Sammi Brie DYKs a year
Year DYKs Total
2014 10 10
2015 8 18
2016 84 102
2017 24 126
2018 18 144
2019 79 223
2020 107 330
2021 104 434
2022 140 574
2023 93 667
2024 58
Total 725

I did not produce any DYKs prior to 2014, but hey!

2014 (10)

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2015 (8)

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2016 (84)

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2017 (24)

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2018 (18)

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2019 (79)

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  • ... that a landowner buried the transmitter building for Missouri radio station KXBR under 6 feet (1.8 m) of dirt as part of a rent dispute? (1 Mar 2019)
  • ... that Mexican federal deputy Nay Salvatori invited the public to "smoke marijuana at my house and listen to The Doors" if the drug was legalized in Mexico, despite never having smoked it herself? (13 Apr 2019)
  • ... that Barry Sage has earned US$22,000 for clapping his hands in 1981? (21 Apr 2019)
  • ... that while a federal deputy, Virgilio Caballero Pedraza lost his apartment in the 2017 Mexico City earthquake? (24 Apr 2019)
  • ... that XHCDMX-FM, operated by a consortium of women's organizations and activists, is the first community radio station in Mexico City? (28 Apr 2019)
  • ... that although KGTO-TV in Fayetteville, Arkansas, signed on as an NBC affiliate, it received no network compensation for carrying its programs? (12 May 2019 — DYK #150)
  • ... that during construction of the tower for Oklahoma City's KLPR-TV station, a worker was trapped 200 ft (61 m) in the air for more than an hour? (26 May 2019)
  • ... that convenience store chain Wawa successfully forced Philadelphia-area radio station WAWA to stop using its new call letters? (1 Jun 2019)
  • ... that a disc jockey resigned from his post at KWJB in Globe, Arizona, to work with Les Paul and Mary Ford? (12 Jun 2019)
  • ... that after discontinuing normal programming, KPPC radio signed on once a week for six months to fulfill a contract to broadcast church services? (3 Jul 2019)
  • ... that Stephen King killed off a radio station in the Bangor area? (19 Jul 2019)
  • ... that the final owners of Connecticut's WQQW radio station were involved in a fraudulent banking ring that toppled the town's mayor? (26 Jul 2019)
  • ... that Waylon Jennings and Johnny Dollar were guest disc jockeys for country music station KOYL in Odessa, Texas? (29 Jul 2019)
  • ... that WBUZ and four other operating radio stations lost their FCC licenses as a result of the owner being convicted of felonies? (3 Aug 2019)
  • ... that KSOM in Tucson, Arizona, suffered two transmitter fires in less than four years of broadcasting? (12 Aug 2019)
  • ... that New Jersey high school radio station WHPH, itself shared between two schools, had to share time with another high school radio station? (17 Aug 2019)
  • ... that the Louisville Sinking Fund Building went from being slated for demolition to being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in six years? (26 Aug 2019 with Charles Edward)
  • ... that Chicago's WCLM radio was investigated for leasing an audio channel without permission to a service that broadcast horse racing results to bookies, later losing its license over other violations? (27 Aug 2019)
  • ... that radio station KSUN in Bisbee, Arizona, sold its call letters to a station in Phoenix after going off the air due to financial troubles? (6 Sep 2019)
  • ... that eight years to the day after it first signed on, WVOB radio in Bel Air, Maryland, lost its tower when a construction worker clipped the tower's guy wires? (7 Sep 2019)
  • ... that before opening West Point High School, the Tolleson Union High School District in Arizona was so overcrowded that it had to turn students away and use teacher's lounges as classrooms? (8 Sep 2019)
  • ... that WBBY-FM lost its license because the man who claimed to be its manager worked full-time at a car dealership 120 miles (190 km) away? (13 Sep 2019)
  • ... that in 1949, the students of Northwestern Schools underwrote the US$40,000 cost to build KTIS in Minneapolis, the first radio station of Northwestern Media? (15 Sep 2019)
  • ... that backlash over Dodge City, Kansas, radio station KTTL's racist programming and its refusal to pay property taxes left the station with just one advertiser by 1983? (18 Sep 2019)
  • ... that in 1975, a field mouse knocked Michigan radio station WKJR off the air for 45 minutes? (20 Sep 2019)
  • ... that Kevin Harlan said his "first good move" in sports broadcasting was getting into radio at WGBP-FM? (22 Sep 2019)
  • ... that after KSJU radio was forced off FM and onto a cable system, students at the College of Saint Benedict could not listen to it on campus, even though their activity fees supported it? (26 Sep 2019)
  • ... that high school radio station WGAG-FM had a yearly budget of US$200, which it raised by selling donuts and clearing lawns? (29 Sep 2019)
  • ... that with the sign-ons of KWCS-TV, KOET, KUSU-TV, and KBYU-TV, Utah had more educational TV stations than commercial ones by 1966? (6 Oct 2019)
  • ... that a snake chased a mouse into the transmitter of Nebraska radio station KWRV in 1962, knocking it off the air for two hours? (8 Oct 2019)
  • ... that in its first decade as an educational radio station, KSLH produced 2,878 fifteen-minute programs for St. Louis-area school students? (10 Oct 2019)
  • ... that KLLT in Grants, New Mexico, went off the air because the United States Forest Service refused to let the station build a tower on Mount Taylor to improve its coverage? (11 Oct 2019)
  • ... that KTKN in Ketchikan, Alaska, was one of just six new radio stations authorized in the United States in 1942, due to a wartime freeze order? (12 Oct 2019)
  • ... that Harry Caray called his first Major League Baseball game on radio station WTMV in the St. Louis area? (13 Oct 2019)
  • ... that radio station WPSA at Paul Smith's College began life in the basement of a dormitory that had previously been a meat market? (15 Oct 2019)
  • ... that the annual charity radiothon at Wyoming high school radio station KYDZ was commended by a thank-you letter from President Ronald Reagan? (18 Oct 2019)
  • ... that a contributing factor to the demise of black radio station KOJC in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was an internal struggle among its board of directors? (19 Oct 2019)
  • ... that two years after going on air, WBCE radio switched from country to gospel music because too many stations in western Kentucky had country formats? (20 Oct 2019)
