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KYW (AM)

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 170.20.11.21 (talk) at 14:14, 28 August 2013 (→‎Reporters & Editors: Removed those who are no longer with the station or are not considered a reporter or editor). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

KYW
File:Kyw1060.PNG
Broadcast areaDelaware Valley
Frequency1060 kHz (HD Radio) (HD Radio via WIP-FM-2)
BrandingKYW Newsradio 1060
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatNews
AffiliationsCBS News
ABC News Radio
NBC News Radio
CNN News Radio
Ownership
OwnerCBS Radio
KYW-TV, WIP, WIP-FM, WOGL, WPHT, WPSG
History
First air date
November 11, 1921 (1921-11-11) (in Chicago, moved to Philadelphia in 1934)
Former call signs
WRCV (1956-1965)
Call sign meaning
No meaning; sequentially assigned[1]
Technical information
Facility ID25441
ClassA (Clear channel)
Power50,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
40°06′13″N 75°14′53″W / 40.103622°N 75.248151°W / 40.103622; -75.248151
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitewww.cbsphilly.com

KYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW is owned by the CBS Radio unit of CBS Corporation, and has broadcast an all-news format since 1965. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia, and its transmitters are located in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. The signal can be received to up to 60 miles. KYW can be heard in Southern New Jersey (including the Jersey Shore), Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York.

History

Origins

KYW began in 1921 in Chicago.[2] It was jointly owned by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Commonwealth Edison. Westinghouse later bought out ComEd's share and became sole owner. In 1927 Westinghouse aligned its four radio stations (KYW, KDKA in Pittsburgh, WBZ in Boston, and WBZA in Springfield, Massachusetts) with the NBC Blue Network, which originated from former sister station WJZ (the present-day WABC) in New York City. Westinghouse had been a founding partner of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), NBC's original parent company.

Move to Philadelphia

In 1934, the assignment of clear channels took a frequency away from Illinois and gave it to Pennsylvania, resulting in Westinghouse moving KYW to Philadelphia.[3] Upon arriving, KYW supplanted WFI and WLIT (which merged as WFIL in 1935) as Philadelphia's Blue Network affiliate—an affiliation that lasted 20 years. (According to the June 14, 1940 edition of the Philadelphia Daily News, KYW used the frequency of 1020 kHz at the time.)

In March 1941, KYW changed frequencies to 1060 kHz as part of a nationwide shift of radio frequencies mandated by the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement. KYW and the other Westinghouse radio stations remained with NBC after RCA was ordered by the FCC to break up its radio networks, aligning with the former Red Network (the predecessor of modern-day NBC) in 1942. KYW acquired a television counterpart when Westinghouse bought WPTZ (channel 3) -- the nation's third commercial television station and NBC's second television affiliate—in 1953.

Owned by NBC

In June 1955, Westinghouse agreed to trade KYW and WPTZ to NBC in exchange for the network's properties in Cleveland, WNBK television and WTAM-AM-FM. Westinghouse also received $3 million in cash compensation.[4] The main impetus for the trade was NBC's desire to acquire an owned-and-operated TV station in the fourth-largest American television market. NBC had to seek a waiver for the swap since KYW and NBC Radio's New York City flagship, WRCA (now sister station WFAN) were both clear channel stations; at the time, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) normally did not allow common ownership of clear-channel stations with overlapping nighttime coverage. After clearing final regulatory hurdles, the swap went into effect on February 13, 1956. NBC took over the Philadelphia stations, rechristening 1060 AM as WRCV (for the RCA-Victor record label), and Westinghouse moved the KYW call letters to Cleveland.[5]

However, almost immediately after the trade was finalized, Westinghouse complained to the FCC and the United States Department of Justice about NBC's coercion and an lengthy investigation was launched.[6][7] In August 1964 NBC's license for WRCV radio and television was renewed by the FCC—but only on the condition that the 1956 station swap be reversed.[8] Following nearly a year of appeals by NBC, Westinghouse regained control of WRCV-AM-TV on June 19, 1965 and subsequently restored the KYW call letters to the radio station (the television station became KYW-TV at this point).[9] To this day, the KYW stations insist that they "moved" to Cleveland in 1956 and "returned" to Philadelphia in 1965. However, the two stations' facilities remained the same.[10]

Further information: NBC Red Network, KYW-TV, WKYC, and WTAM

From a programming standpoint, WRCV carried all of NBC's network programming, such as the weekend Monitor, as per its responsibilities as an NBC-owned outlet. Philadelphia radio legend Hy Lit worked briefly at WRCV during its first year, hosting a local rock-and-roll program and an adult standards show for the NBC network. Prior to the reversal of the 1956 swap, WRCV was evolving into an adult-oriented middle-of-the-road (MOR) station.

