Dr. Alex Magoun is the outreach historian for the IEEE’s History Center (IEEE stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). On today’s episode, he gives us the history of the History Center and the organization’s drive to document and preserve the innovavtions and developments fostered by its members over the years. Along the way we talk about engineers and inventors such as Philo Farnsworth, Edward Armstrong, and Vladimir Zworykin. We also discuss what drives innovation in technology, the public and commercial aspects of funding it, and the many organizations and individ ..read more

John Kannenberg is the man and the mind behind the Museum of Portable Sound. Based in Portsmouth, England, the Museum is actually found wherever John has his iPhone 4S. Visitors sit down with John, don their headphones, and enter the Museum by listening to the curated galleries of MP3s on the device. We talk to John about the inspiration for this unique institution, how he keeps it running, and the implications for the presentation of radio history. Additional Links Museum of Portable Sound Invisible Threads The post Radio Tower 47: John Kannenberg and the Museum of Portable Sound appeared ..read more

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Lundquist. Bob was a long-time member of the Long Island Radio & Television Historical Society who spent much of his professional life as an engineer at the RCA “Radio Central” facility in Rocky Point. This interview between Bob and Connie Currie was recorded in 2015. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Bob’s family and all who knew him. The post Radio Tower 46: Remembering Bob Lundquist appeared first on LIRTVHS.org ..read more

In the late 1980s, WFAN was on the rise as the first all-sports radio station in the country. They brought a fast-paced, rowdy style to the air, epitomized by the likes of Don Imus, Steve Somers, and Mike Francesa. At the same time the New York Islanders, years past their glory days and playing in an aging barn of a stadium, found themselves on the wrong end of WFAN’s jokes. Imus, Somers, and Francesa mocked the team and the Nassau Coliseum mercilessly. On today’s episode, Queens native and media historian Nick Hirshon describes his research into this moment in sports and communication histor ..read more

  Listen to LIRTVHS board member Connie Currie relate some of the radio-related stories and personalities from the town of Islip, Long Island. Including: Edwin H. Armstrong in Bayport and Sayville Norman Brokenshire in Lake Ronkonkoma Clarence Mackay WRST in Bay Shore – Suffolk County’s first radio station   Edward Armstrong from the Hope Pioneer, Sep 28, 1922. Norman Brokenshire from the Indianapolis Times, Oct 25, 1926                   Music via Pixabay including: Saloon Piano Music by FreeGroove from Pixabay Going Up Selection ..read more

We spent Sunday, June 11 at the Islip Grange in Sayville helping to celebrate Living History Day. It was a fun, exciting event that showcased a lot of the historical societies and related groups who are working to promote and preserve our local history. While we were there, we took the opportunity to chat with our neighbors: the Friends of Connetquot, the Oakdale Historical Society, and the Sayville Historical Society. We caught up on what they’re doing and got to find out more about the role of radio in their own lives. Asparagus buncher from the Sayville Historical Society table. What we ..read more

  Norm Prusslin came to Stony Brook in the late 1960s and was immediately drawn to the radio station. WUSB was then an AM station heard only in the dorms and building on campus. But there was music in the air, not the least of which was coming from the vibrant concerts given on campus by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, and others. Thus began Norm’s long association with the station, which included its transition to the FM channel as well as a number of thorny issues before the FCC. In this interview, Norm describes the growth of WUSB and what goes into the care and feeding of a col ..read more

Article by Frank Fayant from Success Magazine. July 1907. Peter Kurz is a patent attorney from Germany who fulfilled a lifelong dream by writing a technological thriller based in the early days of the radio industry. The Marconi-Patent weaves together historical events and people into a tale of intrigue, danger, and romance. What’s even better, it features the Telefunken transmission site in West Sayville! On today’s episode we discuss Peter’s background and the state of radio circa 1914 when Britain was at war with Germany in Europe and the British Marconi Company was at war with the Germa ..read more

Today we talked with LIRTVHS member Judy Blitzer. Straight out of high school and Brooklyn she marched her way into a job at RCA at 60 Broad St. in downtown Manhattan. What followed was a thirty-five year career working for John McKenna at RCA. Judy describes for us life at RCA, the intricacies of teletype machines, and how to meet the Pope. RCA handled international traffic for telegrams. From the NY Herald, Dec 12, 1922. Related Links: RCA Radiograms RCA at 60 Broad St Telex History The post Radio Tower 39: Talking with Judy Blitzer appeared first on LIRTVHS.org ..read more

Richard Dillman grew up in Westbury and was soon on track for a life pursuing radio history. After getting his ham radio license in the late 1950s, he began unravelling Long Island’s radio secrets and visiting the area’s important sites: WSL in Amagansett, RCA in Rocky Point, Press Wireless in Brentwood and, yes, the old Telefunken site in West Sayville. “KPH Marshall, Calif, Operating Table, 600, 725, +2400 meter sets.” Image courtesy of the Maritime Radio Historical Society On today’s episode he describes the allure of the great stations of radio’s earliest days, the ship-to-shore and tra ..read more