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WFIL
WFIL (560 AM) is a radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a Christian radio format consisting of teaching and talk programs. Owned by Salem Media Group, studios and transmitter facilities are shared with co-owned WNTP (990 AM) in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania.
WFIL transmits fulltime with 5,000 watts, using different directional antenna configurations during the day and at night. Daytime coverage includes metropolitan Philadelphia and portions of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, plus parts of New Jersey and Delaware. Sister station WMCA in New York City, on the adjacent frequency of 570 kHz, also operates with 5,000 watts, and both stations must reduce their signals toward each other in order to avoid mutual interference.
On December 1, 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce, in charge of radio at the time, adopted a regulation formally establishing a broadcasting station category, which set aside the wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz) for entertainment broadcasts, and 485 meters (619 kHz) for market and weather reports. Philadelphia's first broadcasting station, WGL, was licensed on February 8, 1922 to Thomas F. J. Howlett.
This was followed by a scramble among four of the city's department stores to become the first to establish its own station. On March 18, 1922 Strawbridge & Clothier was issued a license, with the randomly assigned call letters WFI, for a new station operating on the 360 meter "entertainment" wavelength. The station later received an additional authorization for market reports on 485 meters. The other three Philadelphia department store stations authorized in the first half of 1922 were WOO (licensed March 18, 1922 to John Wanamaker), WIP (now WTEL, licensed March 20, 1922 to Gimbel Brothers), and WDAR (licensed May 20, 1922 to the Lit Brothers).
Because at this time 360 meters was the only designated broadcasting wavelength, WFI had to operate within the restrictions of a timesharing arrangement with the other local stations. (Occasionally stations in a few other cities were unable to come to an agreement, and engaged in "jamming wars".) In the race to be the first department store on the air, WFI's formal debut broadcasts were made on March 18, starting with a 10:16 a.m. speech by John F. Braun, president of the Art Alliance and the Music League. Additional programming featured speeches by William C. Sproul, Governor of Pennsylvania, J. Hampton Moore, Mayor of Philadelphia, Mrs. H. S. Prentiss Nichols of the State Committee of Education, and Horace Groskin of the "Talk Philadelphia Week" Committee. The Gimbel Brothers station, WIP, made its formal debut the same day beginning at 11:00 a.m., although it also reported that it had made unspecified preliminary transmissions beginning at 9:00 a.m. the previous day.
Under the local timesharing agreement, WFI's August 17, 1922 schedule on 360 meters consisted of "Late news Items" at 1:16 p.m., a musical program from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., and baseball scores from 5:30 to 6 p.m. On 485 meters, the station broadcast produce market and live stock reports at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m.
In late September 1922, the Department of Commerce set aside a second entertainment wavelength, 400 meters (750 kHz) for "Class B" stations that had quality equipment and programming, and WFI was assigned use of this more exclusive wavelength, joining WOO, and later joined by WDAR and WIP. WFI's March 27, 1923 time slots were 1:15 to 2:00 p.m., 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. and 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. for entertainment programs on 400 meters, plus agricultural reports at 10 a.m. and during the early afternoon on 485 meters. In May 1923 additional "Class B" frequencies were made available, which included two Philadelphia allocations, with WFI and WDAR assigned to 760 kHz (395 meters) on a timesharing basis, while WOO and WIP were assigned to the second Philadelphia Class B frequency, 590 kHz.
WDAR's call sign was changed to WLIT in early 1925. As of May 31, 1927 both WFI and WLIT were assigned to 740 kHz. On November 11, 1928, as part of the implementation of a major nationwide reallocation under the provisions of the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, WFI and WLIT were reassigned to a "regional" frequency, 560 kHz.
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WFIL
WFIL (560 AM) is a radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a Christian radio format consisting of teaching and talk programs. Owned by Salem Media Group, studios and transmitter facilities are shared with co-owned WNTP (990 AM) in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania.
WFIL transmits fulltime with 5,000 watts, using different directional antenna configurations during the day and at night. Daytime coverage includes metropolitan Philadelphia and portions of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, plus parts of New Jersey and Delaware. Sister station WMCA in New York City, on the adjacent frequency of 570 kHz, also operates with 5,000 watts, and both stations must reduce their signals toward each other in order to avoid mutual interference.
On December 1, 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce, in charge of radio at the time, adopted a regulation formally establishing a broadcasting station category, which set aside the wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz) for entertainment broadcasts, and 485 meters (619 kHz) for market and weather reports. Philadelphia's first broadcasting station, WGL, was licensed on February 8, 1922 to Thomas F. J. Howlett.
This was followed by a scramble among four of the city's department stores to become the first to establish its own station. On March 18, 1922 Strawbridge & Clothier was issued a license, with the randomly assigned call letters WFI, for a new station operating on the 360 meter "entertainment" wavelength. The station later received an additional authorization for market reports on 485 meters. The other three Philadelphia department store stations authorized in the first half of 1922 were WOO (licensed March 18, 1922 to John Wanamaker), WIP (now WTEL, licensed March 20, 1922 to Gimbel Brothers), and WDAR (licensed May 20, 1922 to the Lit Brothers).
Because at this time 360 meters was the only designated broadcasting wavelength, WFI had to operate within the restrictions of a timesharing arrangement with the other local stations. (Occasionally stations in a few other cities were unable to come to an agreement, and engaged in "jamming wars".) In the race to be the first department store on the air, WFI's formal debut broadcasts were made on March 18, starting with a 10:16 a.m. speech by John F. Braun, president of the Art Alliance and the Music League. Additional programming featured speeches by William C. Sproul, Governor of Pennsylvania, J. Hampton Moore, Mayor of Philadelphia, Mrs. H. S. Prentiss Nichols of the State Committee of Education, and Horace Groskin of the "Talk Philadelphia Week" Committee. The Gimbel Brothers station, WIP, made its formal debut the same day beginning at 11:00 a.m., although it also reported that it had made unspecified preliminary transmissions beginning at 9:00 a.m. the previous day.
Under the local timesharing agreement, WFI's August 17, 1922 schedule on 360 meters consisted of "Late news Items" at 1:16 p.m., a musical program from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., and baseball scores from 5:30 to 6 p.m. On 485 meters, the station broadcast produce market and live stock reports at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m.
In late September 1922, the Department of Commerce set aside a second entertainment wavelength, 400 meters (750 kHz) for "Class B" stations that had quality equipment and programming, and WFI was assigned use of this more exclusive wavelength, joining WOO, and later joined by WDAR and WIP. WFI's March 27, 1923 time slots were 1:15 to 2:00 p.m., 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. and 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. for entertainment programs on 400 meters, plus agricultural reports at 10 a.m. and during the early afternoon on 485 meters. In May 1923 additional "Class B" frequencies were made available, which included two Philadelphia allocations, with WFI and WDAR assigned to 760 kHz (395 meters) on a timesharing basis, while WOO and WIP were assigned to the second Philadelphia Class B frequency, 590 kHz.
WDAR's call sign was changed to WLIT in early 1925. As of May 31, 1927 both WFI and WLIT were assigned to 740 kHz. On November 11, 1928, as part of the implementation of a major nationwide reallocation under the provisions of the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, WFI and WLIT were reassigned to a "regional" frequency, 560 kHz.