  • ... that after the owner of Delaware radio station WNRK died before he could put it on the air, his widow was interviewed on the station's first day of broadcasting? (25 Oct 2019)
  • ... that KGCX, located in a town with a population of 50, claimed to be the "smallest broadcasting station in the world"? (26 Oct 2019)
  • ... that that New Hampshire radio station WBRL's first license was cancelled by the Federal Communications Commission because of double-billing practices? (27 Oct 2019)
  • ... that KSKI AM initially broadcast from a lodge at the Sun Valley ski resort? (28 Oct 2019)
  • ... that XHFAMX-TDT "La Octava", which opens tonight, marks Grupo Radio Centro's return to Mexico City television for the first time since 1972? (1 Nov 2019)
  • ... that North Carolina radio station WVSP began operations out of a former doctor's office? (3 Nov 2019)
  • ... that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation wound up operating a radio station when it seized a failed Tennessee bank, which in turn had seized WIDD? (5 Nov 2019)
  • ... that just three years after starting radio station WESQ, North Carolina Wesleyan College sold it, partly because of a failure to integrate the station into its curriculum? (6 Nov 2019)
  • ... that a vandal "knew what he was doing" when he disconnected the fuse blocks to WEYY's transmitter, keeping it off the air for two and a half hours? (8 Nov 2019)
  • ... that Hawaii radio station KKON's change of format from "beautiful music" to a rock-and-roll/country mix in 1974 lasted just one day? (10 Nov 2019)
  • ... that Louisiana radio station WBOX lost more than 90 percent of its advertisers as a result of a 1965 boycott by the Ku Klux Klan? (11 Nov 2019)
  • ... that Rhode Island Public Radio's 2007 acquisition of WAKX brought NPR service to communities in southern Rhode Island for the first time? (12 Nov 2019)
  • ... that WACH-TV in Newport News, Virginia, pleaded with the FCC to regulate networks because another station was "hogging" affiliations? (16 Nov 2019)
  • ... that in 1939, alert workers at West Virginia radio station WBLK saved equipment from a devastating fire, and the station returned to the air within 45 minutes to report the blaze? (18 Nov 2019)
  • ... that with Danielle Dithurbide's appointment to anchor the morning newscast on Las Estrellas, a majority of Mexican news broadcaster Noticieros Televisa's news programs are hosted by women? (19 Nov 2019)
  • ... that the first incarnation of radio station WYFI was described as running "on faith and LPs" and ending in an "Edsel-like burn" within a year? (20 Nov 2019 — DYK #200)
  • ... that an owner of radio station KPRB sold it to devote himself to his duties as the fire chief of Redmond, Oregon? (21 Nov 2019)
  • ... that in 1998, a buyer of Colorado radio station KGRE risked his entire savings and maxed out seven credit cards to acquire it? (22 Nov 2019)
  • ... that WXGM AM dropped its coverage of William & Mary Tribe athletics in favor of the smaller Christopher Newport University, since CNU offered to pay for the rights? (25 Nov 2019)
  • ... that a man claiming to be Lynyrd Skynyrd's Billy Powell fooled Sioux Falls radio station KRRO into letting him sing in their studios? (27 Nov 2019)
  • ... that Vermont's first FM radio station renamed itself WQCR, standing for "Wonderful Queen City Radio", in 1972? (29 Nov 2019)
  • ... that WXXX's broadcast license was challenged in the 1970s because the station employed no African Americans in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a city that was 30 percent black? (1 Dec 2019)
  • ... that radio station KEYZ in Williston, North Dakota, owned a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft and used it for news coverage, promotional events, sales calls, and search and rescue efforts? (3 Dec 2019)
  • ... that jazz musicians Ben Tucker and Billy Taylor bought Savannah, Georgia, radio station WSOK and expanded its album collection from 20 to 4,000? (4 Dec 2019)
  • ... that despite fighting for more than two years to stop the other station from signing on, WGVL's last day on the air was also WSPA-TV's first? (5 Dec 2019)
  • ... that a young Bob Smith, later famous as Wolfman Jack, got his first radio job as "Daddy Jules" at WYOU in Newport News, Virginia? (6 Dec 2019)
  • ... that future U.S. senator Howard Baker campaigned for president of the University of Tennessee student body on a platform to establish a campus radio station? (8 Dec 2019)
  • ... that after taking the unprofitable station off the air, Harold Orr hired a crew of young announcers to broadcast on KSVY 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, to keep the license? (10 Dec 2019)
  • ... that Educational Media Foundation's 2006 acquisition of WSMU-FM marked the "first major foray" by Christian FM broadcasting into New England? (11 Dec 2019)
  • ... that Nevada radio station KONE was sued in 1966 by the proprietors of 16 musical works, who claimed that the station did not pay royalties for playing songs such as "San Antonio Rose" and "Sweet Georgia Brown"? (14 Dec 2019 — 50th state in 2019)
  • ... that St. Louis County police arrested engineers and announcers of KXLW because their tower violated local zoning laws? (16 Dec 2019)
  • ... that 17 extensions and modifications of the construction permit were necessary before Hawaii radio station KFSH went on the air in 1985, more than eight years after the permit was awarded? (17 Dec 2019)
  • ... that KSLN-TV, the ABC television affiliate in Salina, Kansas, folded twice in three years under two different owners? (19 Dec 2019)
  • ... that religious ministers revealed the winning numbers to illegal lotteries on WOOK radio, by hiding them in Bible references? (25 Dec 2019 – completes 50 states and DC)
  • ... that after John Lennon called the Beatles more popular than Jesus, KLUE radio responded by staging a bonfire of Beatles memorabilia – and its transmitter was struck by lightning the next day? (26 Dec 2019)
  • ... that the demise of Sportsvue, which lost $2 million in its 10 months of operation, prompted Jim Fitzgerald to sell the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team? (27 Dec 2019)
  • ... that the sale of WWIZ radio in Lorain, Ohio, undertaken in order to raise capital to build WXTV in Youngstown, prompted both stations to lose their licenses? (29 Dec 2019)
  • ... that the first owners of radio station KSTO fled Guam after running up a debt of $60,000 in less than seven months of operation? (31 Dec 2019)
  • ... that after Mississippi radio station WKNZ relaunched as "Zoo 107", it sponsored a name-the-zebra contest at its namesake, the Hattiesburg Zoo? (31 Dec 2019)

