.jpg "Image of Vintage Microphone with radio station call letter flags")
A few vintage microphones and radio station call letter flags from my collection. Stations include: WIP, Philadelphia; WEBR, Buffalo; WKBW, Buffalo, WRR, Dallas; WOL, Washington DC; WSB, Atlanta; WCAU, Philadelphia; KFOX, Los Angeles; WJW, Cleveland; WGN, Chicago; WLAC, Nashville; KDKA, Pittsburgh; KYW, Cleveland; WSAI, Cincinnati; KSTP, Minneapolis/St. Paul; WOAI, San Antonio; WOR, New York City; WCFL, Chicago and WWJ, Detroit.
Microphone flag from WCFL Chicago. CFL signed on in 1926 by the Chicago Federation of Labor. This flag was made to fit an RCA 88-A as seen in this image of President John F. Kennedy at the Chicago Conrad Hilton. Archival photos showing a flag in use can help establish its provenance and age.
What Are Microphone Flags/Call Letter Plates ?
Since the earliest days of commercial radio broadcasting, station owners recognized the importance of publicity and brand visibility for this innovative technology. Microphone flags, originally known as call letter plates, served a dual purpose: they informed broadcasters or performers of the station they were representing, and ensured station identification in promotional photographs appearing in newspapers and magazines.
These identification accessories, engineered to affix securely to the grille or housing of a microphone, serving to display station call letters or other branding elements. Initial designs were fabricated from bronze or sheet metal, later superseded by cast aluminum for improved durability, precision, and ease of manufacturing.
What Are Microphone Flags Worth?
I’m often asked about the value of microphone flags, and over the past five years, prices at auction have steadily increased. As of 2025, selling prices typically range between $175 and $500. Several key factors influence a flag’s value:
Market Size – Flags from stations in the top 25 media markets usually command higher prices than those from smaller or rural stations.
Station History – Was the flag used by a pioneering or heritage station? Was the station part of a major network like NBC, CBS, Mutual, ABC, or Don Lee? Did it feature a well-known broadcast personality?
Photographic Evidence – Archival photos showing the flag in use can help establish its provenance and age.
Microphone Type – Flags used with larger studio microphones such as the RCA 77, RCA 44, or Western Electric 638B often carry a slight premium.
Flags With Side Plates – Three-piece flags that include side plates tend to be more desirable to collectors.
Matched Flag & Microphone – If the flag is sold with a microphone, collectors often ask whether both items originated from the same station.
Original or Reproduction – In the 1990s, many high-quality reproduction flags were produced for networks like Voice of America, NBC, and CBS, as well as iconic stations like KDKA and WNBC. While visually striking, these reproductions have generally not appreciated beyond their original retail value.
Plastic or "Cube" Flags - In the mid 1960s, as microphones became smaller and more portable, stations began using plastic flags. The use of screen printing and vinyl decals allowed for a greater variety of branding such as station logos. Many of these network and affiliate flags have become highly sought after by collectors.
If you'd like help assessing the fair market value of your microphone flag, feel free to reach out to me at mbiniasz@me.com. I'd be happy to assist.
Microphone Flag • Call Letter Plate Gallery
Before he was the first host of NBC's Today Show, Dave Garroway worked at pioneer commercial radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh. In this image circa 1938-1940, Garroway is seen using a WE 618a microphone with flag similar to the one in my collection.
WKBW Radio founder, Dr. Clinton Churchill, poses in front of a Western Electric 800-A carbon "button" microphone in this publicity photo from the late 1920s. This microphone and flag are current part of the Biniasz Microphone Collection.
KFOX Long Beach, California (Los Angelas). A Srepco flag mounted on a Western Electric 633a. Pictured is Johnny Otis, a pioneering figure in the development of R&B and early rock n' roll. Otis was influential disc-jockey in Los Angeles, hosting his own radio show on KFOX starting in 1955.
Microphone flag from WCFL Chicago. CFL signed on in 1926 by the Chicago Federation of Labor. This flag was made to fit an RCA 88-A as seen in this image of President John F. Kennedy at the Chicago Conrad Hilton. Archival photos showing a flag in use can help establish its provenance and age.
