… the boys who brought dignity back to Cleveland and radio in general …
[Description by Mike Lynch]
[Aircheck courtesy of Bill Tash]
The KYW broadcast journey began in Chicago on Armistice Day, 1921.
KYW was one of only seven radio stations licensed to broadcast commercially
in the United states. KYW, jointly owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting and
the Edison Company, was airing performances of the Chicago Opera Company.
The station later had the distinction of carrying the first NFL football
games with regular broadcasts of both the Bears and Cardinals.
In 1934, KYW began a strange odyssey which took them to Philadelphia, and
then to Cleveland in January, 1956. The station remained in Cleveland for nine
years on 1100 Khz with 50Kw. When the station departed for Philadelphia in
1965, NBC took control of the Cleveland facility and the station became WKYC.
KYW is the only radio station in history to operate from three different
markets in four moves.
Three years after moving to Cleveland, KYW entered the top 40 arena
and took WHK head-on for the rock radio title. At the time, KYW showcased
some of the the country’s best air talents, including: Jay Lawrence,
Jerry G. Bishop, Dennis James, Jim Runyon, Bill Winters,
Don L. Brink, Joel Sebastian, and the popular morning duo of Harry Martin and Specs Howard, featured here from 1965.