2020 (107)

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  • ... that Missouri radio station KADY was the first ever recipient of a fine from the FCC for failing to illuminate its tower? (2 Jan 2020)
  • ... that KFXY in Flagstaff, Arizona, was reported by American newspapers in 1925 to be the only radio station in the world owned by a woman? (8 Jan 2020)
  • ... that WWNN (980 AM) in Pompano Beach, Florida, was the first radio station in the United States to adopt a format consisting of motivational speeches? (9 Jan 2020)
  • ... that school officials in Palm Springs were not successful in using radio station KPSH-FM as a vocational tool, so they turned it over to the University of Southern California? (11 Jan 2020)
  • ... that when WFAB radio in Miami was forced off the air in 1977, Hispanic-owned shops in Homestead closed for an hour in protest? (11 Jan 2020)
  • ... that the 12-year license fight that led to the establishment of Washington, D.C., radio station WYCB also drained its principals' finances? (15 Jan 2020)
  • ... that the owner of Hawaii television station KHBC-TV compared an effort to unionize the station to "socialism"? (16 Jan 2020)
  • ... that someone shot out KSNN radio's tower lights using a .22-caliber rifle in 1967? (18 Jan 2020)
  • ... that Cincinnati high-school radio station WNSD was permanently shut down in part because its faculty advisor went on maternity leave? (19 Jan 2020)
  • ... that 23 of the 25 disc jockeys of Utah radio station KJQN-FM defected and started their own station, taking with them a converted truck called the "Milk Beast"? (20 Jan 2020)
  • ... that after its sale to the Western Bible College, radio station KJOL toned down its protests against abortion clinics and grocery stores that sold pornographic materials? (21 Jan 2020)
  • ... that upon the demise of WFAN-TV in Washington, D.C., its owner took out a full-page newspaper advertisement declaring that the station had been "choked to death" by an inability to upgrade its signal? (21 Jan 2020)
  • ... that leaks by Miami radio stations WMJX and WHYI-FM forced the release date for the new Bee Gees album Spirits Having Flown to be brought forward? (23 Jan 2020)
  • ... that when Louisville, Kentucky's WKYW radio became religious station WFIA in 1965, it ceased accepting beer, wine and tobacco commercials? (23 Jan 2020)
  • ... that Baltimore television station WMET-TV was housed in a converted movie theater? (24 Jan 2020)
  • ... that ashes from a nearby fire left the freshly painted tower of radio station WCAI black instead of red? (25 Jan 2020)
  • ... that within six hours of Alabama radio station WFPA being served an eviction notice, the tower had been dismantled? (26 Jan 2020)
  • ... that 75 business leaders, pastors, and listeners of Nevada's KRCV radio attempted to buy the station, even though it was not making money? (28 Jan 2020)
  • ... that a 1986 contest by radio station KXUS jammed all telephone circuits in Springfield, Missouri, for an hour? (30 Jan 2020)
  • ... that the owner of WRSL AM and FM in Stanford, Kentucky, built a dinner theater on the station's property? (1 Feb 2020)
  • ... that in 1952, Los Angeles radio station KFAC boasted a recording library weighing 28 tons, enough to program the station for a year without repeating a selection? (3 Feb 2020 with User:Nathan Obral)
  • ... that the studio building used by Oklahoma City radio station KJEM was the last structure that was demolished to make way for the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building? (7 Feb 2020)
  • ... that television station WETV in Key West, Florida, was forced off the air by an act of Congress? (8 Feb 2020)
  • ... that equipment from defunct television station WTVI in Fort Pierce, Florida, was sold to start an unrelated WTVI in Charlotte, North Carolina? (10 Feb 2020)
  • ... that WCAE, the first educational television station in Indiana, received more support from viewers in Illinois than in its own state? (10 Feb 2020)
  • ... that radio station KROF derived its call sign from the three major products of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana – rice, oil, and furs? (11 Feb 2020 — DYK #250)
  • ... that a pair of brothers – future meteorologist Tom Skilling and future Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling – worked at WLXT-TV in Aurora, Illinois, while in high school? (12 Feb 2020)
  • ... that Brenda Nelson, host of the Talk of the Town interview program on KTLO-FM in Mountain Home, Arkansas, retired after doing more than 8,000 interviews over 34 years? (13 Feb 2020)
  • ... that at a meeting about zoning for a tower for KUCB-FM in Des Moines, Iowa, a radio station board member hurled a wastebasket at the chairman of the city zoning board? (14 Feb 2020 — first GA DYK)
  • ... that to commemorate its new call letters in 1938, radio station KITE in Kansas City, Missouri, gave away 15,000 kites to children? (16 Feb 2020)
  • ... that in 1979, the initials CIRALG were said to "spell power in central Iowa"? (16 Feb 2020)
  • ... that Mexican indigenous radio station La Voz de los Chontales returns today after being silent for more than 30 years? (21 Feb 2020)
  • ... that when WIRK-TV ceased operations 64 years ago today, its president admitted to operating the station "long past the point of good judgment"? (29 Feb 2020)
  • ... that Texas radio stations KMJR, KXAI, and KBPA are part of a three-station facility change that will give the Educational Media Foundation a city-grade signal in San Antonio? (4 Mar 2020)
  • ... that Ohio television station WSWO-TV went off the air the same week that its owner was arrested for stealing equipment from other stations? (15 Mar 2020)
