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Earliest
West Virginia Radio Stations
Stations marked with an asterisk were still on the air in 1980.
EARLIEST AM STATIONS
- WHD Morgantown,
West Virginia University
- Licensed:
March 16, 1922 Deleted Nov. 19, 1923
- WAAO Charleston,
Radio Service Co.
- Licensed:
April 10, 1922 Deleted Dec. 1, 1922
- WAAR Huntington,
Groves-Thornton Hardware Co.
- Licensed:
April 13, 1922 Deleted Dec. 4, 1922
- WHAJ Bluefield,
Bluefield Daily Telegraph & E. K. Kitts
- WHAK Clarksburg,
Roberts Hardware Co.
- WPAZ Charleston,
Dr. John R. Koch
- Licensed:
January 1923 ...
- WSAZ* Pomeroy
OH, Chase Electric Shop, Glenn E. Chase
- Licensed
October 10 or 16, 1923 Later calls: WGNT, WRVC, WTKZ, WRVC; moved
to Huntington
- WDBD Martinsburg,
Herman E. Burns
- WIBR Weirton,
Thurman A. Owings
- Licensed:
1925 Later moved to Steubenville OH
- WWVA* Wheeling,
John C. Strobel Jr.
- On air: December
16, 1926 ...
- WOBU* Charleston,
Charleston Radio Broadcasting Co.
- On air: October
12, 1927 Later call: WCHS
- WQBJ Clarksburg,
John Raikes
- Licensed:
November 1927 ...
- WQBZ Weirton,
J. H. Thompson
- Licensed:
May 1928, Deleted March 1930
- WMMN* Fairmont,
Holt-Rome Novelty Co.
- Licensed:
December 10, 1928 ...
- WHIS* Bluefield,
Daily Telegraph Printing Co.
- On air: June
27, 1929 ...
- WPAR Parkersburg,
Chancellor Hotel
- On air: July
12, 1935 Later calls: WIKS, WLTP
- WBLK Clarksburg,
Charleston Broadcasting Co.
- On air: April
1937 Later calls: WBOY, WBBN, WPQZ, WKKW, WPQZ, WOBG
- WJLS* Beckley,
Joe L. Smith Jr.
- On air: March
5, 1939 ...
- WBTH* Williamson,
Williamson Broadcasting Corp.
- On air: April
19, 1939 ...
- WGKV* Charleston,
Kanawha Valley Broadcasting Co.
- On air: Sept.
24, 1939 Later calls: WHMS, WTGR, WHMS, WGKV, WXIT, WCZR, WSWW
- WLOG* Logan,
C. H. Frey and R. O. Greever
- WBRW Welch,
McDowell Service Co.
- On air: August
25, 1940 Subsequent WMCD/WOVE/WXEE operated on same frequency
- WAJR* Morgantown,
West Virginia Radio Corp.
- On air: December
1940 ...
- WKWK* Wheeling,
Community Broadcasting Inc.
- On air: May
2, 1941 Later call: WBBD
EARLIEST FM STATIONS
The correct sequence of these stations has not been confirmed, as dates
given to Broadcasting Yearbook may not have been correct. However, it
is certain that WCFC and WJLS-FM were the first two FM stations in West
Virginia. The on-air date for WCFC is confirmed by contemporary newspaper
accounts and the on-air date for WJLS-FM appears certainly to be early
1947. The station has claimed an on-air date of November 1946, but this
is almost certainly incorrect.
- WCFC Beckley.
The first FM station in West Virginia was WCFC Beckley, which began
regular programming at 2 p.m. on August 15, 1946, on 101.1 MHz. Its
first experimental transmission was August 12, 1946, at 10:13 p.m.
WCFC-FM ceased operations on June 30, 1951.
- WJLS-FM Beckley.
The second FM station in West Virginia was WJLS-FM, which apparently
went on the air in February 1947. WJLS-FM is the oldest surviving
FM station in West Virginia, if we ignore the fact that the station
suspended broadcasting for a time in the 1950s.
- WHIS-FM Bluefield.
The station went on the air in July 1947, according to the 1948 Broadcasting
Yearbook.
- WWVA-FM Wheeling.
The station went on the air in September 1947, according to the 1948
Broadcasting Yearbook.
- WPLH-FM Huntington.
The station went on the air in November 1947, according to the 1948
Broadcasting Yearbook.
- WHTN-FM Huntington;
WLOG-FM Logan; WKWK-FM Wheeling. These stations went
on the air in December 1947, according to the 1948 Broadcasting Yearbook.
SPECIAL LAND
STATIONS
First listed
in 'Radio Service Bulletin'
- 8ZW -
John C. Stroebel Jr., Wheeling, March 1915
- 8XG -
C. W. Waggoner (WVU), Morgantown, July 1, 1916
- 8YA -
West Virginia University, Morgantown, August 1, 1919
- 8YH -
West Virginia University, Morgantown, December 1, 1920
- 8YF -
Camp Greenbrier, Alderson, November 1, 1920
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