Radio 1939: NBC Television Broadcast Noise Strays to Radio

Butting In

In Manhattan’s Advertising Club on Park Avenue, a man was making a speech. Suddenly, to the amazement of the audience, the mike in front of the speaker’s mouth burst into music.

The mysterious interruption had come from NBC’s Station W2XBS in the Empire State Building, which two months ago began to broadcast the first regular television programs in the U.S. By last week NBC was busy handling dozens of complaints from irate people whom television sounds kept butting in on. To radio fans NBC in desperation sent six pages of technical instructions on how to eliminate television’s interference.