KYW 1060 AM Philadelphia Format Change 1965 Bill Webber.wmv

[Julius121081]

46 years ago today, this happened.

[altfactor]

The first anchor of the all-news format, Steve Porter, later went on to a long career at NBC News (mainly on radio).

[wmbrown6]

@altfactor - Porter was also at WCBS 880 AM at the point of the launch of its "Newsradio 88" format in late August 1967.

[wmbrown6]

Steve Porter was also at WCBS 880 AM at the point of the launch of its "Newsradio 88" format in late August 1967.

[altfactor]

The Middle-of-the-road (what is now called aduklt standards) format had been launched when the station was NBC-owned WRCV.

Group W/Westinghouse had launched an all-news format on New York's WINS a few months earlier.

At the time, a couple of other Group W stations were Top-40, but I suspect Group W believed that Philadelphia's two top-40 stations at the time, WIBG and WFIL, were just too strong and that a top-40 KYW might not have succeeded.

Hence, all-news.

[myronfalwell]

@altfactor Group W returned to the Philadelphia market a few months earlier after winning a court battle with NBC. The FCC voided a 1956 ownership swap that saw Group W - and the KYW calls - exiled to Cleveland, Ohio, and NBC getting a Philly O&O under the WRCV calls.

Group W clearly wanted to start anew in the Philly market upon returning, and based upon WINS' success, all-news was the ticket. Ironically NBC held onto KYW's top 40 success in Cleveland for a few more years under the WKYC calls.

[nanlisa]

And 45 years later, KYW is still the Number One station in the city today.