December 23, 1928 – The First Permanent Coast-to-Coast Radio Network was Established by NBC

December 23

Copy of NBC Broadcast Logo

Today in history, on December 23, 1928, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) established the first permanent coast-to-coast radio network. The network used high-quality phone lines built by AT&T. Before this, only temporary connections using long-distance phone calls existed. NBC’s parent company, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), had an established network that spanned the east coast of the U.S. Their west coast stations recreated their programs a week later.

In the early 1920s, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) gradually expanded its telephone lines to cover the whole country. In 1922, the company established a radio station in New York City. Its network spread down the East Coast and into the Midwest, and its programs were more popular than RCA’s. Just as it seemed like the company would be as giant in radio as it was in telephones, AT&T decided to sell its broadcasting assets. It wanted to focus solely on phones.

RCA acquired the broadcast network in 1926 and created the subsidiary NBC to handle it. As AT&T’s infrastructure expanded, so did NBC’s network. After the acquisition, it created a West Coast network that relayed the programming from the original East Coast stations. Once the permanent network was set up, they all broadcast the same programming.

Coast-to-coast radio played a huge role in shaping America’s culture. Everyone could listen to the same entertainment, advertisements, and news simultaneously. People felt more united than ever and shared a sense of national identity.