Going all-news

On September 21, 1965, shortly after Westinghouse regained control of 1060 AM, the newly rechristened KYW once again dropped its NBC radio affiliation and was converted into one of the first all-news stations in the country.[11] Five months earlier Westinghouse Broadcasting converted WINS, KYW's New York sister station since 1962, from Top-40 to all-news.[12] A similar move was made three years later at another Westinghouse-owned station, KFWB in Los Angeles.[13] KYW has been one of the highest-rated radio stations in the country since then and has been the market leader in Philadelphia for much of that time. The Westinghouse all-news trio, meanwhile, revolutionized and defined the all-news format. KYW's early format elements were shared with WINS, such as the distinctive teletype sound effect playing in the background (no longer done at KYW), and the slogans "All News, All the Time", "The Newswatch Never Stops", "Listen 2, 3, 4 times a day" and "You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world".

KYW's present format is a 30-minute cycle.[14] Regular segments include contains traffic and mass transit reports from Metro Traffic every ten minutes on the "twos" (six times an hour), sports updates every quarter-hour (twice an hour, at :15 and :45), weather reports from AccuWeather as much as six times an hour (four regularly scheduled reports at :07, :14, :37 and :44 past every hour with breaking weather news plus special forecasts for the New Jersey Shore and the Poconos), and business news twice an hour (at :25 and :55). When breaking news warrants, KYW will break format to provide continuous coverage of any event.

Its television sister took advantage of this popularity by incorporating a version of KYW's musical sounder into its news themes from 1991 until 2003. In addition, a television program entitled KYW Newsradio 1060 This Morning aired from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. on sister station WPSG in the early 2000s, adapting KYW's "clock" to television. The show was popular among local cable programming in its daypart, and in late 2004 was usurped (due in part to a new affiliation to Traffic Pulse) by television staffers and assumed the name Wake UPNews.

Westinghouse Electric announced it was purchasing CBS in 1995, and upon its completion KYW became a sister station to its long-time rival, CBS-owned WGMP (1210 AM, now WPHT). That station, under its original WCAU call letters, attempted to compete with KYW in all-news programming during the late 1970s but failed, dumping the format after only three years.

KYW is currently the easternmost station in the United States whose callsign begins with the letter K. It is also one of three such stations in Pennsylvania, the other ones being KQV and sister station KDKA, both in Pittsburgh.

The station has been broadcasting in the IBOC digital radio mode, using the HD Radio system from iBiquity since September 2007 after an initial testing period. KYW is also re-broadcast by sister station WIP-FM on its HD-2 digital sub-channel. From 1986 until 1998, KYW had been broadcasting using the C-QUAM AM Stereo system [19], but abandoned C-QUAM AM Stereo about the time of the CBS-Westinghouse merger and went back to the standard AM mode (in mono).

Studio locations

The former KYW Building on Independence Mall East, used by the station from 1972 to 2007. This building has since been demolished and replaced by the National Museum of American Jewish History.

KYW's studios are currently located at 400 Market Street in Center City Philadelphia. The station moved into these studios in March 2007 after spending the previous 35 years one block away at Independence Mall East, on Fifth and Market streets.

Upon arriving in Philadelphia in 1934 KYW utilized the studios and sales operations of WCAU. In 1938 and after returning to the city in 1965, KYW's (and WRCV's) studios were located at 1619 Walnut Street in Center City.

Format features

The assortment of local, national, and global headlines are read at the top and bottom of each hour, with news summaries at the quarter hours immediately before the sports report. Besides the main news stories, KYW also carries a variety of other features.

KYW receives news reports and sound-bites, plus continuous coverage of breaking news from ABC News Radio and NBC News Radio as well as CBS News.

AccuWeather

AccuWeather, a weather forecasting American media company, provides local weather reports for the station's listenership. The current conditions at Independence Mall and the Philadelphia International Airport are read every few minutes. The five day regional forecast and discussion is given at :07, :14, :37, and :44 after every hour. At :29 after every hour the Poconos and Jersey Shore forecast are read. The Jersey Shore forecast is also given again at :59 after every hour. After a weather anchor gives an extended report, the main anchor will repeat the current conditions and the day's high and low.

Business news

Regular business reports are issued at :25 and :55 after every hour.

"The Opening Bell" show airs at 9:18am each weekday morning focuses on the day's planned activities on Wall Street. Vince Hill is the main Opening Bell anchor. The bond market report is presented by Pat Walsh of Merrill Lynch.

Reports from Fred Sherman—whose trademark signoff was "Fred Sherrrrrrman"—of Royal Bank (formerly of Sovereign Bank) were also given until his death on September 12, 2009 at age 85.

