History, Jingles

WNEW – And, so it began

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Early style jingle. Tommy Dorsey esque late 1930s

..In 1933, Milton Biow, and Arde Bulova, manufacturer of watches, had recently acquired two small radio stations from the Amalgamated Broadcasting System. The ABS, formed by comedian Ed Wynn to challenge the three major radio networks, had failed, and Biow and Bulova took over five floors of studios at 501 Madison Avenue.
Ed Wynn’s initials are often said to be the source of NEW’s call letters. But retired engineer John Sarpaylic offers this first-hand account: “One Sunday morning I had to drive Mr. Biow and Richard O’Dea (owner of station WODA) to the new location in Carlstadt where they were building the transmitter. And the discussion was, what are we going to call this? Milton Biow said, ‘We haven’t had a station built in this area since 1928. I think the best call letters we could have are WNEW, which says new.  NEW in the metropolitan area. The NEWest thing in radio.'”

 

©Where the Melody Lingers 1984

The preceding is an excerpt from the book “Where the Melody Lingers On WNEW 1934-1984,” Nightingale Gordon, NEW YORK.

©”A Radio Station & It’s Mistress”  Marlin R. Taylor

-MCP-

Personal

There’s Only One . . . WNEW – continuer

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Ed Brown created the WNEW1130.com blog on April 27, 2009.

Since January 24, 2024, it has been my great honor to keep it running for him, as Editor, after his death in late 2023.

Ed’s first WNEW1130.com post that April day read,

There’s Only One . . . WNEW

There was a time when most radio stations, no matter how big, were local and part of neighborhood life.  WNEW-AM, where the forms of modern radio were invented and made personal, existed within a community of broadcasters and listeners who shared in life’s events and now, share memories. This blog, exists to collect as many as possible of the bits and pieces of that history. What do you remember? What part of the story can you tell?

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Not having Mr. Brown’s wealth of historical and WNEW knowledge, I do plan to draw from his earlier posts, his memories, and even from  commentary archives from the 7PM radio time slot.  These are gems of history, excellence in writing, and many-just plain enjoyable to read.

So, I ask as Ed did, “What do you remember? What part of the story can you tell?”

I am excited to receive your contributions.

We’ve / I’ve got quite a few friends.

A huge thank you to Bill P, Jean, Edw M, Karen, Jeff, Al, Alan, Andy, Bill D, Bob, and Mike, for the many different ways in which you support me, and this site.

Thank you so very much for helping to keep WNEW1130.com alive and well.

 

 

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Jimmy Carter

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I was 21 and one day, on November 4, 1980, the day of my first presidential election. The details of which are clouded, but the feelings are still quite clear.  I was excited to walk those NYC streets to a school location, and stand in line with what felt like hundreds of people for my turn to be a part of something  greater than myself, my father said, and what would be the first of many opportunities to exercise my right to vote.

J Carter 1980 ©Time Bettmann Archive

Although disappointed at the outcome of that election, my father also explained that it is better to vote and lose than not to vote at all.  Now, for those of you who knew my father, Ed Brown, you also know that he used more eloquent words… provided the history of the vote… for men and then women… the Vietnam War’s impact on lowering the voting age, the history of voting technology, and …

I will always have a place in my heart for Jimmy Carter. He was my first presidential election, but he was also a fine human being.

©Kevin D. Liles for The New York Times

 

The Carter Center

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Jimmy-Carter-tribute-3 The Carter Center

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