Classic FM
WCNY-FM 91.3, as it was to be known until 1985, signed-on during the evening of Dec. 4, 1971, with a broadcast from the studios of sister station WCNY-TV.
You might be surprised to know that WCNY-FM was automated at the time. Huge reels of audio tape held the music of about 1,200 LPs and voice announcements, meticulously produced to trigger the next piece of programming. The station signed-on at 7 a.m. and shut down at 1 a.m. the next morning. There was a mix of programs that included classical music, some easy listening, talk, public affairs and jazz with Leo Rayhill.
The Read-Out Service for the blind and visually handicapped signed-on in February, 1982. Now it’s 24/7, but then the service was only provided four hours per day, five days per week, essentially to read the local newspaper.