Market Closing Recap airs at 4:15pm weekdays, recapping the day's action on Wall Street.

Dateline KYW

Known to listeners as the Community Calendar, the anchor reads information regarding events open to the public that could be useful to the people of the Delaware Valley. Airs weekdays at 8:53pm, 9:53pm, 10:53pm, and 11:53pm, Saturdays at 1:53pm, 3:53pm, and 6:53pm, Sundays at 3:53pm, 4:53pm, and 6:53pm.

Education report

Dr. Marciene Mattleman gives an education report Monday through Wednesday at 3:40pm and 11:10pm, and Sundays at 5:10, 6:10 and 7:10 in the morning.

Positively Philadelphia

Lauren Lipton presents positive news stories about Philadelphia.

President's Weekly Radio Address

President Barack Obama's weekly radio address is carried Saturdays at 10:07am.

Reporters' Roundup

This features a round table of reporters airing their stories live twice a day. It is hosted by Steve Nikazy and is aired from 12:30 - 1:00 PM and from 3:30 - 4:00 PM. An expanded edition, with a live audience, is held the first Friday of each month from 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM at The Shops at Liberty Place in center city Philadelphia.

Rewind

A nostalgic look at what happened in entertainment history on that day's date, compiled by Brandon Brooks. Airs daily at 12:20 PM; weekdays at 4:49, 6:49, and 8:49 AM; Saturdays at 9:20 AM; and Sundays at 8:20 and 10:20 AM.

Sports

Sports reports are given at :15 and :45 after every hour.

Traffic and Transit "On The Twos"

Area traffic reports from Total Traffic Network broadcast at :02, :12, :22, :32, :42:, and :52 after every hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

School closures

KYW assigns schools in the metropolitan area a number which is then announced when they are closed for a snow day or other event. The system was originally created by the City of Philadelphia but was taken over by KYW when no other station volunteered to distribute the information.[15]

Format Clock

00-:02- Legal ID and Headlines
02-:03- Traffic and Transit "On The Twos"
07-:08- AccuWeather Regional Forecast
12-:13- Traffic and Transit "On The Twos"
14-:15- AccuWeather Regional Forecast
15-:18- Sports
22-:23- Traffic and Transit "On The Twos"
25-:27- Business News
29-:30- AccuWeather The Poconos and Jersey Shore Forecast
32-:33- Traffic and Transit "On The Twos"
37-:38- AccuWeather Regional Forecast
42-:43- Traffic and Transit "On The Twos"
44-:45- AccuWeather Regional Forecast
52-:53- Traffic and Transit "On The Twos"
55-:57- Business News
59-:00- AccuWeather Expanded Forecast

Station identifications

KYW jingle

Every fifteen minutes, the station's famous jingle ("KYW, Newsradio--ten-sixty!") is played, and the top stories are recapped.

At the top of every hour, a recording of Dick Covington (who died in 2004; all other station imaging is done by Sean Caldwell) is played announcing the following information: "All news, all the time. From Independence Mall, this is KYW Newsradio 1060, a CBS Radio station serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware."

At :02, :12, :22, :32, :42 and :52 after the hour, traffic & transit reports ("on the twos") are introduced with car horns sounding the first five notes of the KYW jingle.

At :30 past the hour, the recording is slightly different, with Covington announcing that "the newswatch never stops" (borrowed from sister station WINS), and that KYW is "the news authority in Philadelphia."

At :15 and :45 past the hour, after the jingle is played, there is no recording. As the jingle fades out, the following message is always read by the current anchor:

"You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world. This is KYW, the newscenter on your radio dial, and now heard Online at the new cbsphilly.com [and on the CBS Philly app for iPhone and Android]."

The anchor will then introduce him/herself and the editor-on-duty, and move directly into top story and sports. In addition, the current weather conditions on Independence Mall and AccuWeather forecast are announced before the jingle.

In addition, at exactly the top of the hour and :30 past the hour a beep is played over anything else that is being broadcast, including commercials, as a time signal.

Teletype

A noticeable 'trademark' of KYW is the constant sound of Teletype machines printing in the background. This sound plays constantly during times when the news is being read by a KYW reporter at the headquarters. During other times, particularly during commercials or taped news segments, including AccuWeather forecasts, it is not heard. It is intended to allow the listener to immediately know the station that they are listening to and saves them from checking.

The teletype sound, along with the slogans "All news, all the time", "The newswatch never stops", "Listen two, three, four times a day" and "You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world", all originated with WINS. KFWB and WMAQ in Chicago, Illinois also used the branding until they changed formats; WMAQ was shut down by Viacom in 2000.

