In this letter to the editor, the author comments on the article “Philadelphia’s KYW Newsradio Celebrates 60 Years.” Radio World welcomes letters to the editor on this or any story. Email [email protected].
Just for the record, the first all-news station was actually located in San Francisco.
In 1960, Argonaut Broadcasting purchased 1100 KJBS(AM) and debuted a format that was revolutionary and untried — the “newspaper of the air.” Using a new callsign, KFAX, “K-Facts,” presented continuous news in the style of a newspaper, complete with a sports page, cooking features and a “comics page.”
The entire broadcast industry watched the KFAX experiment with great interest as the station began its new service in May 1960, the first station in the country to attempt around-the-clock news programming. Unfortunately, by September, the station had already lost a quarter of a million dollars.
The station decided to drop the all-news format in favor of a sure-fire moneymaker, religious programming, with which KFAX has continued successfully through today.
Just a few years later, a Chicago station, 1390 WNUS(AM), took a crack at all-news radio, with more promising results. WINS, KYW and others followed shortly afterwards. And the rest is history.
— John Schneider, Quincy, Ill.
(Read John’s article on the history of KJBS and KFAX at his website, the Radio Historian.)
