John Shepard III

For other people with the same name, see John Sheppard.
John Shepherd III
1936 Yankee Network Publicity Photo of John Shepard III
Born(1886-03-19)March 19, 1886
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedMay 11, 1950(1950-05-11) (aged 64)
Brookline, Massachusetts
Occupation(s)Retail store owner, radio station executive
Known forRadio pioneer, founder of the Yankee Network
Parent(s)John Shepard Jr. and Flora Martin Shepard

John Shepard III (March 19, 1886 – May 11, 1950) was an American radio executive and merchant. Among his many achievements, he was one of the original board members of the National Association of Broadcasters, having been elected the group's first vice president in 1923.[1] Shepard co-founded a New England radio network, known as the Yankee Network, along with his brother Robert, in 1929–1930.[2] Shepard was also an early proponent of frequency modulation or FM broadcasting: he established the first FM network, when he linked his station in Massachusetts with one in New Hampshire in early 1941.[3] He also was an early experimenter with home shopping, creating perhaps the first all-female radio station, WASN, in early 1927; the station broadcast some music, but mostly focused on shopping news and information about merchandise that listeners could purchase.[4] Additionally, he created a local news network to serve New England, the Yankee News Service, and was instrumental in getting radio journalists the same credentials as print journalists.[5]

  1. ^ Gary L. Frost. Early FM Radio. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 2010, p. 120
  2. ^ "Yankee Network is Being Formed." New York Times, February 9, 1930, p. X20.
  3. ^ Christopher Sterling, editor. The Encyclopedia of Radio. New York: Routledge, 2011, p. 326.
  4. ^ New Station Will Take Air Tomorrow." Boston Herald, January 30, 1927, p. 16.
  5. ^ Leland Bickford. News While It Is News. Boston: Manthorne & Co., 1935.