List of temporary broadcasting stations in the United States

List of temporary broadcasting stations in the United States is a review of broadcasting stations which were not issued standard licenses, but instead were given temporary authorizations, to be used for special purposes and limited time periods. In a small number of cases these authorizations were followed by a standard license, or this represented a short-term revival of a previously licensed station. However, in most cases the stations expired immediately after their intended purpose was fulfilled.

Information about these stations is somewhat limited. For the AM band stations authorized through 1928, the monthly issues of the Radio Service Bulletin, and the annual station lists issued by the U.S. government, regularly reported the status of stations operating under standard licenses. However, in general these publications did not include information about temporary stations, although basic information about these grants was included in station card files maintained by the government.

Stations

Temporary stations Call Initialtemporaryauthorization Location Owner NotationNotes for individual stations placed on two sets of cards (by call letter and city) maintained by government regulators, and filed in the deleted stations sections. These card files were started by the Department of Commerce in 1921, and were replaced after 1928, when the government switched to a new card file organization. Some abbreviations include: "RI" and "SR" for regional "radio inspector" and that position's later title, "supervisor of radio"; "TG" for "telegram"; and "761" for a submitted "Form 761: Applicant's Description of Apparatus". Additional informationWJY7/2/1921Hoboken, New JerseyRadio Corporation of America"let NY 6/24/21", "temp station, one day operation", "radiophone to broadcast Dempsey-Carpentier fight".1600 meters (187 kHz). Longwave station set up to broadcast ringside reports of the Dempsey-Carpentier heavyweight boxing match."Voice-Broadcasting the Stirring Progress of the 'Battle of the Century' ", The Wireless Age, August 1921, pages 11-21.WPU1/22/1922Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo Courier + Enquirer"1/20/22 TG from C. C. Cliswold"360 meters (833 kHz). The Buffalo Courier reported that "even those totally ignorant of the wireless are to be given an opportunity to hear a concert over the radio" as the newspaper arranged for a broadcast on January 22, 1922, from the Elmwood Music Hall provided by the Irving Berlin Music Publishing company of New York."Jazz By Wireless Concert Feature", Buffalo Courier, January 21, 1922, page 8. Although this account states that the call sign was "WPN", it was actually "WPU" according to Department of Commerce records. (WPN had already been assigned to a ship named Pioneer according to the annual station lists, while WPU was still unused and available for assignment.)"Wireless Music Festival Free to Public Today", Buffalo Courier, January 22, 1922, page 56."Wireless Phone Success Proven", Buffalo Courier, January 23, 1922, page 7.KDP2/5/1922Seattle, WashingtonSaint James Cathedral"Fr Radio Inspector Seattle 2/2/22"Paulist Fathers Donegan and Quinan broadcast a series of sermons beginning on February 5, 1922. "Wireless Telephone Broadcasts Lectures on Catholic Church", (Seattle, Washington) Northwest Progress, February 10, 1922, page 1. (They returned a year later over another temporary station, KFFD in Tacoma.)WHO2/23/1922Kansas City, MissouriKansas City Post"TG from Dick Smith, Mgr Ed, 2/22/22", "temp 2/23-24/22"Contemporary articles in the Kansas City Post list this station's call letters as "WRW"."History of 'WRW'" by Mark Roberts, 1996.WWS3/--/1922Pella, IowaFowler Telephone Company"temp bdcst pend lic"The station, located at W. H. Fowler's home, was described as "the only one for a town the size of Pella in the state"."Radio Station Installs Magnavox". (Pella, Iowa) Booster Press, May 17, 1922, page 1. The Des Moines station listed as "WFG" in this article was actually WGF. No regular license was ever issued.WBI3/10/1922Marquette, MichiganNorthern State Normal School"temp 3/10-11/22"Used "for special purposes".Northern State Teachers College entry, Education's Own Stations, S. E. Frost, Jr., 1937, page 265.WTB3/16/1922Evansville, IndianaSieffert Electric Co."Let from Cong. Luhring 3/6/22", "temp 3/16/22"Planned concert broadcast by visiting New York Metropolitan Opera prima donna Rosa Ponselle was unable to take place due to an inability to procure vacuum-tubes needed to operate the transmitter."Ponselle Party is in City Now", Evansville (Indiana) Courier, March 16, 1922, page 4.WTB reports in the Evansville Courier (March 7, 1922—March 16, 1922)WSH3/--/1922New York, New YorkExperimenter Information Service"761 fm NY 3/10/22", "temp 4 days"WMX3/--/1922Port