Portable broadcasting stations in the United States
Portable broadcasting stations in the United States was a category of AM band radio stations, which were not restricted to operation in a specific community, but instead were permitted to be transported for broadcasting from various locations. These authorizations began in the early 1920s during a period when radio regulation in the United States was the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. However, after the newly formed Federal Radio Commission took over in early 1927, it was decided that allowing stations to make unrestricted relocations was impractical, and in 1928 the FRC announced that existing portables that had not settled into permanent locations would be deleted. Station owner C. L. Carrell attempted to overturn the new policy, but was unsuccessful.
Overview
From 1922 to 1929, the U.S. government authorized approximately 45 portable broadcasting stations operating on the standard AM band. These stations could be transported to various locations, and normally did not operate while in motion. The station equipment was most commonly mounted on automobiles, trucks, buses and trains, plus, in one case each, a yacht and an airplane. Four stations — KFVP, KRCA, KUPR and WEAL — did not receive standard licenses but instead operated under temporary authorizations.The stations were used for a wide variety of purposes. Some were employed by their owners for company demonstrations and technical investigations. Others were hired out, generally for few weeks at a time, to theaters or local newspapers, commonly located in small midwestern towns that didn't have their own radio stations, to be used for special programs broadcast to a local audience. However, in a few cases the station's travels were nationwide, most notably KGGM, which in 1928 was installed on a bus and accompanied the runners on a cross-country foot race from Los Angeles to New York City.
Another prominent portable station was the Zenith Radio Company's WJAZ, a truck-mounted station initially constructed to evaluate potential transmitter sites around Chicago for a proposed new company-owned station. WJAZ also participated during the solar eclipse of January 24, 1925, when it was driven to a location within the path of totality at Escanaba, Michigan in order to test the effects of the sun's dimming on radio transmissions.
These stations were initially seen as a useful way to introduce the general public in small- and mid-sized towns to the innovation of radio broadcasting. However, as the number of permanently located stations increased, the portables began to be seen as a nuisance, as their mobility made it difficult to control the interference they caused to other stations transmitting on the same frequency.
The Federal Radio Commission was formed in early 1927, and was charged with bringing stability to the sometimes chaotic state of the AM broadcast band. As part of its efforts, on April 26, 1927 it released General Order 6, which stated that "Since the exact location of any radio broadcasting transmitter is an essential feature of the license, the Federal Radio Commission, as already announced, will not consider any application for a broadcasting license, except for a very limited period of time, in which the permanent location of the transmitter is not specified." The order also limited portable station license periods to no more than 120 days, with the further restriction that they would be limited to operating "with not more than 100 watts power output", and would only be assigned to one of two transmitting frequencies, either 1470 kHz or 1490 kHz.
Subsequently, the FRC's General Order 30, adopted May 10, 1928, specified that all portable stations which had not found permanent homes would have to cease operating by July 1st. Fifteen days later, General Order 34 restated the coming prohibition, noting that there were currently eleven active portable stations, whose licenses would expire as of 3 a.m. July 1, 1928.
The portable stations which had not found permanent sites were duly deleted by the fall of 1928, with one exception: KGIF, licensed to Robert B. Howell of Omaha, Nebraska, used in conjunction with his Senate campaign, which remained authorized until the next year, with its location specified as being "Nebraska", and a power of just 7 watts.
C. L. Carrell
The person most associated with portable broadcasting stations, and the individual most affected by their elimination, was Charles "C. L." Carrell, an entertainment promoter based in Chicago. Starting with three stations that were initially licensed under his own name — WHBM, WIBJ and WKBG — he expanded his holdings by taking over a portable station originally licensed to Billy Maine, WIBM, and purchasing three central Indiana standard stations — WBBZ, WHBL and WIBW — which were converted into portables. Thus, by the end of 1926, Carrell had a roster of seven stations, leased out through the C. L. Carrell Broadcasting Service.Carrell commonly used his portable stations, in conjunction with small-town theaters, to provide entertainment programs that featured radio personalities from major cities, which were broadcast by one of his stations to the local community. A May 1925 Logansville, Indiana event, broadcast by Carrell's WHBL, was advertised as: "Starting Sunday, May 24, 4 days, C. L. Carrell Brings to Logansport a New Radio Frolic. All New Radio Stars in a New Musical Review with a Broadcasting Station In Actual Operation on the Luna Stage". A February 1926 advertisement for WBBZ's visit to Manitowoc, Wisconsin invited the curious to: "Come See---Hear, and be taken into the mysteries of radio broadcasting". Over time Carrell's stations began staying in individual communities for longer periods of time, and included local entertainers, in part to judge whether establishing a permanent station was financially viable.
