Editing Amalgamated Broadcasting System (section)

==Formation==

In the early 1930s, network radio in the United States was dominated by two major companies: the [[NBC|National Broadcasting Company]] (NBC), formed in 1926, which operated two national networks, known as the [[NBC Red Network|NBC-Red]] and the [[NBC Blue Network|NBC-Blue]], plus the [[CBS|Columbia Broadcasting System]] (CBS), established in 1927. These two companies had subsequently signed affiliation agreements with almost all of the country's major radio stations, leaving limited program options for a few hundred remaining medium and small stations. This imbalance led to ongoing efforts to create a "third radio network", to help the left-out stations compete with the NBC and CBS programs.

The idea to form ABS originated with Ota Gygi, who then enlisted Wynn, who, as the "Fire Chief" on the original ''[[Texaco Star Theater|Fire Chief Program]]'' on NBC, was one of the country's best-known performers. Despite his professional and financial success, Wynn was concerned about his future and the power the established networks had over the programming policies of their local affiliate stations. It was his hope that ABS would provide a programming alternative, and would also insure a more stable financial future for himself and his family, explaining that "acting is such an uncertain profession, and I want to establish a business for my actor son, Keenan, which will be sane and secure and bring in plenty of profits".<ref name="gross">[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3566875&view=1up&seq=123 ''I Looked & I listened''] by Ben Gross, 1954, page 111.</ref>

Formation of the Amalgamated Broadcasting System, Inc. was announced in October 1932, although at the time it was described as being a production company. Ed Wynn was the president and "famed producer" [[Arthur Hopkins]] was director of productions, with Ota Gygi and T. W. Richardson described as assistants. [[Irving Berlin]] and [[Daniel Frohman]] were rumored to be planning to join the effort, and the new company, which it was reported "has Radio Row atwitter", was said to have already signed $1,000,000 of business contracts.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Guide/1932/Radio-Guide-32-10-15.pdf#page=2 "Ed Wynn Heads New Radio Company"], ''Radio Guide'', October 9–15, 1932, page 2.</ref>

Plans for ABS gained support in January 1933 from [[George W. Trendle]], president of the recently founded [[Michigan Regional Network]], who stated his stations would join Amalgamated once it expanded westward. Efforts were made to attract major investors, and there were rumors that additional funding would be coming from "Detroit millionaires", but the network would actually be primarily financed by Ed Wynn's personal funds.

At a March 10, 1933, press dinner, Wynn reviewed his plans: "My idea is to give the listener more radio and less advertising ballyhoo. There is one thing that attracts the average listener to his receiver. He wants entertainment. The spot on the dial where he finds the most entertainment is the spot where the dial will stand. So I want Amalgamated to give the listener a maximum of the best entertainment possible with the least possible advertising talk." It was planned to greatly limit commercial messages, in order to "limit the ballyhoo to thirty words—a curtain announcement at the beginning and the end". (The restriction of advertising messages to short announcements at the start and close of each program had been the original network radio policy, until NBC and CBS abandoned it as the 1930s progressed.) Moreover, "in the broadcasting station the plan for the whole day's schedule should be in the hands of the program manager. No prerogatives should be surrendered there to commercial interests." Wynn stressed the need for high quality programming, so that: "The listener will know that by tuning in one of our programs at any time from 8 a.&nbsp;m. until 1 a.&nbsp;m. he will be able to hear a fine program."<ref name="plan">[https://archive.org/details/radiodigestradio30radi/page/n21/mode/1up "Ed Wynn's New Chain Plan"], ''Radio Fan-fare'', June 1933, pages 18, 48. (archive.org)</ref> He also hoped that, with the country mired in the depths of the [[Great Depression]], his network would provide an additional source of employment for the numerous unemployed actors and other entertainers.

Despite announcements that the new network would soon start operations, its launch date was repeatedly postponed, creating growing skepticism within the radio industry. The work needed to establish a New York City flagship station was particularly complicated. An effort was made to combine four small stations — WCDA, WBNX, WMSG and WAWZ — which all shared a common frequency. WCDA was able to gain control of most of the frequency's broadcasting hours by buying out WBNX and WMSG, after which WCDA changed its call letters to [[WKDM|WBNX]]. WAWZ's owners were unwilling to sell, which meant ABS's key station was not even a full-time operation.<ref>''The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996'' by Bill Jaker, Frank Sulek and Peter Kanze, 1998, page 42.</ref>