[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 09:07 PM\']Now that I think about it, didn't WKYC in Cleveland (which also shares the same channel number as KYW/Philadelphia) have the original KYW calls?
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Here is the definitive answer on how KYW came to Cleveland and how it left, with a few additional tidbits... (most of the history info was gathered from the WKYC website at wkyc.com)
1948 -- WNBK-TV, an NBC owned and operated station begins broadcasting and goes on the air October 31, 1948. From 6 p.m. until 11 p.m., viewers tune in to WNBK. Soon after, the station moved its sign-on time up to 1 p.m. WNBK was Channel 4 then, and Tom Haley, who appeared on "Today in Cleveland", worked for WTAM Radio, the NBC radio arm of WNBK.
In 1954, WNBK-TV erects the most powerful television antenna in the Midwest and the tallest in the country in suburban Parma, overlooking downtown Cleveland . With this new and improved signal, Channel 4 moves to its new location as Channel 3 and that's where it has stayed ever since.
In 1955, Westinghouse trades its Philadelphia station for NBC's WNBK-TV, moving it from Cleveland, Ohio to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WNBK-TV and WTAM Radio become KYW-TV and KYW Radio respectively.
In 1959, Channel 3 was featuring Eyewitness News, one of the first half-hour newscasts in the country. The Channel 3 news team consisted of anchors Carl Stern and Bud Dancy, weathercaster Dick Goddard, and Jim Graner with sports.
In 1963, KYW-TV hires Mike Doud, a lounge singer to host an afternoon variety show. His name is changed to "Mike Douglas," the show became a huge success and the rest as they say - is history. The show's format called for one guest to co-host each week. It also became the springboard for many celebrities who went on to fame and fortune. For example, a 20-year-old singer from New York was paid $1,000 to co-host five 90 minute shows -- Barbra Streisand. A KYW Radio director, Tom Conway often did comedy skits. A popular performer, he tried comedy on his own, but as Tim Conway.
In 1965, the FCC and Supreme Court rule the Westinghouse/NBC trade null and void. KYW moved back to Philadelphia, PA, taking along with it The Mike Douglas Show which went to national syndication soon after; WKYC-TV/Radio now came back to Cleveland.
(I assume Channel 3 took the calls WKYC in order to say "KY in Cleveland, as the radio jingles at the time had said. And since they couldn't just say KYC -- new 3-lettered stations and new K stations East of the Mississippi were not allowed by then -- they put the W in front to create WKYC Why it took 10 years for the trade to be ruled a no-no, I don't have the foggiest).
On the radio side, 50,000 Watt powerhouse WKYC-AM 1100 remained WKYC untill the early 70's (1972 or 1973?), when NBC sold the station to another company, which changed the name to WWWE (3WE). Then in the early 90's(?) WWWE reverted back to their old call letters and has since been known as WTAM.
