NBC Radio’s First Day & The First Network Stars
NBC Radio’s First Day & The First Network Stars
NBC was America’s first radio network and the inaugural program was broadcast on sixteen stations on November 15, 1926. The show originated from NYC, Chicago and Independence Kansas. The “official” part of the broadcast came from New York’s WEAF where Sarnoff and other leaders of RCA, Westinghouse and GE spoke. The new National Broadcasting Company was divided in ownership among RCA (50 percent), General Electric (30 percent), and Westinghouse (20 percent). From Chicago, the popular vaudeville comic team Lewis Fields (L) and Joe Weber (R) did their act, and in Kansas, columnist and all around “fun poker” Will Rogers spoke for a while. Both Rogers and Fields & Weber became regulars and were the first ever network stars. Tomorrow, the Red, Blue, Gold, Orange and other networks of NBC Radio.
In 1976, NBC Radio had produced a short series called, ‘The Fabulous Fifties’, in tribute to NBC’s 50 years of service. It was on the Monitor Radio tribute site for listening.