The WSM transmitter building

The FM transmitter that operated at 44.7 Mhz.

On March 1, 1941 W47NV (WSM-FM) began operations in Nashville, Tennessee, becoming the first modern commercial FM radio station. It was in operation for
about ten years, until The National Life and Accident Insurance Company (NL&AI), owners of WSM, realized that few area households had FM receivers and that
its commercial potential was lacking, unlike the company’s television station, WSM-
TV (now WSMV). shut down the FM operations in 1951 and returned the license
to the FCC. The station went back on the air in the late 1950s after an upsurge
in high fidelity equipment.  

A 1950’s Zenith Bakelite AM/FM radio