This is the Broadcast History section of
The Broadcast Archive
Maintained by:
Barry Mishkind - The Eclectic Engineer
It would be a kindness if you'd just send a short note to let
me know who you are, and what your interests are. Thanks.
Clearly, the purpose of many station owners in building their stations was to
promote their other businesses. Hence, announcements to the benefit of the
owners would essentially be considered a commercial announcement, even though no
money actually changed hands. However, it didn't take long for paid commercial
messages from other businesses to appear.
The orthodox answer to the matter of the first paid commercial has been that
it was developed by WEAF in New York by AT&T in August of 1922. The book
"The WEAF Experiment" by an AT&T employee describes the concept of
"toll broadcasting" as it related to sponsorship of whole programs.
(The first sponsor, and hence commercial - according to AT&T - came from the
Queensboro Corporation of New York, to sell real estate. The set of five
programs over five days starting 8/28/22 cost $50, plus the long distance access
fee.)
However...
In March 1922, in Seattle WA, Remick's Music
Store (which published and sold sheet music) sponsored a one night a week
program on station KFC, co-owned by an electric shop and the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper. Remick's supported the show with big ads
in the newspaper-- inviting people to come in after the show and purchase the
songs the Remick's Singers had just performed. This seems to predate the
WEAF broadcast by almost six months.
On April 4, 1922, car dealer Alvin T. Fuller purchased
time on WGI, Medford Hillside, MA and did so again
several more times. But by the middle of April, the District 1 Radio
Commissioner, Charles Kolster, had written WGI a cease and desist order, since
at that time, doing "direct advertising" was not permitted, according
Herbert Hoover's interpretation of the DOC Regulations.
There were other stations also reporting they were selling time for
announcements.
And - in 1893, the Hungarian telephone "broadcast" service
reportedly sold 12 second spots between the news and musical segments for the
equivalent of (US) $0.50.
The first "trade-out" spots were likely broadcast
on Herrold's KQW in the mid 19-teens. A music store owned by
Wiley B. Allen provided the recordings Herrold used; in return KQW told
listeners where they could purchase them.
By the way, David
Sarnoff liked to claim credit for proposing the use of radio broadcasting
for business purposes. Sarnoff wrote a 15-page document foreseeing a business of
selling "radio music boxes." Sarnoff, however, did not envision
transmitting advertising messages by radio broadcast. In fact, he wanted radio
broadcasting to be an educational and entertaining medium only, paid for by the
makers of receivers out of profits they made selling his "radio music
boxes."
There is also a report that the "Jersey Review," a newspaper,
purchased time on January 1, 1922 on station 2IA.
In 1966, Gordon McLendon bought KGLA(FM), Los Angeles and changed the calls
to KADS(FM), running only commercials: local ads, commercials and
national commercials.. It was targeted to grab business
from the newspapers. The want ads were either their own voices
into a telephone recording device or they could use professional announcers.
In August 1967, McLendon declared it to be a failure; returns to
"regular programming". The decision was made to change
call signs to KOST-FM and play "beautiful music."
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