Following the FRC's announcement that it was eliminating portable stations, Carrell procured permanent locations for four of his stations, however the other three, WHBM, WIBJ and WKBG, were eventually deleted. He petitioned the FRC to reverse the deletions, but was turned down. He then appealed the decision to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, which also ruled against him, stating:
"It is contended on behalf of the Commission that the licensing of portable broadcasting stations is not in the public interest, convenience, or necessity; that the Davis Amendment to the Radio Act of 1927 contemplates fixed allocation of broadcasting stations, and its mandate cannot be carried out if roving transmitters are allowed to operate; that under the allocation of stations as at present established the operation of migratory transmitters would result in harmful interference; that the difficulties of supervision of portable stations render it against public interest to license them; and that to permit portable broadcasting stations to rove at will over a portion of the country on any one broadcasting channel would deprive the public of the service of that channel to its full capacity. We think that the Commission acted within its authority when dealing with portable stations as a class... The order appealed from is accordingly affirmed at the cost of appellant."
Carrell was also unable to convince the FRC to reactivate the station licenses so that they could transferred to permanent locations. He went on to manage WBBZ, which had been relocated to Ponca City, Oklahoma, until his death in 1933, following which his widow, Adelaide Lillian Carrell, took over as owner and station manager until 1949.
List of stations
- NOTE: In the chart below, actions for which the monthly Radio Service Bulletin is used as the primary reference list the date of the issue which contains the announcement. In most cases the action took place sometime during month preceding the issue date, however, in cases where there was delay in making the official notification, the action might have occurred even earlier.
| Call | Initial portable authorization | Owner's Location | Owner | Notes |
| KFBN | 9/1/1922 | Oakland, California | Borch Radio Corp. | Deleted 2/1/1923. |
| KFFZ | 5/1/1923 | Dallas, Texas | Al. G. Barnes Amusement Co. | Barnes operated a "Wild Animal Circus" which wintered near Love Field. Station was intended to be used while the circus was touring, with the plan that its "many voices are to be sent into places it intends to visit and to many other localities that, except for radio, would never experience the thrills that come with a circus". Deleted 7/1/1924. |
| KFJQ | 9/1/1923 | Grand Forks, North Dakota | Electric Construction Co., valley radio division | Deleted 11/1/1923. |
| KFRI | 11/1/1924 | Denver, Colorado | Reynolds Radio Company | To be used "On moving train in western Nebraska". Deleted 1/2/1925. |
| KFVP | 5/10/1925 | Omaha, Nebraska | Omaha Chamber of Commerce | Temporary authorization for passenger train, May 10-24, 1925. |
| KFVP | 5/24/1925 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce | Temporary authorization for passenger train, May 24-29, 1925. |
| KFXJ | 9/16/1925 | Denver, Colorado | Mountain States Radio Distributors, Inc. | Moved to Edgewater, Colorado, no longer a portable station, with owner R. G. Howell, on 9/30/1926. Currently KNZZ in Denver, Colorado |
| KFYJ | 11/2/1925 | Houston, Texas | Texas Chronicle Publishing Co. | Deletion was unreported, but occurred sometime between 12/31/1926 and 5/3/1927. |
| KGFO | 5/31/1927 | Los Angeles, California | Brant Radio Company | Deleted 7/31/1928. |
| KGGM | 8/17/1927 | Inglewood, California | Jay Peters | Permanently moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico 9/29/1928. Currently KNML, Albuquerque. |
| KGIF | 8/31/1928 | Omaha, Nebraska | Robert B. Howell | Deleted 5/31/1929. |
| KHAC/KFBI | 11/30/1927 | San Francisco, California | Flying Broadcasters, Inc. | Assigned to "unnamed airplane". Call changed from KHAC to KFBI 2/29/1928. Deleted 7/31/1928. |
| KRCA | 9/5/1925 | Los Angeles, California | Radio Corporation of America | Station operated under a series of temporary authorizations at four different fairs and expositions. The first assignment was in September 1925 for Los Angeles. Three more assignments followed a year later in August and September 1926: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Riverside, California. |