An unrestored CBS Radio flag on a Western Electric 633a. Similar flag seen in image with Lowell Thomas.
WOAI AM…a station that helped to launch a radio empire. The station ranks as the oldest in San Antonio having signed on the air in 1922. In 1941 WOAI became one of twelve radio stations in the United States to be designated its own unduplicated or “clear channel” frequency as part of an emergency information system. Fast forward to 1975 when the station was sold to a fledgling radio company established by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs. With the WOAI purchase the company took the name “Clear Channel Communications” based on WOAI’s frequency/power allocation. Eventually Clear Channel would own 1,200 radio stations (Now iHeartMedia Inc.). The WOAI flag on this RCA 88a came from the estate of former WOAI engineer Hoxie M. Mundine.
WNEW Radio, New York City circa 1934. Jack Lait speaks into a Western Electric 387 carbon "button" microphone. One of the earliest uses of microphone flags were used on "ring" carbon microphones like this example from WNEW.
WEBR, Buffalo microphone flag on a Western Electric 639a. Archival image is of Bob Wells (R) with station promotions manager Bill Schweitzer (L) presenting a contest prize during a "Hi-Teen Show" broadcast in 1948.
WGES, Chicago call letter plate on an RCA 44. WGES was a pioneer in African-American programming; Home to broadcaster Al Benson who was one of the first to bring blues, jazz and R&B to Chicago airwaves. He is known as "The Godfather of Black Radio."
Flag for WBGO, Newark, New Jersey. WBGO's first license was granted in 1947 to the Newark Board of Education; In 1979, the station became the first public radio station in New Jersey. WBGO is known today as a world leader in jazz programing, education and promotion. Flag fits a Western Electric 639.
WNYC cylindrical flag used with a Western Electric “8 Ball” Model 630-A. WNYC signed on air July 8, 1924. Owned by City of New York, the station became one of the first municipality owned broadcasting stations in the United States. The 630a first appeared in Western Electric ads & catalogs in 1935 and can be seen being used in archive photos until the late 40s. In this image from 1945, French General Charles De Gaulle, accompanied by New York City Fiorello Mayor LaGuardia speaks to a crowd outside NYC City Hall. A similar microphone and flag are seen second from the left.
WOR, New York City. Flag featured on a Western Electric 633a. Image features Secretary of State John Foster Dulles behind a similar WOR/Mutual flag. The station made its debut broadcast on February 22, 1922, from a studio located on the top floor of Bamberger's Department Store in Newark, New Jersey. WOR was a charter member of the CBS Radio Network (CBS), acting as the flagship of the 16 stations that aired the first Columbia Broadcasting System network program on September 18, 1927. In 1934, WOR in partnership with WGN, Chicago, and WLW, Cincinnati to form the Mutual Broadcasting System and became its New York City flagship station.
WLAC Radio, Nashville, TN Music City, USA WLAC signed on November 24, 1926 by the Life and Casualty Insurance Company of Nashville, Tennessee with call letter that reflected its ownership. In 1942, the station increased its power to 50,000 watts reaching parts of 28 states and three Canadian provinces. Although its daytime programing featured a full service of network shows, local news, farm reports, and “middle of the road” music, it was its nighttime programing that created an American broadcasting legend. Beginning in the 1950s and continuing through the 70s, WLAC was home to a legendary group of rhythm and blues broadcasters that included Bill "Hossman" Allen, Gene Nobles, John “R” Richbourg and Herman Grizzard. The station’s clear channel status brought “race music” to African-American and young white listeners and influenced a generation of musicians. The station was a pioneer in the promotion of the careers of James Brown, Ray Charles, B. B. King, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard among others.
.jpg "Vintage WTMA Microphone Radio")
WTMA, Charleston, South Carolina. Flag on a RCA 74B. In the 1960s, this small-market station had a BIG Top-40 sound. Image features a publicity photo for DJ Jim Diamond (1964).
