The air crackles with the ghosts of a thousand broadcasts. This is WHDH-AM in Boston. Right here on this very spot a legacy was forged.
WHDH-AM debuted in 1930 in Gloucester a small fishing town north of Boston. It was owned by Matheson Broadcasting. Later it would claim a 1926 start date based on Ralph Matheson’s earlier station WEPS. This was a somewhat dubious claim. WEPS was sold before WHDH truly began.
The station initially broadcast on 830 kHz with a daytime-only signal. Its programming was filled with live hotel orchestras. It was a second-tier station without network affiliation. The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement moved WHDH to 850 kHz. It allowed for full-time broadcasting but not without protests from Denver’s KOA a dominant station on that frequency.
WHDH’s transmitter moved several times. Initially it was in Gloucester then Saugus and finally Needham west of Boston. This move to Needham allowed a power increase to 50000 watts. The Boston Herald-Traveler newspaper bought WHDH in 1946. Increased power and newspaper ownership gave it greater legitimacy.
The 1950s and 60s saw WHDH’s rise to prominence. Personalities like Jess Cain and Norm Nathan became household names. The station broadcast Red Sox games Celtics games and Bruins games. It was known as The Voice of Sports. This era also saw the launch of WHDH-FM.
The station later launched WHDH-TV channel 5 in 1957. This led to a legal battle. It was a fierce fight over a TV allocation. The legal challenges went all the way to the Supreme Court. The challenges were about media concentration. The Herald-Traveler lost its appeal in 1972. WHDH-TV signed off for the last time that year.
Losing the TV station had severe consequences. The Herald-Traveler went out of business. WHDH radio was sold in 1973. The station moved to 441 Stuart Street in Boston’s Back Bay. It continued to evolve changing formats and owners several times.
In the 1990s the station briefly became an all-news station. Then it was sold again and again. Its final broadcast ended on August 28 1994. It ended with the sound of a flushing toilet. This was the work of a disgruntled board operator. This marked the end of an era. WHDH-AM became WEEI. The legacy of WHDH-AM however continues to resonate in the city of Boston. Its history is one of evolution change and ultimately the enduring power of radio in a city that never sleeps.