  • ... that television station KTVE in Longview, Texas, broadcast the 1954 World Series without permission, and was ordered to cease and desist by the NBC network? (20 Mar 2020)
  • ... that station staff had to throw snowballs to knock the ice off the aging transmitter of radio station KWCR-FM at Weber State University in Utah? (3 Apr 2020)
  • ... that after ceasing operations, the owner of television station KETX in Tyler, Texas, was sued for nearly $6,000 in unreturned film rentals? (5 Apr 2020)
  • ... that professional journalists commended a student reporter at Sacramento radio station KERS for refusing to reveal her source for a story about California governor Ronald Reagan not paying taxes? (18 Apr 2020)
  • ... that when the College of the Pacific started a radio station, it had to settle for the call sign KCVN because a police facility held the rights to KCOP? (19 Apr 2020)
  • ... that an early program feature on Nebraska radio station KJSK was a cooking show hosted by the owner's wife from her kitchen? (21 Apr 2020)
  • ... that Oklahoma station KRMC dropped its all-news radio format in part because its management felt that it did not work well on a daytime-only station? (24 Apr 2020)
  • ... that the Federal Communications Commission found that the owner of Maine radio station WKZX had "abdicated financial control" of the business? (27 Apr 2020)
  • ... that California governor Pete Wilson celebrated his 60th birthday as a DJ on Sacramento radio station KSEG? (29 Apr 2020)
  • ... that KILO's broadcast license allowed the University of North Dakota to get out of the commercial broadcasting business? (6 May 2020)
  • ... that Miami Spanish-language radio station WLTO was sold in 1972 to a new owner who did not speak Spanish? (13 May 2020)
  • ... that New Mexico radio station KARA was sued by a competitor who claimed that the station was impeding delivery of its mail? (19 May 2020)
  • ... that Christian television station KBFI-TV permanently ceased operations at 2 a.m. on Christmas Eve? (20 May 2020)
  • ... that radio station WSID, located in a suburb of Baltimore, claimed that a city court had no jurisdiction over it? (22 May 2020)
  • ... that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation left a studio building in British Columbia unfinished in 1978, only to move in 34 years later? (26 May 2020)
  • ... that a five-year-old boy, using paper and his mother's cigarette lighter, started a fire that consumed the transmitter of Florida radio station WEAR? (1 Jun 2020)
  • ... that Florida radio station WEBY received three threats to blow it up if it did not stop criticizing the sheriff of Okaloosa County? (3 Jun 2020)
  • ... that the owner of Texas television station KFWT-TV questioned the use of a UNIVAC III computer to assign it a channel? (7 Jun 2020)
  • ... that in a promotional stunt, staff at Cincinnati-area radio station WIZF demanded a 40-percent raise, which turned out to refer to a 40-foot (12 m) increase in the height of the station's antenna? (16 Jun 2020)
  • ... that in the early years of Montana radio station KGHL, some musical groups had to perform on the roof of the studio building? (17 Jun 2020)
  • ... that the board of directors of Canadian cooperative television station CFVO-TV refused to accept the resignation of its president so that he could negotiate a loan? (18 Jun 2020)
  • ... that after a show host on Orlando-area radio station WTLN hired a hitman to kill his former lover's husband, the intended victim began a campaign to urge advertisers to boycott the station? (1 Jul 2020)
  • ... that the Star Stations radio group was the subject of the largest denial of license renewals in the history of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission? (4 Jul 2020)
  • ... that the Spanish government blocked the sale of a stake in digital television licensee Sociedad Gestora de Televisión Net TV to Viacom? (11 Jul 2020)
  • ... that program tapes were sent to KUAC, the first public radio station in Alaska, by overnight Pan Am flights from Oregon? (11 Jul 2020)
  • ... that South Dakota TV station KRSD-TV's signal was so poor that it sparked an "uprising" of calls and cancellations from cable viewers? (17 Jul 2020)
  • ... that the Federal Communications Commission disapproved of a potential buyer's plans for North Carolina television station WANC-TV, finding them a wasteful use of spectrum? (18 Jul 2020)
  • ... that when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis instructed the first director general of television station Canal 21 to position the station "between nude women and the Sunday Mass"? (20 Jul 2020)
  • ... that Indiana radio station WFCI engaged in a five-year battle to increase its transmitting power, facing opposition from a local TV station? (21 Jul 2020)
  • ... that the Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones, the communications and media regulator of Argentina, was created despite a court ruling blocking the act? (23 Jul 2020)
  • ... that while the management of Wyoming television station KFNB claimed transmitter trouble as the reason for going off the air, a former reporter announced that all staff had been laid off? (25 Jul 2020)
  • ... that the bank that owned Wisconsin radio stations WMAD AM and FM, hired three new employees in the ten days before shutting the stations down? (28 Jul 2020)
  • ... that El Salvador converted its main convention center into a COVID-19 hospital that, when completed, will have 2,000 beds? (28 Jul 2020)
  • ... that FCC chairman Ajit Pai has cited his hometown radio station, KLKC in Parsons, Kansas, in advocating for a revitalization of AM broadcasting? (29 Jul 2020)
  • ... that the transmitter used to start Nashville radio station WSIX was purchased in exchange for five barrels of oil? (30 Jul 2020)
