Original WGBH-FM signon/off

[Peter Q. George]

--- Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com> wrote:

> 
> >Rick said--
> >
> >Just keeping the historical record straight. 
> (Where is Donna when we need
> >her?)
> 
> Just lost my grandma, at age 96, may she rest in
> peace, so I'm kind 
> of pre-occupied with that.
Sorry about your loss, Donna. -Pete 



  But as I understand it,
> WERS was indeed 
> the first 10 watt educational FM to get on the air
> in Massachusetts, 
> and maybe even the first in New England-- several
> others were 
> licensed but didn't get on the air till later.  WERS
> did a dedication 
> ceremony on 2 November 1949 and began regular
> broadcasts on 14 
> November 1949.  WERS got a power boost and a dial
> position change in late 1950. 
> 
>

Rick Levy probably knows all of this info,  but for
the rest of us........ 

In fact WERS's first dial position was on 88.1 MC/s
during that first year of operation.  (The same 88.1
which would be the home to MIT's WTBS/now WMBR some 10
years later).  Later, WERS would skyrocket to 18,000
watts (horizontal only) from the original Beacon
Street location.  At that time, WERS's signal was not
impeded by any tall buildings (except the Old Hancock)
and covered a lot of real estate within the area now
known as the 495 belt.  Slowly the 'ERS signal was
inundated with multipath galore as Boston skyline
developed.  It was said that the 'ERS signal was
easily available on toasters, razors and even TV's. 
But it barely made it RADIOS, out of Boston.  In
April, 1974... WERS made the first move to regaining
the signal they lost while the signal was being
encroached by development. (The top of the old site's
tower was shorter than most of the buildings around
it.)  WERS moved to the top of the Pru at 895 watts
ERP,  with signal that far surpassed anything the old
site could have had AND for the first time it was in
STEREO!  Today, WERS is now running 5,000 watts ERP 
with IBOC and blankets most of Eastern Mass.,Southern
NH and Northeastern RI.  Not too shabby for a station
that started as a Class D some nearly 60 years ago!   



Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts
                           "Scanning the bands since 1967"
radiojunkie1@yahoo.com
radiojunkie3@yahoo.com
***********************************************************


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