forest should be called the father of radio because of his role in operating an fm station.
who should be called the father of radio because of his role in operating an fm station?
forest
shepard's next accomplishment was his involvement with the then-new technology of frequency modulation (fm) broadcasting, pioneered by inventor edwin howard armstrong. the yankee network's chief engineer, paul demars, had heard a demonstration of armstrong's innovation, and encouraged shepard to invest in it. shepard agreed, pledging to spend the money necessary to build an fm broadcasting station that would serve greater boston. shepard saw fm as the solution to a common complaint of am radio listeners: the signal often faded out unexpected, or noise from atmospheric interference made programs unlistenable. frequency modulation broadcasting promised programs with excellent reception, that would also be static-free. in mid-1939, paul demars arranged a series of local demonstrations in boston so that the press and the public could hear the benefits of armstrong's invention. on july 24, 1939, shepard's new fm station, w1xoj, went on the air. its transmitter was in paxton, massachusetts, not far from worcester, atop asnebumskit hill. according to the "boston post", it cost john shepard iii a quarter of a million dollars to build the new radio station. shepard understood that it might take a while for the public to be won over to fm, but by now, he believed in it, and was certain it was just a matter of time before fm became popular. as further proof of his faith in fm, shepard invested in a second fm station, to be built in new hampshire, with the transmitter atop mount washington. the new station, w1xer, went on the air in december 1940, and by january 1941, it was linked with shepard's greater boston fm, creating the first fm network.
john shepard iii
u100 was not to last forever. the am dial in the twin cities was crowded with top 40 stations, with u-100, kdwb, wdgy and kstp all fighting for the same audience. am music stations also desired to transition to the increasingly popular fm dial. in early 1976, fairchild industries decided to put both stations on the market. entertainment communications, the owner of easy listening fm station wayl, was interested in the am station to simulcast wayl's signal. the fcc rules in place for decades regarding ownership stipulated an owner/entity could not own more than one am and one fm station (and one tv) in the same market at the time; fairchild industries needed to find a buyer for the fm station and sought out the owners of various am stations in the area. doubleday broadcasting, owner of kdwb, wasn't actively seeking an fm station at the time, but offered to buy 101.3 fm in february 1976 after it was offered a rather generous deal that included wyoo-fm and the building in eagan that housed both stations, for $750,000. kdwb's general manager at the time, gary stevens said, that it did not buy wyoo-fm to shut down a competitor, but rather to take advantage of what it saw as a good deal.
kdwb-fm