  • ... that Chilean television station TVO fired presenter Pamela Jiles for appearing in a presidential campaign advertisement, even though it described itself as editorially "tolerant"? (31 Jul 2020)
  • ... that nearly 5,000 fans of easy-listening music successfully petitioned Mississippi radio station WEQZ to adopt the format when another station changed away from it? (3 Aug 2020)
  • ... that in 1947, New York City's WMGM rated dead last among FM radio stations, at a time when just 3 percent of metropolitan area residents had FM receivers? (4 Aug 2020)
  • ... that K26AC in Bemidji, Minnesota, was the first low-power television station in the United States that did not repeat another station? (5 Aug 2020)
  • ... that when the Jehovah's Witnesses sold New York City radio station WBBR in 1957, the purchase included the 18-acre (7.3 ha) farm, complete with 20 chicken houses, at the transmitter site? (6 Aug 2020 — DYK #300)
  • ... that Radio Saigon Houston has been cited as a factor luring Vietnamese Americans to move from the West Coast to Texas? (10 Aug 2020)
  • ... that a "self-proclaimed public avenger" cut down the tower of Oregon television station KVDO-TV in 1976 to protest its sale to the state government? (14 Aug 2020)
  • ... that South Carolina radio station WDAB sold its former call letters to Michael Bloomberg, then named itself after an owner that had not yet bought the station? (15 Aug 2020)
  • ... that WILS-TV in Lansing, Michigan, featured a singing weather girl and pianist dressed appropriately for the next day's forecast? (16 Aug 2020)
  • ... that the all-woman announcing staff of Spokane, Washington, radio station KPEG all used the first name Peg on air? (17 Aug 2020)
  • ... that the purchasers of West Virginia radio station WGKV were deemed by the Federal Communications Commission to be "almost wholly ignorant of the field of radio broadcasting"? (19 Aug 2020)
  • ... that a former owner of Atlanta-area radio station WIGO took its name from Isaiah 40:31? (20 Aug 2020 — DYK #84 in 2020, a record)
  • ... that radio station WCCT-FM was started by the hotel and business management shop of Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Massachusetts? (22 Aug 2020)
  • ... that the failed Manistee Town Center shopping mall in Glendale, Arizona, appeared in the 2002 film Eight Legged Freaks, with one of its anchor stores serving as a sound stage? (30 Aug 2020)
  • ... that a 1967 promotion by Virginia radio station WHIH, anticipated to receive 15,000 entries, instead received nearly 180 million? (4 Sep 2020)
  • ... that WHUM-TV featured a cooking show hosted by a woman who did not know how to cook and scoured for recipes at the local public library? (5 Sep 2020)
  • ... that Providence College president Brian Shanley invited Rhode Island Public Radio to broadcast over the college's station, WDOM, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy? (6 Sep 2020)
  • ... that Vermont radio station WFAD was ordered to shut down just two weeks after it launched? (6 Sep 2020)
  • ... that a purchaser of Delaware radio station WJWL called the transaction "the longest deal in my lifetime"? (11 Sep 2020)
  • ... that radio station WKXL in Concord, New Hampshire, was started by a sitting governor and is owned by a former senator? (13 Sep 2020)
  • ... that radio station WNLC in New London, Connecticut, was off the air for three weeks after the 1938 New England hurricane destroyed its tower and flooded the transmitter building? (13 Sep 2020)
  • ... that New Jersey radio station WJJZ lost its license over an unauthorized payment of $25,000 to a competing applicant for its frequency? (14 Sep 2020 — completes 50 states and DC for 2020)
  • ... that 54 years ago today, California television station KCFT-TV went off the air when General Electric showed up with a moving van, a locksmith, and a court order to repossess equipment? (19 Sep 2020)
  • ... that the site of Los Arcos Mall was dubbed the "most divisive piece of property" in the history of Scottsdale, Arizona? (21 Sep 2020)
  • ... that less than 18 months after being launched, radio station KFNA of El Paso, Texas, declared bankruptcy after its format failed to attract listeners? (23 Sep 2020)
  • ... that after shutting down in 1954, Indiana television station WRAY-TV was activated once a year to air the annual March of Dimes telethon? (23 Sep 2020)
  • ... that the $10 million Tri-City Mall in Mesa, Arizona, began to lose stores and customers ten years after opening, and even a multimillion-dollar renovation could not save it? (23 Sep 2020)
  • ... that the owner of WSZE-TV started an air-taxi service to bring program tapes to Saipan? (27 Sep 2020 — DYK #100 for 2020)
  • ... that the owners of Florida radio station WPAS blamed an Associated Press teletype machine for starting a fire that burned it down? (30 Sep 2020)
  • ... that two weeks after the owner of a Kansas City television station declared that "KCIT-TV is here to stay", it ceased broadcasting? (7 Oct 2020)
  • ... that the Federal Radio Commission revoked the license of Chicago radio station WCHI in 1931 for attacking medical procedures such as surgical operations and vaccinations? (3 Nov 2020)
  • ... that the establishment of KVZK-TV led to the electrification of many villages in American Samoa? (10 Nov 2020)
  • ... that four days after participating in a 12-hour-long legislative session, Joel Molina Ramírez became the first Mexican senator to die of COVID-19? (11 Nov 2020)
  • ... that after 28 years away from public media, José Antonio Álvarez Lima was tapped in 2019 to head the Mexican television channel Canal Once? (21 Nov 2020)
  • ... that 185 Spanish-language radio stations aired the astronomy program Universo produced by KXCR of El Paso, Texas? (4 Dec 2020)