On-air staff

Weekday Anchors

Morning Drive

  • Harry Donahue
  • Ed Abrams
  • Carol MacKenzie

Mid-day & Afternoon Drive

  • Vince Hill, live business reports from 9AM-5PM at :25 & :55 past the hour
  • Steve Nikazy, Reporters Roundup at 12:30 & 3:30
  • Brandon Brooks, Rewind
  • Cheryl Elias

Nights & Weekends

  • Ian Bush
  • Molly Daly
  • Michelle Durham
  • Kevin Scholla
  • Dan Wing
  • Wally Kennedy
  • Pat Toddy

Reporters & Editors

  • Mark Abrams
  • Lynne Adkins
  • Robin Culverwell
  • Stasia DeMarco
  • Mike DeNardo
  • Mike Dunn - City Hall Bureau Chief
  • Mike Dougherty
  • Amy Feldman
  • Ed Fischer
  • Richard Forney
  • Kim Glovas
  • Tony Hanson
  • Larry Kane - Special Contributor
  • Rasa Kaye - "Free In Philly"
  • Paul Kurtz
  • Hadas Kuznits
  • Lauren Lipton
  • Jay Lloyd
  • Pat Loeb
  • David Madden
  • Tom Maloney
  • Bob Manning
  • Marciene Mattleman - Education Reports
  • John McDevitt
  • Dr. Brian McDonough-Medical Editor
  • Jim Melwert
  • Suzanne Monaghan
  • Al Novack - Morning Drive Reporter
  • Greg Orlandini
  • John Ostapkovich
  • Tony Romeo - Harrisburg Bureau Chief
  • Brad Segall - Suburban Bureau Chief
  • Fred Sherman - Business commentator for twenty-five years until his segment was eliminated in January 2009 due to financial cutbacks at the station.[16]
  • Phran Novelli - "Garden Reports"
  • Steve Tawa
  • Bill Wine - Movie Critic

Sports

Weekdays

  • Harry Donahue - Mornings
  • Matt Leon - Mid-days
  • Ron Corbin - Afternoons and Nights

Weekend/Fill-In/On-Location

  • Kevin Scholla
  • Jeff Asch
  • Ed Benkin
  • Bill Campbell

Traffic and transit

Weekdays

  • Sam Clover
  • Pat Winters
  • John Brown
  • Rich Gunning
  • Mike Lankford

*John Brown and Rich Gunning are also heard on 1210 WPHT every half hour from 3:30-7:00PM.

Weekends/Fill-In

  • John Butterworth
  • Tim James
  • Brendan Joseph
  • RJ McKay
  • Eric Herr
  • Mark Fowser
  • Randi Ellis
  • Donna Bradley

Weather

From AccuWeather

From CBS 3 Eyewitness News

  • Katie Fellinger
  • Kate Bilo
  • Kathy Orr
  • Justin Drabick
  • Carol Erickson

References

  1. ^ United States Callsign Policies, United States Early Radio History.
  2. ^ Radio broadcast-Volume 1-Radio Has Gripped Chicago-pages 503-511
  3. ^ "New KYW Opens December 3rd (page 4)" (PDF). The Microphone. 24 November 1934. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  4. ^ "NBC, WBC trade properties in Cleveland, Philadelphia." Broadcasting, May 23, 1955, pp. 65-66, 68. [1][2][3]
  5. ^ "NBC, WBC outlets change calls today." Broadcasting, February 13, 1956, pp. 98. [4]
  6. ^ "NBC-Westinghouse swap approved; FCC stirs Justice Dept. interest." Broadcasting, January 2, 1956, pg. 58. [5]
  7. ^ "Justice Dept. hauls NBC into court." Broadcasting - Telecasting, December 10, 1956, pp. 27-32. [6][7][8][9][10][11]
  8. ^ "Philadelphia circle is complete," and "Nine-year history of that trade in Philadelphia." Broadcasting, August 3, 1964, pp. 23-25. [12][13][14]
  9. ^ "The great swap takes place June 19; Westinghouse, NBC return to original properties." Broadcasting, June 14, 1965, pg. 83. [15]
  10. ^ KYW Newsradio Station History, which details the evolution of the station from Chicago, to Philadelphia, to Cleveland and back to Philadelphia.
  11. ^ "WBC turning KYW into all-news plant." Broadcasting, June 21, 1965, pg. 9. [16]
  12. ^ "The toughest test of all-news format." Broadcasting, April 19, 1965, pg. 76. [17]
  13. ^ "Dry run precedes KFWB's switch to all news." Broadcasting, March 11, 1968, pg. 66. [18]
  14. ^ http://www.thedenenbergreport.org/article.php?index=147
  15. ^ KYW school numbers has Snowline burning-July 10, 1998
  16. ^ Davis, Carolyn (2009-09-13). "Fred Sherman, 85, business commentator". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2009-09-17. [dead link]
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