Huron, MichiganPort Huron Times HeraldTG 3/20/22 for 3/23/22, and 3/23/23 for 3/27/23.Station was primarily used to broadcast performances by participants in the Times-Herald "Music Memory" contests.WMX reports in the Port Huron Times-Herald (March 4, 1922—March 25, 1922, March 23, 1923—March 24, 1923)WTA3/27/1922Uhrichsville, OhioBoard of Trade"let fm Brd of Trade 3/9/22", "only for one day, March 27, 1922"The Board of Trade held its annual meeting on this date, but a local newspaper report has no reference to any radio broadcasts."'Re-Christening of Americanism Needed'---Fess", New Philadelphia (Ohio) Daily Times, March 28, 1922, page 1.WDS3/--/1922Richmond, VirginiaMann S. Valentine"TG 3/27/22", "temp"Station was reported to be preparing to broadcast a Good Friday service by the All Saints' Episcopal church."Richmond Church Music Broadcasted by Radio", Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 12, 1922, page 14.KDU4/--/1922 (?)Yakima, WashingtonHillman BrothersLimited information: the KDU call sign was reassigned to a non-broadcast station in May 1922, so this KDU came earlier.WAAT4/16/1922Jersey City, New JerseyJersey Review"TG 4/15/22", "temp 4/16 + 19/22 pend appli."360 meters (833 kHz). Station provided an extensive variety of programming"Jersey Paper Broadcasts High Class Programme", The Radio Dealer, July 1922, page 76. and actually was active until October 1922."WAAT, Jersey Review Claims Pioneer Honor" by Frank V. Bremer, Radio Digest, June 24, 1922, page 5."Radio Station For Journal Sq.", Jersey (City) Journal, August 5, 1926, page 1. On 8/19/1926 a new, regular, station in Jersey City, WKBD, was set up by Jersey Review associate Frank V. Bremer, and a short time later WKBD changed its call sign to WAAT (now WNYM).WAAU4/16/1922Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaH. C. Kuser"TG 4/15/22", "temp 4/16/22"WBAC4/28/1922Des Moines, IowaKiwanis Club"TG 4/18/22", "temp 4/28-29/22" [Also 4/28-29/23 on 1050 kHz]360 meters (833 kHz). Intention was to broadcast the results of the Drake Relays track and field contests.WBAC newspaper reports (April 21, 1922—April 23, 1922)WCAI5/13/1922Topeka, KansasFrank E. Samuel"TG 5/5/22", "temp 5/13/22", "Amer. Legion Dept. HQ, State"360 meters (833 kHz). Station was used to broadcast speeches given at "the state-wide meeting of the [American] Legion and Legion auxiliary officials"."To Broadcast His Address", Arkansas City Daily Traveler, May 10, 1922, page 8.WDAZ6/5/1922Scranton, PennsylvaniaAmerican Radio Relay League (Roy C. Ehrhardt, trf Asst),"5/23/22", "temp June 5, 6, 7, 1922"Station operated in conjunction with the Scranton Republican'''s three-day Town Hall Radio Show."License Granted Local Station", Scranton (Pennsylvania) Republican, May 27, 1922, page 13. |- |KDZT |6/5/1922 |Seattle, Washington |Seattle Radio Association |"761 6/2/22", "temp 6/5-10/22" |Later received a regular broadcasting license, with the same call and owner, August 1, 1922"New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, August 1, 1922, page 3. to December 7, 1923."Strike out all particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, January 2, 1924, page 7. |- |WEAL |6/--/1922 |Des Moines, Iowa (special train) |Mystic Shrine |"TG 5/31/22", "temp to coast and back" |"Two transmitting sets, one of 10 watts power and the other of 100 watts, have been installed in the special car of Illustrious Potentate C. T. Gadd", on a train carrying Des Moines' Za-Ga-Zig temple Shriners to a San Francisco conclave."Shrine Special to Have Radio", Des Moines Register, June 6, 1922, page 14.WEAL newspaper articles (June 6, 1922—July 14, 1922) |- |WGAG |6/--/1922 |Milwaukee, Wisconsin |Wisconsin Radio Show |"TG 6/2/22 fr Spearman Lewis, Mgr Dr, Plankington Hotel", "temp". |Advertisement for the Wisconsin Radio Show stated that the exposition, running from June 21 to June 25, 1922, would feature a "broadcasting station in continuous operation"."Wisconsin Radio Show" (advertisement), Radio Age, June 1922, page 33. |- |WGAX |6/--/1922 |Washington Court House, Ohio |Radio Electric Company |"6/22/22 fm owner", "temp auth" |Later received a regular broadcasting license, with the same call and owner, September 1922"New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, October 2, 1922, page 3. to July 20, 1923."Strike out all particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, August 1, 1923, page 8. |- |WIAM |7/26/1922 |Dunmore, Pennsylvania |F. M. Tarbox |"letter 7/14/22", "temp 7/26-27/22", "335 S. Blakley St." |The Scranton Republican reported plans to apply for a permanent license, that apparently never took place."Broadcasting Station Seeks Permanent License", Scranton (Pennsylvania) Republican, August 5, 1922, page 5. |- |WJAW |8/--/1922 |Audubon, Iowa |Reinemund Hardware Company |"TG 8/9/22", "temp"

