Networks
Yankee & Colonial Networks
1922: John Shepard III opens WNAC Boston. WNAC joined with AT&T's WEAF New York for the first chain broadcast in early 1923, and often after that date.
Shepard added WEAN, Providence in the 1920s.
The two stations often shared programs, inspiring the Yankee Network's creation in early 1930.
Stations from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut linked with WNAC regional-interest shows and full-time radio news.
The Yankee News Service (also known as Mobilgas News Service for a time, in deference to sponsor) was the focal point of Yankee's operations.
Beginning in 1934, fifteen minute newscasts were scheduled daily at noon and six pm.
The Yankee News Service was the most elaborate radio news operation in the United States during the mid-1930s.
The Colonial Network was formed in 1936 because Shepard contracted with AT&T for 16 daily hours of broadcast line service, but the Yankee Network was only using five.
Rather than waste money, Shepard inaugurated Colonial August 5, 1936 to fill remaining hours. This was possible because the two networks overlapped on most affiliates.
Colonial filled most of time with Mutual programs, serving as that network's primary outlet in New England.
In 1940, Colonial became a Mutual stockholder.
Yankee had no affiliation with any national network, though nine Yankee stations also associated with NBC. The primary thrust of Yankee's programming remained news oriented, and Yankee maintained a meteorological bureau to provide weather forecasts for affiliates.
Yankee and Colonial operated together thru the 1940s, with the Yankee News Service reaching the peak of popularity during WW2. The 40s also saw expansion into the field of FM broadcasting, with a Yankee FM network in operation by 1941, under technical supervision of Major Edwin Armstrong.
In 1943, General Tire and Rubber bought into the Yankee Network, eventually acquiring controlling interest from Shepard, who had by this time dropped his department store business. General Tire established a General Teleradio division to handle its broadcast interests, and eventually both networks were absorbed into this division.
Colonial was promptly discontinued, but Yankee remained in operation into early 1967 before it signed off.
-31 August 1927: WNAB becomes WASN (Air Shopping News) with an all female staff.
-June 1927: WBIS (Boston's Information Service) replaces WASN on 990
-October 1927: 5 watt WAGS of Somerville moves to 1220 as WLEX
-25 May 1930: Yankee Network establishes WNBH New Bedford, joining WNAC, and WSAW Providence
-20 January 1931: Yankee Network includes WLEX
-20 April 1931: Yankee Network buys WLEX and makes it WAAB
-1936: Colonial network founded
-31 October 1940: commercial FM CP (Mt. Washington, New Hampshire) on 43.9 megacycles. Licensed to Boston
-18 December 1940 : W39B bows
-1942: FM stations of John Shepard 3rd operating 24 hours a day because of war effort
-December 1942: General Tire and Rubber (Akron, OH) purchases the four AM and two FM stations of the Yankee Network, John Shepard 3rd remains as manager under a five year contract.
-01 November 1943: Federal Communications Commission makes W39B, Mt. Washington WMTW and W43B becomes WGTR.
City of license changed from Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Maine for WMTW and Paxton (Worcester) for WGTR.
-11 June 1950: John Shepard 3rd dies
-26FB67: last Yankee Network broadcast
Don Lee
-1926: Don Lee, who had exclusive distribution rights in California for Cadillac automobiles, purchased KFRC San Francisco
-1927: purchased KHJ in Los Angeles. With substantial talent organizations being maintained at both stations, Lee proceeded to furnish a greater diversity of entertainment by arranging full-time network-line installations between the stations to allow program interchange
-December 1928: McClatchy stations at Fresno, Stockton and Sacramento recieve programs.
Four other stations in Oregon and Washington (KOIN Portland, KOL Seattle, KVI Tacoma and KFPY Spokane) were soon added to the network
-December 1929: Don Lee and McClatchy stations invited to provide CBS's California outlets.
