A Tribute To A Midwest Broadcast Legend
WOW 590AM
OMAHA
IN THE BEGINNING... Nearly 80 years ago, when radio was new, Woodmen of the World Sovereign Commander W.A. Fraser sensed the potential of the fledgling industry and how it could benefit businesses in the form of advertising and ultimately, the Woodmen of the World Society. While the officers and directors of the Society approved a national advertising campaign directed at print and were fielding proposals from a national weekly publication, they stopped to investigate this suspected "passing fancy" called radio. It was their opinion this was no fad and a full investigation was called for.
At the time, there were only a few stations in the country actually on the air. Orson Stiles, head of the organization department of the Society and Colonel T.E. Patterson held lengthy discussions and finally called in the "experts".
The "experts" advised them that it would be difficult to control any power beyond ten watts. Further investigation revealed Western Electric was capable of building the Society a 500 watt transmitter. Unaccustomed to doing anything halfway, the society decided to sponsor a BIG station. The transmitter was purchased at a considerable cost and the legacy began.
In this period there were no radio laws, regulations or programming formulas. "One just turned on the juice and started talking into the microphone" said Mr. Stiles.
A license for radio station WOW was applied for with the US Department of commerce and ultimately issued on November 27, 1922 to the Society for station WOAW, as the WOW letters were already in use by the steamship Henry J. Bibble.
Broadcasting equipment and a studio were installed in the Woodmen of the World Building, located at 14th & Farnum. The total cost of the equipment and studio was approximately $18,000.
During testing periods, WOAW was one of four stations used by Explorer Donald McMillian during his expedition to the North Pole. Letters came in that voices on WOAW were heard on ships in both mid-Pacific and mid-Atlantic waters.
On April 2, 1923, WOAW’s first broadcast took place. "The Star-Spangled Banner" was the first sound broadcast from the 19th floor studio, followed appropriate words from Sovereign Commander Fraser and speeches by Nebraska state and Omaha local officials and prominent Omahans. Also featured were an orchestra and a 75-member chorus.
In these early days, Fraser himself was the station announcer and active manager. Stiles, Col. T.E. Patterson and General Attorney De E. Bradshaw were his willing and enthusiastic assistants. The rest of the staff included one day and one night hostess, both of whom doubled as pianists and singers, as well as one night announcer, plus two engineers.
Earl May, a seed and nursery man from Shenandoah, Iowa, was able to foresee the great opportunity of talking to thousands of people by this new means of communication called radio. He traveled to Omaha to broadcast his program on WOAW. After two years, he built his own station in Shenandoah, the historic KMA.
The original operating power was a maximum of 500 watts, with an increase to 1,000 watts in 1927. Later, on October 1st, WOW became affiliated with the Red network of the National Broadcasting Company. In 1926, with the retirement from service by the SS Bibble, the letters WOW were awarded to the Society.
In 1928, WOW was forced to share the 590 frequency with Nebraska Weslayan College station WCAJ. WOW was permitted to use the frequency six-sevenths of the time, with the college using the remaining seventh. In 1930, WOW applied for full time use of the frequency, finally winning its battle in 1933.
On December 8, 1935, the Society moved into the Insurance Building at 17th & Farnum, and opened a new studio. After the move, the radio station was permitted to operate at 5,000 watts of power, making it, at the time, one of the most powerful broadcasting facilities in the Midwest.
WOW's physical property included a modern transmitter facility located at 56th Street and Kansas Avenue, then on the outskirts of Omaha, in a 16 acre tract, referred to as "The WOW Farm". The transmitter was housed in a brick building, which included living quarters for it's staff of engineers. The single transmitting antenna stood 454 feet, weighed 29 tons and reputedly could be seen for 50 miles.
WOW could boast of a nine-man news department at the time. In 1937, the station received the coveted Variety Showmanship Award, as the outstanding showmanship radio station in the U.S.
November 1939 saw the Federal Radio Commission grant WOW a full 5,000 watts operating power during the night time hours, giving the station a solid 300 mile radius coverage area.
In 1940, the staff increased to 65, plus a host of others who did specialized programs.
The Sophisticated Rangers - 1939
The summer of 1945 marked the end of a legal battle over the sale of the radio station. After 20 years of success, the station was offered for sale because it was feared the Society's tax-exempt status may be threatened. When a purchaser could not be found, the station was leased in 1943 to Radio Station WOW, Inc., for 15 years and the broadcasting license was transferred to the new operators. However, the lease was challenged in court when the amount of the lease did not compensate the Society for the value of the facility. After months of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the lease void and returned the property to the Society, but left the license to operate the station in the hands of the lessee.
The Society soon negotiated a 25-year lease with the same company - Radio Station WOW, Inc.--and the deal was closed.
In October 1958, the stock of Radio Station WOW, Inc., was purchased by the Meredith Corporation, which subsequently purchased the property for $1.2 million. Meredith paid a rental fee of $140,000 per year until 1976 as deferred payment of the purchase price.
During the Meredith years, WOW changed with the times, adopting a Top 40 format about 1970. WOW attracted popular Disc Jockeys well known in the Omaha area and offered the areas youthful listeners a new alternative. Competing head to head with the Top 40 giant KOIL, WOW proved a worthy challenger, but after only a few years chose to rather "switch than fight". Country and Western music, along with farm news, became the niche WOW targeted and succeeded at for the next quarter century.
In 1983, Mike Lynch and Mike Oatman, as "Great Empire" acquired WOW-AM and KYNN-FM. The FM call letters were changed to create the WOW- AM/FM combination. Ken Fearnow was named vice president and general manager of the two stations.
WOW, along with 12 other Great Empire stations, was sold to Milwaukee-based Journal Broadcast Group on June 14, 1999.
In a surprise move, the historic call letters of WOW-AM were then surrendered and the station became KOMJ "Magic 590" on November 22, 1999, with the format switching from Country to Adult Standards. WOW-FM became KYSS-FM. KOMJ has since moved to 1490 and has been replaced with KXSP, all sports.
If you have stories, photographs, tapes or memories of WOW Radio, please consider sharing them with us.
This WOW Radio Tribute is not affiliated with Journal Broadcasting, KOMJ "Magic 1490" Radio or any WOW past employees.