WOL Radio, Washington, DC, RCA 50-A Microphone. WOL provided FDR's Fireside Chat feed to the Mutual Network. Originally known as WRHF when it first went on the air on December 22, 1924, the station changed call letters to WOL on November 11, 1928. In 1936, WOL joined the Mutual Broadcasting System and became a critical component supplying the network with public affairs programing from the nation’s Capital. On January 26, 1950, the F.C.C. approved a call letter swap with WWDC. The change took place February 20, 1950. IMAGE: Eleanor Roosevelt at WOL presenting a "My People" program devoted to African Americans. A RCA 50A microphone featuring a similar WOL flag can be seen being used in this image taken on February 13, 1943.
Vintage microphone and flag from KLZ Radio, Denver, Colorado - The city's first radio station, signed on in 1922. The microphone is a Western Electric 618A. The microphone flag was made by Hugh Lyons & Company of Lansing, Michigan - KLZ: A mile high pioneer, KLZ-AM signed on in 1922 as Denver’s first commercial radio station. KLZ was first licensed as a broadcasting station on March 10, 1922 to the Reynolds Radio Company. IMAGE: Mel Torme, on right, singing in front of two WE 618A microphones.
Cast aluminum "auto plate" produced by microphone flag company Strepco of Dayton, Ohio for WPGH 1080am, Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh's seventh radio station began broadcasting on October 19, 1947, from studios situated at 220 N. Highland Avenue in the East Liberty neighborhood. Operating at a frequency of 1080, strategically positioned between stations KDKA and WCAE, the new station transmitted at a power of 1,000 watts from a tower located on Spring Hill, in Pittsburgh's North Side.
WHER, based in Memphis, TN, is notable for being recognized as the first "All-Girl" radio station when it launched in October 1955. Rebecca "Becky" Burns Phillips, the wife of Sun Records and WHER founder Sam Phillips, is pictured in front of an RCA 77 microphone displaying the WHER flag that is featured in our collection. Primarily staffed by women, including broadcasting trailblazer Vida Jane Butler, WHER inspired numerous similar ventures. Eventually, the station transitioned into a mixed-gender operation, rebranding as WWEE. The idea for WHER originated with Sam Phillips, who financed the station partially with proceeds from selling Elvis Presley's recording contract to RCA Records, totaling $35,000. Additional funding came from Kemmons Wilson, the founder of Holiday Inn, who also offered space for the station within the third-ever Holiday Inn location in Memphis.
WJW Radio, Cleveland, Ohio - flag on a Western Electric 633A. Broadcasting pioneer Alan Freed used this style of microphone during early remote rock & roll broadcasts and concerts. WJW signed on the air from Mansfield, Ohio on November 12, 1926 under the ownership of John Weimer, the "JW" in the call letters. WJW moved to Akron in 1932 and made a final move to Cleveland in 1943. Soupy Sales, known as Soupy Hines, worked at the station in the 50s. In 1951, Alan Freed joined WJW and began making music and radio history by playing and promoting rhythm & blues music performed by black artists and began using the term "rock & roll." While at WJW, Freed organized some of the first rock and roll concerts in history. Freed left WJW in 1954 for WINS, New York City, but he established WJW as a premier rock and roll outlet. WJW was also home to Pete "Mad Daddy" Myers and a young Casey Kasem. The call letters WJW were dropped by radio in 1985 but survive in use by television station.
WSAI, Cincinnati's AM Top 40 powerhouse during the 1960s and 1970s. Founded by the United States Playing Card Company in 1923; once owned by the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation and Marshall Field. This cast aluminum flag fits a variety small sized microphones including this Western Electric 633a.
Pioneer radio station WRR, Dallas Texas. RCA 88-A with letter flag. Archival image of legendary WRR personality Jim Lowe. Lowe is credited for introduced white Dallas and North Texas listeners to Rhythm and Blues music and artists with his Kat's Karavan show. Besides his radio career, for nearly four decades he greeted millions of visitors to the State Fair of Texas through the voice of his alter ego, Big Tex. On August 4, 1921, WRR became the first licensed station in Texas.
