Description: In July 1921, radio manufacturer Powel Crosley Jr. began 20-watt tests from his College Hill home, broadcasting "Song of India" continuously under the call sign 8CR. Powell already owned a number of enterprises, including the Crosmobile and a refrigerator-freezer company, and for many years, he held ownership of the Cincinnati Reds baseball club. Powell was innovative, personally inventing or funding the development of many then–cutting-edge technological advances in all his ventures. On March 22, 1922, Crosley and his Crosley Broadcasting Corporation began broadcasting with the new call sign WLW and 50 watts of power. Crosley was a fanatic about the new broadcasting technology, and continually increased his station's capability. The power went up to 500 watts in September 1922, 1000 watts in May 1924, and in January 1925 WLW was the first broadcasting station at the 5000 watt level. On October 4, 1928, the station increased its power to 50 kilowatts. Again it was the first station at this power level, and 50 kilowatts is the maximum power allowed for any station at present. At 50 kilowatts, WLW was heard easily over a wide area, from New York to Florida. But Crosley still wasn't satisfied. In 1933 he obtained a construction permit from the Federal Radio Commission for a 500 kilowatt superstation, and he spent some $500,000 building the transmitter and antenna. In January 1934 WLW began broadcasting at the 500 kilowatt level late at night under the experimental call sign W8XO. In April 1934 the station was authorized to operate at 500 kilowatts during regular hours under the WLW call letters. On May 2, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a ceremonial button that officially launched WLW's 500-kilowatt signal.[8] As the first station in the world to broadcast at this strength, WLW received repeated complaints from around the United States and Canada that it was overpowering other stations as far away as Toronto. In December 1934 WLW cut back to 50 kilowatts at night to mitigate the interference, and began construction of three 50ft. tower antennas to be used to reduce signal strength towards Canada. With these three antennas in place, full-time broadcasting at 500 kilowatts resumed in early 1935. However, WLW was continuing to operate under special temporary authority that had to be renewed every six months, and each renewal brought complaints about interference and undue domination of the market by such a high-power station. The FCC was having second thoughts about permitting extremely wide-area broadcasting versus more locally oriented stations, and in 1938, the US Senate adopted the "Wheeler" resolution, expressing it to be the sense of that body that more stations with power in excess of 50 kilowatts are against the public interest. As a result, in 1939 the 500-kilowatt broadcast authorization was not renewed, bringing an end to the era of the AM radio superstation. Because of the impending war and the possible need for national broadcasting in an emergency, the W8XO experimental license for 500 kilowatts remained in effect until December 29, 1942. WLW is known by its’ historical tagline “The Nation’s Station” Currently, WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM. WLW's studios are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to Interstate 71 in the Kenwood neighborhood of Sycamore Township, while its transmitter is located in Mason, adjacent to the former Voice of America Bethany Relay Station. WLW airs a nearly entirely locally-produced talk format, and is the flagship station for many nationally syndicated shows. It is also the flagship radio station for the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network and a co-flagship station for the Cincinnati Bengals football team. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B03F10_022_1
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio). Radio Station WLW; Cincinnati. Radio Station WLW; WLW (Radio Station : Cincinnati, Ohio)
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: A close-up photograph of a radio microphone shows the station's call letters "WLW." In 1933 the station owner, Powel Crosley Jr., obtained a construction permit from the Federal Radio Commission for a 500 kilowatt superstation, and he spent some $500, 000 building the transmitter and antenna. In January 1934, WLW began broadcasting at the 500 kilowatt level late at night under the experimental call sign W8XO. In April 1934 the station was authorized to operate at 500 kilowatts during regular hours under the WLW call letters. On May 2, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a ceremonial button that officially launched WLW's 500-kilowatt signal. As the first station in the world to broadcast at this strength, WLW received repeated complaints from around the United States and Canada that it was overpowering other stations as far away as Toronto. In December 1934, WLW cut back to 50 kilowatts at night to mitigate the interference, and began construction of three 50 ft. tower antennas to be used to reduce signal strength towards Canada. With these three antennas in place, full-time broadcasting at 500 kilowatts resumed in early 1935. However, WLW was continuing to operate under special temporary authority that had to be renewed every six months, and each renewal brought