In 1939, The National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) Red and Blue radio networks competed with the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and the Mutual Broadcasting System in providing nationwide coverage. NBC advertising rate cards of the period listed "basic" and "supplemental" affiliated stations. Advertisers were encouraged to buy time for their programs on the full "basic" line-up (plus any "supplemental" stations they wished) but this was open to negotiation. It was not unusual for Red Network advertisers to place shows on Blue Network stations in certain markets (and the other way around). Supplemental stations were generally located in smaller cities away from the network trunk lines. Such stations were usually offered to advertisers on both the Red and Blue Network line-ups.
East affiliates
Basic
- WEAF (New York, New York)
- CBM (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
- KYW (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- WBEN (Buffalo, New York)
- WCAE (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- WCSH (Portland, Maine)
- WDEL (Wilmington, Delaware)
- WFBR (Baltimore, Maryland)
- WGY (Schenectady. New York)
- WJAR (Providence, Rhode Island)
- WNAC (Boston, Massachusetts)
- WRC (Washington, D.C.)
- WTAG (Worcester, Massachusetts)
- WTAM (Cleveland, Ohio)
- WTIC (Hartford, Connecticut)
- WWJ (Detroit, Michigan)
Supplemental
- CBF (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
- CBL (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
- CMQ (Havana, Cuba)
- WBRE (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)
- WCOL (Columbus, Ohio)
- WEEU (Reading, Pennsylvania)
- WFEA (Manchester, New Hampshire)
- WGAL (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
- WLBZ (Bangor, Maine)
- WLW (Cincinnati, Ohio)
- WNBC (New Britain, Connecticut)
- WORK (York, Pennsylvania)
- WRAW (Reading, Pennsylvania)
- WRDO (Augusta, Maine)
- WSAN (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
- WSPD (Toledo, Ohio)
Midwest affiliates
Basic
- KSD (St. Louis, Missouri)
- KSTP (St. Paul, Minnesota)
- WDAF (Kansas City, Missouri)
- WHO (Des Moines, Iowa)
- WIRE (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- WMAQ (Chicago, Illinois)
- WOC (Davenport, Iowa)
- WOW (Omaha, Nebraska)
Supplemental
- KANS (Wichita, Kansas)
- KFYR (Bismarck, North Dakota)
- KGBX (Springfield, Missouri)
- KOAM (Pittsburg, Kansas)
- KSOO (Sioux Falls, Iowa)
- WBOW (Terre Haute, Indiana)
- WCFL (Chicago, Illinois)
- WCKY (Cincinnati, Ohio)
- WDAY (Fargo, North Dakota)
- WEBC (Duluth, Minnesota)
- WGBF (Evansville, Indiana)
- WGL (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
- WIBA (Madison, Wisconsin)
- WOOD (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
- WTMJ (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- XEW (Mexico City, Mexico)
South affiliates
Basic
- KPRC (Houston, Texas)
- WBRC (Birmingham, Alabama)
- WJDX (Jackson, Mississippi)
- WMBG (Richmond, Virginia)
- WMC (Memphis, Tennessee)
- WSB (Atlanta, Georgia)
- WDSU (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Supplemental
- KARK (Little Rock, Arkansas)
- KFDM (Beaumont, Texas)
- KGKO (Fort Worth, Texas)
- KGNO (Dodge City, Kansas)
- KGRV (Weslaco, Texas)
- KRIS (Corpus Christi, Texas)
- KTHS (Hot Springs, Arkansas)
- KTOK (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
- KTSM (El Paso, Texas)
- KVOO (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
- WAPO (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
- WALA (Mobile, Alabama)
- WAVE (Louisville, Kentucky)
- WBAP (Fort Worth, Texas)
- WCSC (Charleston, South Carolina)
- WCRS (Greenwood, South Carolina)
- WFAA (Dallas, Texas)
- WFBC (Greenville, South Carolina)
- WFLA-WSUN (Tampa, Florida)
- WIOD (Miami, Florida)
- WIS (Columbia, South Carolina)
- WJAX (Jacksonville, Florida)
- WKY (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
- WLAK (Lakeland, Florida)
- WOAI (San Antonio, Texas)
- WPTF (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- WROL (Knoxville, Tennessee)
- WSM (Nashville, Tennessee)
- WSOC (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- WTAR (Norfolk, Virginia)
- WWNC (Asheville, North Carolina)
Mountain affiliates
Basic
Supplemental
- KGHF (Pueblo, Colorado)
- KGIR (Butte, Montana)
- KIDO (Boise, Idaho)
- KOB (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- KPFA (Helena, Montana)
- KSEI (Pocatello, Idaho)
- KTAR (Phoenix, Arizona)
- KTFI (Twin Falls, Idaho)
- KVOA (Tucson, Arizona)
Pacific affiliates
Basic
- KFI (Los Angeles, California)
- KGW (Portland, Oregon)
- KHQ (Spokane, Washington)
- KOMO (Seattle, Washington)
- KPO (San Francisco, California)
Supplemental
- KERN (Bakersfield, California)
- KFBK (Sacramento, California)
- KGU (Honolulu, Hawaii)
- KGW (Portland, Oregon)
- KMED (Medford, Oregon)
- KMJ (Fresno, California)
- KWG (Stockton, California)
See also
References
- "Stations That Make Up the Networks", (Hagerstown, Maryland) Daily Mail, January 14, 1939, page 9.
- "Red and Blue Networks" by Elizabeth McLeod, February 15, 2000.
External links
- List of Radio Broadcast Stations, Alphabetically by Call Letters as of January 1, 1940, Federal Communications Commission.