W2XB/WGY/WRGB Schenectady

W2XB was General Electric's television station in Schenectady, New York. In charge of GE's television program was Dr. Ernst Alexanderson, who first demonstrated his television system in late 1927. In January of 1928, GE began broadcasting as 2XB, on 790 kHz using a 24 line mechanical standard. Soon afterward the station switched to 48 lines. The country's first television drama, The Queen's Messenger, was broadcast by W2XB in September of 1928. In 1939 W2XB began broadcasting electronic television. One of the first television networks interconnected W2XBS, the NBC station in New York City,with W2XB. Except for a short period in 1941, the station continued a regular schedule of television programming. After the war, W2XB became WRGB.

Mechanical Broadcasting The First Television Show The Queen's Messenger Radio Photographs and Television - Radio News January 1927 First TV Picture Ever Filmed Television Comes to the Home - Radio News, April 1928 Television Makes the Radio Drama Possible - Radio News, December 1928 Video of images from W2XB shows   Dr. Alexanderson in front of the receiver   Ernst Alexanderson (r) and D. McFarland Moore, with the neon tube developed by Moore  The rear of the receiver The camera Scientific American, March 1928 Courtesy of John Pinckney

Electronic Broadcasting A Model Studio Built for Television WRGB New York to Schenectady Relay Rotary Makes Television History 1944 Brochure Television at the Mt. Whiteface Weather Station - 1940 Newest Television Aerial Test pattern, August 1939 Courtesy of Chuck Azzalina WRGB studios and transmitter, 1940 An artist's rendition of the station, from a 1939 calendar published by GE The studio and control room, 1941 Studio lights, 1941 1943 article 1944 programming WRGB control room - 1945 1946 postcard