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American States on Shortwave
The history of American shortwave broadcasting goes back to 1923, even further by some definitions. "It all started here" with KDKA--first on shortwave as well as on the broadcast band--and it expanded to include many private broadcasters, some owned by the radio giants of the day (GE, RCA, NBC, Westinghouse, etc.), others by individual stations with a bent for experimentation and distance (W4XB, W9XAA). This early stage of shortwave's development continued until 1942, when wartime exigencies caused the government to lease all the stations, bring them into a network called the Voice of America, and supplement their operation with point-to-point transmitters owned by commercial companies. After the war, save for WRUL, which resumed private broadcasting, the stations continued in VOA service while being operated by their corporate owners. Eventually the VOA took over the operation of the transmitters, and constructed new ones here and abroad. Meanwhile, starting in 1962 and picking up speed in the 1980s and 1990s, many new private broadcasters took their turns at shortwave.

From which states have all these stations operated? The answer can be found in "American States on Shortwave," which tabulates the numbers and provides a state-by-state rundown of all America's shortwave broadcasters, past and present. Included, in addition to the traditional shortwave broadcasters, are the wartime point-to-point stations, the apex shortwave stations of the late 30s-early 40s, plus some special situations (including WWV).

Note: This list was last updated on December 31, 2021 and is no longer being updated.

American States on Shortwave.pdf
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