KSTP St. Paul Minneapolis, MN flag on an RCA 88a microphone. KSTP, the flagship AM radio station of Hubbard Broadcasting is the product of a 1928 merger between two other Twin Cities stations (WAMD & KFOY). IMAGE: Similar flag with boxer Joe Lewis.
Vintage microphone flag from WWJ Radio, Detroit, Michigan. Considered one of the pioneer, if not first, commercial radio stations in the world. Signed on August 20, 1920. The station was owned and operated by the Detroit News.
Microphone flag from WWJ, Detroit. This style of flag commonly was used on the microphone stand of Western Electric 630a "Eight Ball" Microphone. Images features Detroit News drama editor Al Weeks. He was the first newscaster for WWJ. Here he is as the station's 'Town Crier."
KTTV, Los Angeles, CA. Vintage flag on an WE 633a microphone. Call letters stand for "Times Television" reflecting the original owner, the LA Times newspaper.
WSB Radio, Atlanta, Georgia. Randomly provided call letters that were used in promotion to say, "Welcome South, Brother." WSB Radio was born in 1922, becoming the South’s first radio station. Flag is outfitted on a Shure 556A "Birdcage" microphone. From 1925 to 1956, WSB radio, along with later co-owned stations WSB-FM and WSB-TV, operated out of the top floor of the Atlanta Biltmore Hotel in Midtown Atlanta.
WLB flag on a RCA 77 (not the correct version). Station was granted a full license to broadcast on January 13, 1922. Founded by the University of Minnesota. Today it is known as KUOM.
.jpg "Vintage Microphone Flags KYW Cleveland Ohio")
KYW, Cleveland, Ohio. Owned by Group W, Westinghouse.
WGN, Chicago - One of my all-time favorite flags in my collection. The WGN call letters refer to station owner, the Chicago Tribune, meaning "World's Greatest Newspaper." WGN signed on the air in 1924. The call letters had a legendary association with the Chicago Cubs, on radio and television, from 1925 to 2014--the last 56 years of that period as the exclusive flagship station. Jack Brickhouse and Harry Caray, just two of the Hall of Fame broadcasters heard on WGN.
WGN announcer Jack Brickhouse, reports from a boat with Fire Chief Anthony J. Mullaney using a similar microphone and flag as including in collection. The WGN call letters refer to station owner, the Chicago Tribune, meaning "World's Greatest Newspaper." WGN signed on the air in 1924. The call letters had a legendary association with the Chicago Cubs, on radio and television, from 1925 to 2014--the last 56 years of that period as the exclusive flagship station.
WSLI became Jackson, Mississippi’s second radio station when it went on the air in September of 1938. It was owned by the Standard Life Insurance Company and the call letters “WSLI” represented the name of the licensee. It signed on from studios located in the Robert E. Lee Hotel. The transmitter was located on High Street, near the Pearl River. WSLI was affiliated with NBC’s Blue Network. L.M. Sepaugh was named the first Manager. WSLI had the distinction of employing Mississippi’s first women announcers, Miss Nancy Chambers and Miss Virginia Metz. The station was originally located at 1450am; moved to 930am. Call letters changed sometime around 2006. Currently known as WSFZ, “SuperSport 930.”
WBBF (950 AM) in Rochester, New York, derived its call letters from its original owners, the B. Forman Department Store. This flag is displayed on an RCA 74-B Junior Velocity Ribbon Microphone. During the 1960s and 1970s, WBBF dominated Rochester's airwaves as the city's leading Top-40 radio station, featuring popular morning host Jack Palvino and a notable DJ lineup that included Jessica Savitch, who later achieved national fame with NBC News. Known affectionately as "95 BBF," the station was the go-to source for teenagers seeking the latest hits, consistently achieving ratings above a 20 share, despite operating with a weak signal.
WIP, Philadelphia, PA. The station was the randomly assigned call letters for a 500-watt station that began broadcasting on March 17, 1922. The owners were the Gimbel Brothers, with studios above the Gimbels department store at Ninth and Market Street.