2021 (104)

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  • ... that KAVU-TV in Victoria, Texas, did not know their signal was being seen on cable in Corpus Christi until family of station employees living there said that they had enjoyed that morning's newscast? (7 Jan 2021)
  • ... that radio station WWBC in Cocoa, Florida, was forced to remove its transmitter tower from the Indian River when the site was sold to condominium developers? (11 Jan 2021)
  • ... that television station WKAB-TV of Mobile, Alabama, broadcast for less than two years before the company that owned it got into financial difficulties and WKAB went off air? (14 Jan 2021)
  • ... that the Argentine government took over operations of television channel 8 at Mar del Plata in 1973, only to privatize it again a decade later? (15 Jan 2021)
  • ... that KEVT, the first Spanish-language radio station in Tucson, offered English lessons from a University of Arizona professor? (20 Jan 2021)
  • ... that during the trial of Francis Gary Powers, Kansas radio station KBTO presented summaries of Radio Moscow broadcasts alongside other international reports? (23 Jan 2021)
  • ... that when a proposed sale of Orlando-area radio station WVCF fell through, the attempted buyer started his own station? (29 Jan 2021)
  • ... that one student's entire semester at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay in 1979 consisted of programming its student radio station WGBW? (1 Feb 2021)
  • ... that after NBCUniversal shut down KMAS-TV in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, its chief engineer suggested it be donated to his former employer, Rocky Mountain PBS? (3 Feb 2021)
  • ... that Albuquerque radio station KRZY broadcast a college football game without permission by smuggling in gear under blankets and disguising an announcer in the opposing team's student section? (6 Feb 2021)
  • ... that station officials climbed the 500-foot (150 m) tower of the first WFMZ-TV, smashed a bottle of champagne against the top, and christened it "Miss Ultra High"? (8 Feb 2021)
  • ... that despite boasting it was the most powerful television station in the Midwest, Missouri television station KACY left the air because it could not secure the right to carry network programs? (11 Feb 2021)
  • ... that Utah radio stations KSUB and KSUB-FM both suffered tower collapses before going on air—39 years apart? (14 Feb 2021)
  • ... that while Gerry House worked at Kentucky radio station WCBR, the owner, a pastor, asked him whether he wanted to donate his salary? (26 Feb 2021)
  • ... that even though low interest prompted the Associated Students of Montana Tech to cut funding for student radio station KMSM-FM, it still filed to renew the station's license? (4 Mar 2021)
  • ... that the co-founder of Arkansas radio station KTOY, the first Black-owned radio station in the state, continued teaching math after starting it? (4 Mar 2021)
  • ... that Mexican political party Progressive Social Networks allowed party members to vote in internal elections using a smartphone app? (5 Mar 2021)
  • ... that South Carolina low-power television station WPDF-LP was bumped off the air by another station's digital signal? (6 Mar 2021)
  • ... that a former owner of Illinois radio station WRBA carried an expired police badge to allow him to get to its transmitter site quickly if need be? (10 Mar 2021 — DYK #350)
  • ... that Clair McCollough rose from being a carrier boy for Lancaster Newspapers to presiding over the broadcast station group spawned by the company? (10 Mar 2021)
  • ... that several candidates running on the ticket of the new political party Force for Mexico were previously members of the National Regeneration Movement? (12 Mar 2021)
  • ... that an engineer of Pittsburgh television station WENS found out that its tower had collapsed when he looked out his window to find it missing? (13 Mar 2021)
  • ... that a 1958 promotion by Nashville radio station WKDA, in which a "purple people eater" climbed a hotel sign, prompted the police chief to ask the station "never to pull a trick" like it again? (16 Mar 2021)
  • ... that within hours of the Social Encounter Party in Mexico being stripped of its electoral registration, the Solidary Encounter Party was formed with the same initials, party structure and ideology? (17 Mar 2021)
  • ... that KSBK, which has been described as the most influential radio station in Okinawa in the 1960s, became a casualty of the reversion of the Ryukyu Islands to Japan and closed in October 1973? (17 Mar 2021)
  • ... that Idaho's first television station, KFXD-TV, was a two-man operation that lasted less than two months? (19 Mar 2021)
  • ... that Chuck Connors, star of the ABC show The Rifleman, was an investor in TV station KNBS, an ABC affiliate, in Washington state? (20 Mar 2021)
  • ... that a decade after passing on the opportunity to build a radio station, the owner of the Okmulgee Daily Times newspaper instead bought KOKL? (18 Mar 2021)
  • ... that KQLO, the antecedent of today's KIHM, was established after its founder drove from Nevada to Vermont and found no Catholic radio stations on the trip? (22 Mar 2021)
  • ... that the founder of WZIP in Covington, Kentucky, beat out his own brother for the right to build the station? (31 Mar 2021)
  • ... that when the tower of Sioux Falls radio station KISD collapsed in 1968, it narrowly missed a train motel run by the station's former owner? (5 Apr 2021)
  • ... that students from four local high schools and Rutgers University each had their chance to run New Jersey television station WRTV for a day? (6 Apr 2021)
  • ... that within three years, American subscription television service ON TV went from boasting 725,000 subscribers in eight cities to being out of business? (7 Apr 2021)
