Eighty years ago this month, the November 1939 issue of of Radio Retailing, carried this description of what it called a “community record player. ” The system was operated from a studio in a New York office building operated by the Wire Broadcasting Corporation of America. The company provided two channels, each free of commercial advertising. One channel provided dance music, with the other carrying concert selections. Broadcasting took place from 11:00 AM until 3:00 AM the next morning. The signal was sent out by leased telephone lines.

The subscribers to the service were apartment buildings, such as the Essex House apartment hotel shown in the picture.