Early Television Stations
W3XK - Washington, D.C.
W3XK is often claimed to be the oldest television
station in the United States, possibly in the entire world. It was
operated by Charles Jenkins of Charles Jenkins Laboratories from July 2,
1928 to 1934. The station's frequency started out at 1605 kHz, but moved
to 6420 kHz (6.42 MHz), and eventually moved to 2.0-2.1 mHz. It
originally broadcast from a location in Washington, DC, but later moved to Wheaton, Maryland (just outside of Washington). The station first
broadcast with a 48 lines picture, then with 60 lines.
Washington Post, June 6, 1928 |
Washington Post, July 21, 1928 |
Washington Post, November 20, 1931 |
Courtesy of John Pinckney