  • ... that the chief engineer of Virginia television station WRFT-TV said that "a 15-watt Christmas bulb and baling wire" kept it on the air? (10 Apr 2021)
  • ... that Idaho television station KCIX-TV went silent awaiting a merger deal that fell apart? (12 Apr 2021)
  • ... that an owner of Wyoming radio station KATI donated the station to the University of Wyoming, only to be "disappointed" when the university opted not to use his gift? (13 Apr 2021)
  • ... that Dottie Ray interviewed 32,397 guests over 55 years on more than 14,000 broadcasts of her daily show on KXIC radio in Iowa City? (14 Apr 2021)
  • ... that the owner of Oregon radio station KLOO offered $10,000 to anyone who could bring an extraterrestrial lifeform to the station's studios? (16 Apr 2021)
  • ... that after Ted Turner asked for viewers' money to keep WRET-TV afloat, he was able to repay thousands of lenders four years later—with interest? (18 Apr 2021)
  • ... that radio station WMLB in Cumming, Georgia, earned national acclaim as an Americana music station in the 1990s? (21 Apr 2021 — US station #200)
  • ... that San Francisco's "KYOU Radio" was the first terrestrial radio station to broadcast a program format consisting of podcasts? (24 Apr 2021)
  • ... that Indiana radio station WFML was bought so that the new owner could use the station's transmitter site to expand his hotel? (26 Apr 2021)
  • ... that a new-age music format called "The Breeze" was a ratings failure for Nebraska radio station KLMS, causing a precipitous decline in listenership? (27 Apr 2021)
  • ... that the founding owner of Minnesota radio station WVAL would climb the 300-foot (91 m) transmission tower himself and change the light bulbs on the mast? (5 May 2021)
  • ... that confusion over time zone changes in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan resulted in technical violations at WCKD radio and almost cost the owner an opportunity to build a station in Illinois? (7 May 2021)
  • ... that two utility companies fought in court over who would supply electricity to North Dakota radio station KBMR? (13 May 2021)
  • ... that the founder of New Orleans radio station WHIV-LP chose those call letters to help reduce the stigma surrounding the virus? (20 May 2021)
  • ... that the owner of a radio station in Hawaii changed its call letters to KIMO because the Hawaiian name Kimo translates to Jim, the owner's name? (21 May 2021)
  • ... that financial troubles at a television station in Florida led to the bankruptcy that caused the 1994 demise of Mississippi radio station WHSY? (22 May 2021)
  • ... that a man who threatened to blow up Alaska radio station KIAK unless he was put on the air was startled to find the station completely automated? (2 Jun 2021)
  • ... that a former DJ at radio station WKOP in Binghamton, New York, was convicted of arson for setting fire to the studios? (3 Jun 2021)
  • ... that West Virginia radio station WHIS made the first broadcast of a murder trial in the United States—and was broadcasting when the first on-air death occurred? (4 Jun 2021)
  • ... that the four-year history of radio station WUCI-FM included the revelation of the founder as a convicted felon and a station staffer threatening another with a revolver? (6 Jun 2021)
  • ... that Sonny Bloch invested $500,000 in improvements to Connecticut radio station WCNX, only to be unable to complete the purchase after he was arrested on federal fraud charges? (8 Jun 2021)
  • ... that radio station WADK debuted its first talk show after a local businessman told the owner that "the great pastime of Rhode Island ... is talking politics"? (9 Jun 2021)
  • ... that Massachusetts radio station WAAF pulled off an "unprecedented radio concert promotion coup" by organizing a concert by The Rolling Stones for 300 locals? (10 Jun 2021)
  • ... that WMEB-FM had to move its transmitter because its signal was interfering with equipment in physics laboratories at the University of Maine? (10 Jun 2021)
  • ... that Thomas Flatley compared closing WNHT television in Concord, New Hampshire, to putting down his dog? (11 Jun 2021)
  • ... that radio station WDOV missed its own sign-on date because a boiler failure cut power to the entire city of Dover, Delaware? (11 Jun 2021)
  • ... that Brazil has extended its FM broadcasting band to allow more AM radio stations to migrate to FM? (12 Jun 2021)
  • ... that the manager of WVSS at the University of Wisconsin–Stout spent about $6,000 of his own money to buy more than 500 classical music CDs to program the station? (12 Jun 2021)
  • ... that the seven-year-old son of the first owner of Maryland radio station WPTX was sometimes allowed to spin big band records on the air? (13 Jun 2021)
  • ... that Don Mullally, a DJ at Vermont radio station WSTJ between 1952 and 2016, was still playing vinyl records when he retired just two weeks before his death? (13 Jun 2021 — ends 8 queues straight of DYKs, 50 states for 2021)
  • ... that a jury awarded $225,000 to the prospective owners of Florida radio station WODX because of poor record-keeping and breaches of their lease agreement? (16 Jun 2021 with User:Thomas H. White)
  • ... that Christian radio station KIXL near Austin, Texas, pulled an anti-pornography program off-air in mid-transmission because of its graphic descriptions of gay sex? (16 Jun 2021)
  • ... that the Superior Auditor of the Federation of Mexico observed damage to an overpass between Tezonco and Olivos stations on the Mexico City Metro prior to its collapse in May 2021? (22 Jun 2021, triple DYK with User:Tbhotch)
  • ... that Mexican politician Rubén Rocha Moya obtained a law degree while serving as a senator? (7 Jul 2021)
  • ... that in 1991, the Church of Christ, Scientist published a book it had previously rejected as blasphemous to obtain a $97 million bequest needed to repay its financially disastrous expansion into television? (9 Jul 2021 — DYK #400)
