The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 Am Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996 [Hardcover]

Frank Sulek (Author), Peter Kanze (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786403438 | ISBN-13: 978-0786403431 | Publication Date: May 1998 | Edition: First Edition

This heavily illustrated history traces the development of AM radio in the New York metropolitan area. While technical information and program schedules are fully covered, the work also provides unique insight into radio's influence on the development of the city. The photographs reinforce the sense of change brought about by the medium.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a must for anyone who is intrigued by radio's mystery and magic" -- Essex News Weekly

"a substantial amount of old time radio history, well presented, about some of America's pioneer broadcasting stations" -- North American Radio Archives

"a useful historical record. The...authors...have assembled a model of such a work" -- Communication Booknotes Quarterly

"any devotee of old-time radio will get a kick out of [this]...a lavish pictorial history" -- Small Market Radio Newsletter

"details the backgrouns, personalities, and histories of 156 AM stations in and around the metropolitan area for all the years since 1921" -- the Baldwin Citizen

"first-rate...chronicles every city station from 1921 to 1996" -- New York Daily News Online

"in-depth...describes the changes that took place in programming over the years and their influence on the entire country" -- The Viking News

About the Author

Bill Jaker is a producer for WSKG Public Television in Binghamton, New York. Frank Sulek is a radio producer for the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Peter Kanze co-produced the BBC/Billboard series Twenty-five Years of Rock and manages WARY-FM at Westchester Community College.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 205 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub; First Edition edition (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786403438
• ISBN-13: 978-0786403431
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,927,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New York AM radio is alive once again in this nice pictorial, March 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 Am Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996 (Hardcover)

Growing up in New York City, I lived the New York AM radio experience. My era was 1010 WINS with "Murray the K" and Jack Lacy. Occasionally I would dial up to Peter Tripp on WMGM-1050 or down to the "sweatshirt station", WMCA (Yeah-yeah). As I moved through adolescence music began to disappear from New York AM. Soon all we had left was WABC-Musicradio 77. That too would eventually go to radio heaven.

Bill Jaker's fantastic compilation takes us behind the New York radio scene. It puts faces to the voices of the disk jockeys who woke us up each day. Those who sat next to us on the beach blanket at Coney Island on a warm summer afternoon, and to the ones who rocked us to sleep each night. They all come back to life once again thanks to Bill Jaker and his friends.

But that's not all. You'll learn all about the storied history of the #1 radio market in the world. All the great radio stations of the 50's and 60's, and about stations you never even heard of. If you ever turned on a radio in New York, waited patiently for the tubes to glow and wondered who are these guys who keep playing the music I love, this book is for you. Despite what others say, you can go back in time, and this book will take you there. Enjoy! I did.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books on the history of radio, January 8, 2001

By 

Bob Donnelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 Am Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996 (Hardcover)

There are probably a dozen or so books that I've read and re-read cover to cover in one siting. I am adding Kanze and Sulek's to that pile, making it a super baker's dozen. It's a solid, well written text, highlighted with great pictures and memorabilia about radio's AM history in metro #1. My only regret for the radio historian is that there isn't one for all the other major metro areas like Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas. I look forward to their FM version. Gotta have it. Bob Donnelly

Montclair NJ

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and Informative, December 6, 2010

By 

Old Radio - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: AIRWAVES OF NEW YORK: Illustrated Histories of 156 Am Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996 (Paperback)

Growing up in the 1950s in the area between NY city and where the transmitters were in NJ, I was always interested in radio. My neighbor was a radio broadcast engineer who would take us on tours of the stations. My dad worked for Western Electric, a supplier to and player in the development of radio.
I remember the plane hitting the WOR tower in NJ. I remember seeing the huge towers in Carteret NJ and wondering what they were. Now I know. I have driven by WINS, WOR, WPAT, WABC, WMCA, WAAT and others countless times and wondered how they all started.
This book is chock filled with the back-stories behind the evolution of radio in the NY/NJ area. Each radio call letter is listed with a story of its beginnings and more often than not, its demise. AIRWAVES OF NEW YORK ties all the players together with a lot of interesting facts and names, many of whom you will recognize today. There are plenty of pictures showing the stations, advertising and the personalities.
Growing up listening to the Breakfast Club every morning, then later to all the craziness around the British Invasion, the transition to talk radio and 24/7 news, AIRWAVES gave me this peek inside the glass booth. Maybe a little light on the technical aspects of the industry, nontheless, a well written account.