Early Television Stations
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.
| The Queen's Messenger |
| The First Television Show |
| WRGB New York to Schenectady Relay |
| WRGB History |
| Rotary Makes Television History |
| A Model Studio Built for Television |
Dr. Alexanderson in front of the receiver
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Ernst Alexanderson (r) and D. McFarland Moore, with the neon tube developed by Moore
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The rear of the receiver
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The camera
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Scientific American, March 1928
Washington Post, May 17, 1928
Courtesy of John Pinckney
Radio World, Oct. 11 1930
Radio & Television, Aug. 1939
Electronics, March 1940
Radio & Television, July 1940
Popular Science, December 1940
Test pattern, August 1939
Radio & Television, February 1940 Courtesy of Chuck Azzalina
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WRGB studios and transmitter, 1940 |
Broadcasting, January 15 1939 |
Broadcasting, March 15 1939 |
Broadcasting, February 1 1939
An artist's redition of the station, from a 1939 calendar published by GE
1946 postcard