1720 AM was first launched in 1997, in the wake of the FCC decision to expand the uppermost limit of the AM band past the prior cutoff point of 1600 kHz. Unfortunately for the new station, the cap was now 1700 kHz. Nevertheless, a crack staff of writers, editors, anchors and reporters was assembled for the newest all-news operation (some of whom were fired after they were found to be on crack at the time). Our mission from the outset has been to cover news that was being totally ignored by the city’s other all-news outlets — even if it means our ignoring those major stories that were covered by the city's other all-news outlets.
For example, in 1999 1720 AM was the only all-news station in the city to offer complete live, on-the-spot coverage of Rowan Boatman’s walk-on-water around Manhattan (he circled the borough in 15 hours). The other stations . . . well, they were too busy at the time swarming around New England, covering the disappearance of a plane that had reportedly been piloted by some member of the Kennedy family. 1720 AM News Director Chip Scholler vowed at the time that “no story about some Kennedy would deter us from fulfilling our mission to the public.” (We were also the only sponsor of Boatman’s walk, by the way.)
In early 2000, 1720 AM made a bold step to shore up its presence in the market by acquiring five used Teletype machines (three Model 15’s, two Model 28’s) for the purpose of providing that annoying “clack-clack-clack” sound which is heard over our anchors. Previously, the sound of the Teletypes was a recording used earlier by some other all-news radio station either in New York or Chicago or Los Angeles or Philadelphia or wherever (our chief engineer, who’s worked at radio stations all across the U.S.A., no longer remembers exactly where at this point). We are also the only radio station in the world to broadcast in AM quadraphonic.
1720 AM was none too pleased to hear that two of our airchecks were used in some “indie” film that we were told was called Lefty-Right. Our lawyers are now considering legal action against the filmmaker, who shall remain nameless.
“Where the News Is Fast and Continuous.”
“Nothing But News — And Only the News.”
“If It’s News to New York, It’s News to Us.”
“1720 AM Listens to Nobody . . .
That’s Why Everybody Listens to 1720 AM.”
“News For Those Who Know Nothing . . .
Because We Know It All.”
“News Whether You Want It Or Not.”
Hear These Vintage 1720 AM Airchecks:
• Walter Camshaft’s Station I.D.;
Oscar Felix Reads Top Stories of the Hour,
Introduces Report by Alastair Stepford on Left-Handed Study
(original air date unknown)
• A Traffic and Transit “On the Zeroes” Report;
Oscar Felix Introduces Spec Fillmore Report on “Flying Cable-Car Hybrid,”
Then Reports on Traveling Through Time With Magnets
(ditto)
Way Out
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