Long Island Radio & Television Historical Society

Preserving and celebrating the history of wireless communication, radio and TV on Long Island, NY.

Our Origin Story

There once was a German radio tower on Cherry Avenue in West Sayville.

It was erected in secret by Telefunken, the only true rival to the Marconi Company for dominance in the growing radio broadcasting industry. State-of-the-art for its time, the “Sayville Tower” was the pride of the village and a tourist attraction for miles around. And then the Great War came and the Telefunken site became embroiled in intrigue and espionage relating to the German war effort. The US Navy soon took over operations and later handed the site to the MacKay company and a host of others.

By 1995 the Federal Aviation Administration, then the current occupants, were ready to abandon the site and destroy any remaining buildings on it. A movement to save the property was undertaken by Constance Currie and the Sayville Historical Society. Despite a groundswell of support, the attempt unfortunately failed after a massive fire destroyed the remaining buildings. What was left was bulldozed. Parts of the site remain fenced off to this day while the rest is a dog park and the Baymen soccer fields.

Old abandoned building in an overgrown lot.
One of the few remaining buildings on the Cherry Avenue site in the mid-90s.

Not to be outdone, Constance and Ralph Williams, author, renowned radio historian, and collector of Atwater Kent radios, encouraged the people who had come together to save the Telefunken site to create a historical society that would keep the history of Long Island radio alive. The first members were from the Sayville Historical Society, the Steuben Society, Long Island history buffs, amateur radio operators, and radio engineers who had worked in early RCA, MacKay, and other radio facilities.

Chartered by the New York Education Department as the Friends of Long Island Wireless History, the historical society eventually became the Long Island Radio & Television Historical Society to reflect a broader interest in the rich and diverse history of communications on Long Island from early wireless through the beginnings of radio and television.

Through the years the society has exhibited in libraries, the Long Island Maritime Museum, schools, and the Fire Island Lighthouse. Our annual newsletter Distant Sparks highlights a variety of research from members. We helped develop Invisible Threads: From Wireless to War, a documentary from Joe Sikorski detailing the Telefunken story. And we have adapted our message to new media with our Radio Tower podcast, interviewing members of the radio community to keep this fascinating history alive.

Board Members

Chris Kretz
President

Connie Currie
Vice President

Ed Taylor
Treasurer

Richard Hawkins
Secretary