrom the Top is a national program and initiative to develop and showcase young classical musicians. It is best known for its NPR radio and PBS television programs hosted by pianist Christopher O'Riley, which celebrate the passion, dedication and personal stories of America's best young classical...