complaints about interference and undue domination of the market by such a high-power station. The FCC was having second thoughts about permitting extremely wide-area broadcasting versus more locally oriented stations, and in 1938, the US Senate adopted the "Wheeler" resolution, expressing it to be the sense of that body that more stations with power in excess of 50 kilowatts are against the public interest. As a result, in 1939 the 500-kilowatt broadcast authorization was not renewed, bringing an end to the era of the AM radio superstation. Because of the impending war and the possible need for national broadcasting in an emergency, the W8XO experimental license for 500 kilowatts remained in effect until December 29, 1942. WLW is known by its' historical tagline "The Nation's Station" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F08_015_1
Subjects: Microphone; WLW (Radio Station : Cincinnati, Ohio); Radio
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Attached caption reads: "FEDERAL RADIO WORKSHOP. Program "Art Appreciate." Station WLW - Tuesday 2:45 - 3:00 Left to right, Jan E. Pfandt, director of the cast, D. B. Wetmore, supervisor, Mary London, Jack Marks, Morton Bader, and Virginia Golden. Federal Writers' Photo March 30, 1937." 700 WLW is an AM radio station in Cincinnati. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F06_023_001
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio). Radio Station WLW; Cincinnati. Radio Station WLW; WLW (Radio Station : Cincinnati, Ohio)
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Federal Radio Group. Dayton Ohio." On March 22, 1922, Crosley Broadcasting Corporation began broadcasting with the new call sign WLW and 50 watts of power. WLW is known by its historical tagline "The Nation's Station." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F08_020_001
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio). Radio Station WLW; Cincinnati. Radio Station WLW; WLW (Radio Station : Cincinnati, Ohio)
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a picture taken at night of the WLW radio antenna. The antenna is located in Mason, Ohio, near Cincinnati. In 1933, Powel Crosley obtained a construction permit from the Federal Radio Commission for a 500 kilowatt superstation, and he spent some $500, 000 building the transmitter and antenna. In January 1934 WLW began broadcasting at the 500 kilowatt level late at night under the experimental call sign W8XO. In April 1934 the station was authorized to operate at 500 kilowatts during regular hours under the WLW call letters. On May 2, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a ceremonial button that officially launched WLW's 500-kilowatt signal.[8] As the first station in the world to broadcast at this strength, WLW received repeated complaints from around the United States and Canada that it was overpowering other stations as far away as Toronto. In December 1934 WLW cut back to 50 kilowatts at night to mitigate the interference, and began construction of three 50ft. tower antennas to be used to reduce signal strength towards Canada. With these three antennas in place, full-time broadcasting at 500 kilowatts resumed in early 1935. However, WLW was continuing to operate under special temporary authority that had to be renewed every six months, and each renewal brought complaints about interference and undue domination of the market by such a high-power station. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F05_001_001
Subjects: Mason (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio); Antenna arrays; WLW (Radio Station: Cincinnati, Ohio); Radio stations; Radio broadcasting
Places: Mason (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: The photograph is a picture of the radio antenna for WLW, a Cincinnati radio station. The 831 foot antenna had 500,000 watts of power. In 1933 the station owner, Powel Crosley Jr., obtained a construction permit from the Federal Radio Commission for a 500 kilowatt superstation, and he spent some $500,000 building the transmitter and antenna. In January 1934, WLW began broadcasting at the 500 kilowatt level late at night under the experimental call sign W8XO. In April 1934 the station was authorized to operate at 500 kilowatts during regular hours under the WLW call letters. On May 2, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a ceremonial button that officially launched WLW's 500-kilowatt signal. As the first station in the world to broadcast at this strength, WLW received repeated complaints from around the United States and Canada that it was overpowering other stations as far away as Toronto. In December 1934, WLW cut back to 50 kilowatts at night to mitigate the interference, and began construction of three 50 ft. tower antennas to be used to reduce signal strength towards Canada. With these three antennas in place, full-time broadcasting at 500 kilowatts resumed in early 1935. However, WLW was continuing to operate under special temporary authority that had to be renewed every six months, and each renewal brought complaints about interference and undue domination of the market by such a high-power station. The FCC was having second thoughts about permitting extremely wide-area broadcasting versus more locally oriented stations, and in 1938, the US Senate adopted the "Wheeler" resolution, expressing it to be the sense of that body that more stations with power in excess of 50 kilowatts are against the public interest. As a result, in 1939 the 500-kilowatt broadcast authorization was not renewed, bringing an end to the era of the AM radio superstation. Because of the impending war and the possible need for national broadcasting in an emergency, the W8XO experimental license for 500 kilowatts remained in effect until December 29, 1942. WLW is known by its' historical tagline "The Nation's Station" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F05_002_001
