The development of phonograph players and records helped promote the Swing Era. But by the mid-1930s the sales of records plummeted amid the Depression. Radio became the technology spreading swing music across America.

Advances in radio technology, in particular the microphone, were changing the way Americans heard music. The result of these advances was an improved sound quality which enhanced the experience of listening to big band music.

By 1935, 23 million homes had radio, serving an estimated audience of 91 million.

In the greater Albany area, three stations became prominent - WGY, WOKO and WABY.

On February 4, 1922, the General Electric Company received its first broadcasting license. It was assigned the call letters WGY - W for wireless, G for General Electric, Y for the last letter in Schenectady. The image above is a postcard of the new WGY studios, opened in 1938. The building was located on River Road in downtown Schenectady. In 1961 the building was torn down. The studios moved to the new WGRB building on 1400 Balltown Road in Nyskayuna. WGY became an NBC affiliate.

WOKO started in New York City in 1923. It was sold and moved to Albany in 1930. Originally, they operated out of the Strand Theater building, but later in the 30s moved to a location on 8 Elk Street . The building also housed WABY. WOKO was in the CBS network. WABY was in the NBC network.

An article in the Knickerbocker News, dated May 5, 1939, stated "Albany's new Radio Centre at 8 Elk St. now houses the complete studio, control and business department of WOKO and WABY." It went on to state that the building was "equipped with a small stage, for the production of radio dramas...the auditorium has a seating capacity for 250 persons."

Here are some images documenting area radio and a couple of local bands that were featured by the stations.

Information and images on this page are from the following online websites and sources:

WORLD RADIO HISTORY - https://worldradiohistory.com/index.htm

NEW YORK HERITAGE - https://nyheritage.org/

Capital Region Radio - 1920-2011 by Rick Kelly and John Gabriel.

miSci - Museum of Information and Science - Schenectady, NY

8 Elk Street. Photo taken 11/14/2020.

Photo by Michael Catoggio.