WCAU, Philadelphia, PA. Just two months after WIP became Philadelphia’s first commercial radio station, WCAU made its debut in May 1922. It was launched by Wilson Durham, an electrician who set up the station in the back of his shop at 1936 Market Street. Three years later, in 1925, Durham sold the station for $25,000 to attorneys Ike Levy and Daniel Murphy. In 1928, the brothers brought their brother-in-law William Paley into the picture. Paley, then 27 and working in his family’s cigar business, invested $500,000 to acquire a struggling 16-station network. He renamed it Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), with WCAU becoming the flagship station.
Name Plate/Microphone Flag Manufacturers
From the mid-1930s to the early 1970s, three manufacturers supplied the majority of call letter plates/flags to the broadcasting industry: Hugh Lyons & Company of Lansing, Michigan, Strepco (Standard Radio & Electronics Products) of Dayton, Ohio and the Glenn H. Walker Manufacturing Company, of Norwood, Ohio - "Since 1935, Name Plates Our Business, Not A Sideline."
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1953 Gates Catalog
1948 Srepco Ad, Broadcasting Magazine
1947 Srepco, Radio Microphone Flags & Nameplates
What About Plastic or "Cube" Flags?
Plastic Cube Flags - In the mid 1960s, as microphones became smaller and more portable, stations began using plastic flags. The use of screen printing and vinyl decals allowed for a greater variety of branding such as station logos. Many of these network and affiliate flags have become highly sought after by collectors. Our current research is focused on cast metal flags from 1920-1975. We'll be adding information about modern-era flags in the near future.
This trio of flags represent a number of Buffalo, New York's heritage AM stations: WGR, 550; WBEN, 930; and WEBR, 970. We are currently looking for a flag from WKBW Radio. Have one? Contact Marty at MBiniasz@me.com
Microphones and flags available for television, film and theatrical rentals. I also have a number of flags that are available for trade. Contact Marty at MBiniasz@me.com
KDKA - Pittsburgh, PA (WE 618A)
KFOX - Los Angeles, CA (WE 633a)
KLZ - Denver, Colorado (WE 618A)
KSTP - Minneapolis/St. Paul (RCA 88-A)
KTTV - Los Angeles, CA (WE 633A)
KYW - Cleveland, Ohio (RCA 44)
KYW - Cleveland, Ohio (Clips To Stand)
KYW - Philadelphia, PA (RCA 88-A, etc)
KMO - Tacoma, Washington (WE 618A)
WBBF - Rochester, New York (RCA 74-B)
WBGO - Newark, New Jersey (WE 639)
WBMC - McMinnville, TN (Shure 55)
WCAU - Philadelphia, PA (WE 633a)
WCFL - Chicago, Illinois (RCA 88-A)
WEBR - Buffalo, NY (WE 639)
WEBR - Buffalo, NY (RCA 74-B)
WGN - Chicago, Illinois (WE 618A)
WGES - Chicago, Illinois (RCA 44)
WHER - Memphis, Tennessee (RCA 77)
WIP - Philadelphia, PA (WE 639)
WISE - Asheville, NC (RCA 74-B)
WJR - Detroit. MI (Clips To Stand)
WJW - Cleveland, Ohio (WE 633A)
WKBW - Buffalo (WE 600a Carbon Mic)
WLB - Minneapolis, Minnesota (RCA 77)
WLAC - Nashville, Tennessee (WE 633A)
WNEW - New York (Carbon Button Mic)
WNYC - New York City (WE 630A)
WOAI - San Antonio, TX (RCA 88a)
WOL - Washington (WE 618A/RCA 50-A)
WOR - New York City, NY (WE 633A)
WRR - Dallas, TX (RCA 88-A)
WSAI - Cincinnati, Ohio (WE 633a)
WSB - Atlanta, Georgia (WE 639)
WSLI - Jackson, Mississippi (Shure 556A)
WTMA - Charleston, SC (RCA 74-B)
WWJ - Detroit, MI (Clips To Stand)
WWJ - Detroit, MI (WE 630A)