John Shepard III
Encyclopedia
John Shepard III was an American radio executive and merchant. Among his many achievements, he was among the original board members of the National Association of Broadcasters
and founded both the Yankee Network
and the Yankee News Service.
s. The large store, at 30 Winter Street
, occupied most of the city block created by Winter Street and Winter Place. In 1915, Shepard-Norwell opened its own restaurant, the Colonial.
John III attended Brookline High School
in Brookline, Massachusetts
and a naval preparatory school in Annapolis, Maryland
. In 1912, he married Mabel E. Fletcher of Providence, with whom he had three daughters. By 1917, John III had joined the family business as a department manager, making three generations of Shepards in the company. His brother, Robert, managed the Shepard Store in Providence and John soon reached the upper management of the Boston store.
. KDKA
in Pittsburgh, PA and 8MK (later WWJ
) in Detroit, MI in late August 1920. Station 1XE, on the campus of Tufts College in Medford Hillside, MA had been airing broadcasts off and on since 1916. At the Westinghouse plant in Springfield, Massachusetts
, a new radio station went on the air in mid September 1921. WBZ
radio received the first commercial license issued by the United States Department of Commerce
, the predecessor regulatory agency to the Federal Communications Commission
. It was in this environment, where radio was transforming American life, that John Shepard III decided the Shepard Stores needed not only a radio department, but a radio station. By May 1922, the Boston newspapers reported that not only was Shepard opening a radio department, he planned to build a station in his store.
John Shepard and his brother founded the Yankee Network
in 1930. The flagship Yankee station was Boston's 1230 (on the dial), later 1260 and finally 680 WNAC
. The Yankee Network had affiliates in Massachusetts (Fall River, Lowell–Lawrence, New Bedford, Springfield), Connecticut (Bridgeport, Hartford, Waterbury), Rhode Island (Providence), New Hampshire (Manchester), and Maine (Bangor, Portland).
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
and founded both the Yankee Network
Yankee Network
For the radio network of the New York Yankees, see New York Yankees Radio Network.The Yankee Network was an American radio network. It was founded in 1930 by John Shepard III; in 1949, a controlling interest in the network was purchased by General Tire when Robert Shepard chairman of the network's...
and the Yankee News Service.
Family
John Shepard was born into a family of merchants. His grandfather, John Shepard Senior and partner Henry Norwell founded Shepard-Norwell, a Boston retail store. His father, John Shepard Junior continued in the family business. the Shepard-Norwell. Initially the store sold dry goods but by the late 1870s, its merchandise included fashionable clothing and hats, imported fabrics, draperies, parasols and other clothing. By the time John Shepard's son, John Jr, assumed operations, it had become one of Boston's most popular department storeDepartment store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s. The large store, at 30 Winter Street
Winter Street (Boston)
Winter Street in Boston, Massachusetts is located between Tremont Street and Washington Street, near the Common. It is currently a pedestrian zone. Prior to 1708, it was called Blott's Lane and then Bannister's Lane.-See also:* Downtown Crossing...
, occupied most of the city block created by Winter Street and Winter Place. In 1915, Shepard-Norwell opened its own restaurant, the Colonial.
John III attended Brookline High School
Brookline High School
Brookline High School is a four-year public high school in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts, in the United States.As of the 2007-08 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,826 students and 136 teachers , for a student-teacher ratio of 13.4 to 1 teacher.-Education:Almost every senior in...
in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
and a naval preparatory school in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. In 1912, he married Mabel E. Fletcher of Providence, with whom he had three daughters. By 1917, John III had joined the family business as a department manager, making three generations of Shepards in the company. His brother, Robert, managed the Shepard Store in Providence and John soon reached the upper management of the Boston store.
Radio career
In the early 1920s, people were still building their own radio sets and radios were quickly developing into the latest crazeFAD
In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide is a redox cofactor involved in several important reactions in metabolism. FAD can exist in two different redox states, which it converts between by accepting or donating electrons. The molecule consists of a riboflavin moiety bound to the phosphate...
. KDKA
KDKA (AM)
KDKA is a radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Created by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation on November 2, 1920, it is one of the world's first modern radio stations , a distinction that has also been challenged by other stations, although it has claimed to be the first in...
in Pittsburgh, PA and 8MK (later WWJ
WWJ (AM)
WWJ is Detroit, Michigan's only 24-hour all-news radio station. Broadcasting at 950 kHz, the station is owned and operated by CBS Corporation subsidiary CBS Radio. The station first went on the air on August 20, 1920 with the call sign 8MK...
) in Detroit, MI in late August 1920. Station 1XE, on the campus of Tufts College in Medford Hillside, MA had been airing broadcasts off and on since 1916. At the Westinghouse plant in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, a new radio station went on the air in mid September 1921. WBZ
WBZ (AM)
WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...
radio received the first commercial license issued by the United States Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
, the predecessor regulatory agency to the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. It was in this environment, where radio was transforming American life, that John Shepard III decided the Shepard Stores needed not only a radio department, but a radio station. By May 1922, the Boston newspapers reported that not only was Shepard opening a radio department, he planned to build a station in his store.
John Shepard and his brother founded the Yankee Network
Yankee Network
For the radio network of the New York Yankees, see New York Yankees Radio Network.The Yankee Network was an American radio network. It was founded in 1930 by John Shepard III; in 1949, a controlling interest in the network was purchased by General Tire when Robert Shepard chairman of the network's...
in 1930. The flagship Yankee station was Boston's 1230 (on the dial), later 1260 and finally 680 WNAC
WNAC
WNAC may refer to:*WNAC-TV, a television station licensed to Providence, Rhode Island, United States*WHDH-TV, a television station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which used the call sign WNAC-TV from August 1948 to May 1982*WRKO, a radio station licensed to Boston,...
. The Yankee Network had affiliates in Massachusetts (Fall River, Lowell–Lawrence, New Bedford, Springfield), Connecticut (Bridgeport, Hartford, Waterbury), Rhode Island (Providence), New Hampshire (Manchester), and Maine (Bangor, Portland).