Subjects: Transmitting antennas; WLW (Radio Station : Cincinnati, Ohio); Mason (Ohio);
Places: Mason (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph shows a large banner reading "United We Stand" in an alcove at a radio station. There is an unlit "On The Air" light next to the banner, on the left. On a shelf underneath the banner are two signs with several war related photographs on each. The sign on the left is in Polish and reads: "Czy chcesz walczyc na ladzie. na morzu czy w powietrzu? decyduj sam. w kanadzie tworza sie Polskie sily zbrojne" which rougly translates as "Do you want to fight on land, sea or air? Decide alone. Canada formed the Polish armed forces" The sign on the right is in Polish and reads: "Polacy i amerykanie w walce o demokracje pokonaja wspolnego wroga. W kanadzie tworza sie polskie sily zbrojne." This roughly translates as: "Poles and Americans in the struggle for democracy defeat a common enemy. In Canada, the Polish armed forces were formed." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B03F10_026_1
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio). Radio Station WLW; Cincinnati. Radio Station WLW; WLW (Radio Station : Cincinnati, Ohio)
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Federal Radio Workshop Radio program 1938 Cincinnati Ohio" This workshop appear to have been run by 700 WLW, an AM station in Cincinnati. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F06_015_001
Subjects: Works Progress Administration of Ohio (U.S.); Radio
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: WVKO radio disc jockey James Edward "Eddie" Saunders with radio personality Ed Castleberry and Ann Walker, ca. 1960 -1969. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00750
Subjects: WVKO (radio station); Multicultural Ohio--African American Ohioans
 

Description: This image shows the Blaw-Knox Antenna in Mason, Ohio. In 1922, during the infancy of broadcast radio, the call letters WLW were assigned to the station begun by Cincinnatian Powell Crosley Jr. The station moved its transmitting operations to Mason in 1928, and by April 17, 1934, WLW had permission to operate experimentally at 500,000 watts. Becoming the first and only commercial radio station to broadcast at this "superpower," WLW was formally opened at 500,000 watts by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 2, 1934. Using its 831-foot Blaw-Knox antenna to broadcast at ten times the power of any station, it earned the title "The Nation's Station." Locals reported hearing broadcasts on barbed wire fences, milking machines, rainspouts, water faucets, and radiators. The custom built transmitter, a joint venture between RCA, GE, and Westinghouse, remained in operation until March 1, 1939 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered the station to return to broadcasting at 50,000 watts. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06457
Subjects: Radio broadcasting; Warren County (Ohio); Photography--Ohio
Places: Mason (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows the Blaw-Knox Antenna in Mason, Ohio. In 1922, during the infancy of broadcast radio, the call letters WLW were assigned to the station begun by Cincinnatian Powell Crosley Jr. The station moved its transmitting operations to Mason in 1928, and by April 17, 1934, WLW had permission to operate experimentally at 500,000 watts. Becoming the first and only commercial radio station to broadcast at this "superpower," WLW was formally opened at 500,000 watts by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 2, 1934. Using its 831-foot Blaw-Knox antenna to broadcast at ten times the power of any station, it earned the title "The Nation's Station." Locals reported hearing broadcasts on barbed wire fences, milking machines, rainspouts, water faucets, and radiators. The custom built transmitter, a joint venture between RCA, GE, and Westinghouse, remained in operation until March 1, 1939 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered the station to return to broadcasting at 50,000 watts. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06458
Subjects: Radio broadcasting; Warren County (Ohio);
Places: Mason (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: Disc jockey James Edward "Eddie" Saunders at piano with famous jazz musicians Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Sara Vaughn, ca. 1950-1959. He was the first African-American disc jockey in the central Ohio area. His career with WVKO radio, Columbus first and only African-American radio station, began in 1948. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01734
Subjects: WVKO (radio station); African American Ohioans; Arts and entertainment
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)