Capital Region Radio: 1920-2011

The General Electric Company, with one of its main plants in Schenectady, began experimental broadcasts in conjunction with Union College in the early 1900s. When WGY officially began broadcasting in February 1922, General Electric started a long and storied history of pioneering radio technology and programming that set the pace for worldwide broadcast development. Capital Region Radio pioneer WGY provided entertainment and news nationally during World War II, WTRY kept listeners updated during the blackout of 1965, and WOKO introduced rock and roll to the area. Thousands of schoolchildren from Utica and Pittsfield woke on snowy winter mornings to hear WGY’s Bill Edwardsen read the school closing announcements, and listeners enjoyed entertainment from Boom Boom Brannigan and Don Weeks. Capital Region Radio: 1920-2011 offers a glimpse into the programs and personalities of local radio from its early days to recent years.