WHAV Presents Special Programs Beginning Monday to Celebrate Radio’s ‘Century of Sound’

August 1920 publicity photograph for 8MK which would become WWJ radio. From left to right, Howard J. Trumbo, manager of the local Thomas A. Edison Record Shop, operating a phonograph player; Elton M. Plant, Detroit News employee and announcer, behind 8MK’s DeForest OT-10 radio transmitter; and engineer Frank Edwards.

KDKA transmitter building in Saxonburg, Penn.

WHAV begins “Celebrating a Century of Sound,” commemorating 100 years of radio broadcasting as we know it, beginning on Monday.

To commemorate the centennial of electronic media, which began at two of CBS News Radio’s key affiliates, WWJ in Detroit and KDKA in Pittsburgh, the network and The National Press Club joined forces to produce the 10-part series “Celebrating a Century of Sound.” Anchored by CBS News Correspondent Sam Litzinger, the series chronicles the history of radio from crystal sets to digital platforms, and from soap operas and symphonies to rock ‘n’ roll, all-news, talk, and sports radio. WHAV, whose call has been associated with Haverhill for almost three-quarters of radio’s history, begins airing segments each weekday at 8:15 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. An encore edition is heard weeknights during classic comedy and drama at 10 p.m.

“Radio is the one medium you can fall in love with—and hundreds of millions of us have done just that over the decades,” said Executive Producer Michael Freedman, president of the National Press Club and former general manager of CBS Radio Network. “At its best, it is an art form, painting pictures for the mind’s eye. It is a world of information and entertainment, a lifelong companion and a trusted friend. It is part of the fabric of America and indeed, represents the sound of our lives.”

Today, the most intimate of all media continues to grow, reaching 90 percent of American adults on a weekly basis via broadcast and online programming, a mark that is higher than that of any other media format. More than 270 million Americans listen to traditional radio every week, with millions also tuning into online audio programming.

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