Lee system provided lines between California stations and had a partnership arrangement with Colombia for their use in the Northwest
-1930: the Don Lee Columbia network was a nine-station Pacific Coast hookup, releasing Don Lee commercial and sustaining programs and also releasing Columbia transcontinental commercial and sustaining programs
-Late 1930: Don Lee set out to make expenditures for television research work
-1934: Don Lee dies of sudden heart attack, son Thomas taking over
-1936: McClatchy stations affiliate with NBC. CBS leaves Don Lee set-up, buys KNX, and links directly with four former affiliates
-30 December 1936: Mutual-Don Lee Broadcasting System bows. MBS deals directly with Don Lee, which in turns feeds Mutual programs to it's 31-odd stations. Four of the stations are owned outright by the system, whose president and sole stockholder is Thomas S. Lee.
-13 January 1950: Thomas Lee jmps from a 12 story building
-November 1950: General Tire and Radio pays $12.3 million for the radio network and share of Mutual.
Mutual
-1929: Mutual Broadcasting System essentially started as the Quality Network. Original stations: WOR New York, WLS, Chicago, WLW, Cincinnati and occassionaly WXYZ Detroit
-15 October 1934: new agreement (led by WOR and WGN) re-labelled the Quality Network the Mutual Broadcasting System. WGN replaced WLS, and WXYZ Detroit was added as a regular member. WLW's continued cooperation was for Red Barber to announce the 34 World Series. The early programs relayed from affiliate to affiliate in a tandem series of lines.
-1935: WXYZ to NBC, replaced by CKLW, Windsor, Ontario.
-September 1936: Mutual began effort to go nationwide by adding KWK, KSO, WMT, KOIL, KFOR, 13 Colonial Network stations and 10 Don Lee stations. 23 stations from the Texas Network were added soon after.
Later regional affiliates were the Yankee Network, the Allegheny Mountain Radio Network and The InterMountain Network
-1947: 400 affiliates
-1952: 560 stations
-1952: General Tire purchases Mutual. Since 25% was held by each of Don Lee, Bamberger and Yankee Network, it was already 75% owned. Network reorganized into standard structure, network producing and exhibiting.
-1956: Lee becomes RKO General, owner of RKO Pictures and broadcast operations
-August 1957: RKO Telepictures sells MBS to Armand Hammer
-September 1958: Hal Roach Studios (part of F. L. Jacobs Company) buys Mutual. Alexander Guterma became the president of Mutual. He was involved in a deal with the Dominican Republic in which he promised the network would broadcast favorable propaganda for that country. It was never proven the network actually did. Guterma was indicted and the network was floundering.
MBS quickly sold to John McCarthy, a Florida businessman. He put it through bankruptcy.
-1960 or 1965?: Mutual commentator Robert F. Hurley became the president and found a buyer in 3M.
-1963: sold to a privately held company headed by John P. Fraim
-1968 or 1972?: Mutual inaugurated a service aimed at black audiences: The Mutual Black Network. Later became the Sheridan Network. Newscasts fed at fifty minutes after the hour
-1972: opened Spanish language service: Mutual Cadena Hispanica. Newscasts at 45 minutes past the hour
-1973: Mutual Cadena Hispanica closes
-30 September (or April) 1977: Amway buys Mutual network for $18M
-1978: MBS buys WCFL 1000 Chicago for $12M (first O&O). Picks up Larry King show (Midnight- 5)
-1979: 950 stations. Conversion to satellite distribution
-1979: WHN New York bought
-1982: first network to transmit regular stereo high-fidelity broadcasts like the National Symphony Orchestra
-1983: WCFL sold to religious Statewide Broadcasting
-September 1985: Westwood One buys Mutual for 39 million dollars. Teen skewer gets adult oriented company twice its size, 810 affils (10% of existing stations) and news
-1985: Doubleday buys C&W, Mets station WHN
-1986: Statewide and Heftel Broadcasting merge, resulting in paired WLUP FM & AM Chicago
-1994: Infinity buys into Westwood One
-31 August 1998: Mutual as a stand alone entity ends, generic news fed from CBS to Mutual and NBC. CBS reporters used
-17 April 1999: Mutual ends regular programming, as last newscasts run under the Mutual logo. The Mutual "brand" and sounder used on occasion for a short while. Crystal City Network operations center disassembled and sent to Infinity Radio's operations center in New York City.
-18 April 1999: all MBS material under CNN banner