| KUPR | 8/12/1925 | Omaha, Nebraska | Union Pacific Railroad | Temporary 45 day authorization. Reports about the Calf Club Special train, reviewed the itinerary of its "tour to every vital point of agricultural Nebraska" while employing the "latest innovation in mobile broadcast stations". Deleted 9/11/25. |
| WALK | 2/28/1927 | Bethayres, Pennsylvania | Albert A. Walker | Reported as "no longer portable" 6/30/1927, and permanently settled in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 1/31/1928. Deleted 4/30/1929. |
| WBBZ | 10/1/1925 | Chicago, Illinois | C. L. Carrell | Originally licensed 3/1/1924 as a fixed station to Noble B. Watson, Indianapolis, Indiana. Permanently located in Ponca City, Oklahoma 7/31/1928. Currently WBBZ, Ponca City. |
| WCBG | 3/1/1924 | Pascagoula, Mississippi | Howard S. Williams | Deleted 12/31/1925. |
| WCBR | 4/8/1924 | Providence, Rhode Island | Charles H. Messter | Deleted 7/31/1928. |
| WCBS | 8/19/1926 | Providence, Rhode Island | Harold L. Dewing and Charles H. Messter | Moved to Springfield, Illinois sometime between 1/31/1927 and 5/3/1927. Currently WFMB in Springfield. |
| WCWS | 11/2/1925 | Providence, Rhode Island | Charles W. Selen | Owners changed to Bridgeport Broadcasting Station 2/28/1927, later based in Danbury, Connecticut. Call changed to WCON 4/30/1928. Deleted 7/31/1928. |
| WEAL | 6/00/1922 | Des Moines, Iowa | Mystic Shrine | Temporary authorization for "special train... to coast and back". |
| WEBL | 9/2/1924 | New York, New York | Radio Corporation of America | Deletion was unreported, but occurred sometime between 12/31/1926 and 5/3/1927. |
| WEBM | 2/2/1925 | New York, New York | Radio Corporation of America | Deleted 2/27/1926. |
| WGBH | 2/2/1925 | Fall River, Massachusetts | Fall River Herald Publishing Co. | Deleted 8/1/1925. |
| WGMU | 7/1/1925 | Richmond Hill, New York | A. H. Grebe & Company | Deleted 7/31/1928. |
| WHBL | 1/30/1926 | Chicago, Illinois | C. L. Carrell | Initially licensed 3/35/1925 as a fixed station to James H. Slusser, Logansport, Indiana. Permanently moved to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, with owners Press Publishing Co. and C. L. Carrell, 2/29/1928. Currently WHBL, Sheboygan. |
| WHBM | 3/10/1925 | Chicago, Illinois | C. L. Carrell | Deleted 9/29/1928. |
| WIBJ | 5/11/1925 | Chicago, Illinois | C. L. Carrell | Deleted 9/29/1928. |
| WIBL | 6/1/1925 | Chicago, Illinois | McDonald Radio Co. | Deleted 9/1/1925. |
| WIBM | 6/3/1925 | Chicago, Illinois | Billy Maine | Transferred to C. L. Carrell 12/31/1926. Moved to Jackson, Michigan 7/31/1928. Currently WIBM, Jackson. |
| WIBS | 6/29/1925 | Elizabeth, New Jersey | N.J. National Guard 57th Infantry Brigade | Reported as "no longer portable" 6/30/1927. Currently WZRC, New York, New York. |
| WIBT | 8/1/1925 | New York, New York | Orlando E. Miller | Deleted 11/2/1925. |
| WIBW | 12/31/1926 | Chicago, Illinois | C. L. Carrell | Originally licensed 8/1/1925 as a fixed station to L. L. Dill, Logansport, Indiana. Permanently moved to Topeka, Kansas 1/31/1928. Currently WIBW in Topeka. |
| WJAZ/WSAX | 10/1/1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Radio Laboratory | Call changed to WSAX 9/1/1925. Deleted 8/1/1928., Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission For the Year Ended June 30, 1928, page 154. |
| WKBG | 6/2/1925 | Chicago, Illinois | C. L. Carrell | Deleted 9/29/1928. |
| WKBU | 12/31/1926 | New Castle, Pennsylvania | H. K. Armstrong | Deleted 11/30/1927. |
| WKBY | 10/30/1926 | Danville, Pennsylvania | Fernwood Quick | Deletion was unreported, but occurred sometime between 2/28/1927 and 5/3/27. |
| WLBH | 12/31/1926 | Farmingdale, New York | Joseph J. Lombardi | No longer listed as portable 6/30/1927. Changed to WPOE, Patchogue, New York 4/30/1929. Deleted 1/30/1932. |
| WLBN | 12/31/1926 | Chicago, Illinois | William E. Hiler | Changed to Little Rock, Arkansas 3/31/1928. Call changed to KLRA 6/30/1928. Deleted in 1995 as KSYG. |
| WMBA | 12/31/1926 | Newport, Rhode Island | Le Roy J. Beebe | Reported to be "no longer portable" 3/31/1928. Deleted 11/30/1932. |
| WMBH | 1/10/1927 | Chicago, Illinois | Edwin D. Aber | Reported to be in Joplin, Missouri and "no longer portable" 7/30/1927. Currently KQYX, Galena, Kansas |
| WOBR | 8/31/1927 | Shelby, Ohio | Earl Smith | Deleted 7/31/1928. |
| WRMU | 8/1/1925 | Richmond Hill, New York | A. H. Grebe & Company | MU-1 yacht. Deleted 7/31/1928. |
| WTAT/WATT | 10/1/1923 | Boston, Massachusetts | Edison Electric Illuminating Company | Call changed from WTAT to WATT 1/30/1926. Deleted 7/30/1928. |