|WJAY |8/--/1922 |Des Moines, Iowa |Iowa State Fair |"let State Dept Agri-Iowa 8/10/22", "temp" |WJAY was "the official Iowa state fair broadcasting station of the Thomas Electric company"."Will Broadcast Musical Program", Des Moines (Iowa) Evening Tribune, August 20, 1922, page 1.WJAY newspaper reports (August 20, 1922—August 25, 1922) |- |KYG |10/--/1922 |Portland, Oregon |Radio Service Bureau | |Short-term continuation of the original KYG in Portland, licensed to Willard P. Hawley, Jr. from March 28, 1922—October 13, 1922. A Radio Service Bureau advertisement in the October 22, 1922 Oregonian stated "We are now operating KYG the famous Hawley station".Radio Service Bureau (advertisement), (Portland) Oregonian, October 22, 1922, Section 5, page 8: Its equipment was donated to the Benson Polytechnic School, which requested reassignment of the KYG call letters for its station,"KYG Radio Set Now Owned by Benson Tech", Oregon Sunday Journal, March 18, 1923, Section 3, page 3. however the high school station was instead randomly assigned KFIF from an alphabetical roster of available call signs. |- |WNAZ |11/10/1922 |Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |Lehigh Radio Co. |"let Radio Inspector Baltimore 11/2/22", "temp 11/10/22" |Appears to be an earlier incarnation of WOAM, which was authorized a few days later. |- |WOAM |11/19/1922 |Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |Arthur F. Breisch |"from Radio Inspector Baltimore 11/15/22", "temp 11/19/22" |360 meters (833 kHz). Breisch was proprietor of the Lehigh Valley Radio company. The featured concert was the Allentown band's first of the season, and the station helped provide everything "necessary for the broadcasting and receiving of the concert in order that Bandmaster [Martin] Klinger, confined to Sacred Heart hospital, may be able to enjoy the program"."Program For Allentown Band Concert Sunday", Allentown (Pennsylvania) Morning Call, November 18, 1922, page 5. |- |KFFD |1/14/1923 |Tacoma, Washington |Saint Patrick's Church |"TG fm Wm. A. Mullens Co. 1/11/23", "temp 1/14-21/23" |Return of Paulist Fathers Donegan and Quinan, who had appeared over temporary station KDP in Seattle the previous year. "Wireless Broadcasts Tacoma Mission For Non-Catholics", (Seattle, Washington) Northwest Progress, January 19, 1923, page 1. |- |WQAG |1/19/1923 |Redfield, South Dakota |Frederick L. Legler |"TG 1/18/23 from Charles M. C. Woodland", "1/19/23 only"

List of temporary broadcasting stations in the United States

Bron en licentie