  • ... that Homestead, Florida, radio station WOIR was credited with saving the lives of hundreds of farmworkers in a labor camp before the arrival of Hurricane Andrew? (9 Jul 2021)
  • ... that after losing his job at KBIF when his father was convicted on tax-withholding crimes, future California politician Jim Patterson bought Fresno's KIRV and turned it into a Christian radio station? (19 Jul 2021)
  • ... that KICU-TV in Visalia, California, claimed to be the most powerful TV station west of the Mississippi River after a transmitter upgrade—and closed for good two years later? (5 Aug 2021)
  • ... that South Carolina radio station WBAW received a Peabody Award for public-service programming just six months after signing on the air? (5 Aug 2021)
  • ... that after starting Los Angeles Spanish-language television station KVEA, a group led by Saul Steinberg bought other Spanish-language stations to form the Telemundo network? (9 Aug 2021)
  • ... that mixed-use stadium districts around major sports venues often include public squares, office space, hotels and residential units? (11 Aug 2021)
  • ... that within a decade, KTVK in Phoenix went from being a "blot on ABC's affiliate ledger" to a station the network only gave up reluctantly? (11 Aug 2021)
  • ... that an FCC hearing examiner scolded the owner of California radio station KCTY for having a "cavalier attitude" and at times being too lazy to put the station on the air? (12 Aug 2021)
  • ... that Dallas television station KDAF abandoned plans to launch a local newscast in 1994, after having already hired 20 staff, because it was to lose its Fox affiliation and be sold? (15 Aug 2021)
  • ... that in 1952 meteorologist Harry Volkman delivered the first on-air tornado warning on Oklahoma City's WKY-TV, in defiance of a federal ban on the practice? (21 Aug 2021 with User:Nathan Obral)
  • ... that radio station KCON in Conway, Arkansas, shut down twice on March 10? (24 Aug 2021)
  • ... that when Texas radio station KNUE was sold to another station in 1982, the new owners added a second story to their newly constructed studios to accommodate the addition? (2 Sep 2021 with User:Dma37dude)
  • ... that South Carolina's first television station, WCOS-TV, "could not stand the economic gaff" and folded less than three years after starting up? (14 Sep 2021)
  • ... that KWEM-LP in West Memphis, Arkansas, was established as a tribute to a radio station that in the late 1940s and 1950s helped launch the careers of B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf and Johnny Cash? (23 Sep 2021)
  • ... that Washington state educational TV station KPEC-TV bought and repaired a video tape recorder that had fallen off a forklift and been written off? (25 Sep 2021)
  • ... that even the manager of Indiana radio station WMCZ confused it with WMEE, leading a federal judge to order the former to change its call sign? (2 Oct 2021)
  • ... that Indiana's WTAF-TV fought for more than six years to obtain a network affiliation and reached an agreement with NBC just ten days before shutting down for good? (18 Oct 2021)
  • ... that KNUZ-TV produced a remote telecast from the HMS Sheffield when it visited Houston? (22 Oct 2021)
  • ... that when Gene Scott was forced to close San Francisco TV station KVOF-TV, he called its successor "the Tower of Babel religious brigade"—then proceeded to buy air time on it? (23 Oct 2021)
  • ... that watching Tacoma, Washington's KTVW "used to be worse than no TV at all"? (26 Oct 2021)
  • ... that radio station KWKC dropped its application for a TV station in order to speed the arrival of television to Abilene, Texas, which would otherwise have been 89th in line? (31 Oct 2021)
  • ... that KMXO near Abilene, Texas, aired the region's first Spanish-language radio program and later became its first full-time Spanish-language station? (10 Nov 2021)
  • ... that a complaint over an allegedly illegal transmitter move led to Texas radio station KFQX-FM being forced off the air for four hours in 1988? (11 Nov 2021)
  • ... that Phoenix radio station KTAR bought television station KTYL-TV to avoid a conflict with former U.S. senator Ernest McFarland? (18 Nov 2021)
  • ... that Montana television station KOPR-TV brought forward its start date by several months, only to last just one year? (22 Nov 2021)
  • ... that California radio station KNCR was fined by the Federal Communications Commission for moving its transmitter site without permission after being evicted? (27 Nov 2021)
  • ... that one owner of Montana radio station KXGF went from owning the Plush Pillow to liquidating his assets in a span of six months? (28 Nov 2021)
  • ... that for more than a decade, WNJC-FM at Northwest Mississippi Junior College was the state's only public radio station? (6 Dec 2021)
  • ... that a "North Dakota joke of the mornin'" was a feature on Montana radio station KGRZ because the station's owner and morning show host hailed from that state? (8 Dec 2021 — DYK #100 for 2021)
  • ... that when the founder of New Mexico television station KBIM-TV was told on the morning of April Fools' Day that his station's tower had collapsed, he initially wrote it off as a joke? (15 Dec 2021)
  • ... that WNJU, a Spanish-language television station serving New York City, was the first in the United States to air a hard-liquor advertisement? (18 Dec 2021)
  • ... that after a tornado devastated Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1979, radio station KTRN was just one of two on the air? (19 Dec 2021)
  • ... that the last edition of The Knoxville Journal was printed 30 years ago today after a 106-year run? (31 Dec 2021)

2022 (140)

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2023 (93)

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2024

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