"Andy Ludlum" wrote in message
...
I think this is a pretty fair look at the competing claims of who's first:

a.. KDKA, Pittsburgh. Dr. Frank Conrad conducted the experimental work
that led to the establishment of KDKA, which made its formal debut on
November 2, 1920. Conrad was apparently among the first to use the term
"broadcast" to describe a radio service.
b.. WWJ, Detroit. The birthplace of broadcasting at WWJ was the Detroit
News. The station signed on the air August 20, 1920. It was the first
station to be operated by a newspaper, and the first commercial station to
broadcast regularly scheduled daily programs.
c.. KCBS, San Jose. Doc Herrold's station at San Jose (which eventually
became KCBS, San Francisco) began as an experimental operation with the
first documented transmissions occurring in 1909. It is said of Herrold
that
he conceived the idea of broadcasting information and entertainment
programs
to the public.
d.. WHA, the University of Wisconsin. 9XM-WHA achieved its first
successful transmission of voice and music in 1917 from the University of
Wisconsin campus in Madison. Pioneers in the establishment of the station
were Malcolm Hansen and Professor Earle Terry.
e.. WGY, Schnectady, NY. Operated by the General Electric Company, WGY
served as the test bed for many experiments in AM radio. Later efforts at
the facility were directed toward perfecting FM and television
transmission.

World's first licensed station was in Argentina, predating KDKA by several
months.