Radio Articles

KFQA was a short-lived radio station that spent most of its life sharing

frequencies with other St. Louis stations. That seemed fine with the owners, however. They didn’t really need a lot of time on the air.  

When the station was licensed in May of 1924, The Principia was listed as the owner. All The Principia seemed to want was a frequency on which they could broadcast their Christian Science church services. Since it was not uncommon in 1924 for a radio station to only broadcast a few hours a week, this goal was understandable.  

As more and more radio stations applied for broadcast licenses, it became clear to Washington officials that an oversight organization was needed to administer broadcasting, and the Federal Radio Commission was established in 1927. It was this group that paired up radio applicants and assigned frequencies on the AM band. The results were often fraught with disagreement, much like siblings fighting over the slightest provocations. (one such battle, involving the shared frequency assignments of KFUO and KSD, lasted almost 16 years.)  

Printed records show KFQA bounced around several frequencies, variously landing at 1150, 930, 1280 and 1000 kHz.  

When it became evident to Washington policymakers that they had too many radio stations for the number of active frequencies that were available, KFQA was assigned to 1280 kHz, along with Benson Broadcasting’s KWK and WMAY, which was another church-related station owned by the Kingshighway Presbyterian Church. This lasted only a few months.  

On May 28, 1928, KFQA was told by the Federal Radio Commission that it would lose its license under a radio reorganization plan. Appeals were filed, but the station was finally forced to shut down in September. The battle had not ended, though.  

After more wrangling in Washington, The Principia emerged victorious. They were given permission, under a unique arrangement, to broadcast on another station’s frequency, using that station’s equipment and transmitter, while identifying themselves as a separate broadcast entity, KFQA. The new partner was KMOX.  

Under the FRC orders, KFQA aired services from the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. over KMOX, which was, only during that broadcast, identified as KFQA. The newspaper article announcing the arrangement indicated it was to begin October 7, 1928, little more than a month after KFQA had shut down. There were to be other lecture programs set up at a later time. This frequency sharing arrangement was to last for one year. The article was the last mention found of KFQA.  

(Reprinted with permission of the St. Louis Journalism Review. Originally published 3/00)

Anyone who remembers the Dogpatch characters created by the late cartoonist Al Capp will probably remember Joe Btfsplk. He was the poor soul who walked around with a black cloud hanging over his head. For him there was never much chance of basking in the sunshine of good fortune.  So, it seems, was the fate of radio station KFQA in St. Louis.

Owned and operated by The Principia, KFQA hit the airwaves May 9, 1924. In those days The Principia was not at Elsah, Illinois as it is now. It was located in St. Louis’ West End at 5539 Page. A bill of sale from Western Electric Company shows the entire equipment package cost less than $5,000, installed. In fact, the school paid to bring in a special radio engineer from Chicago to handle the installation, and he charged them $1.90 to cover expenses for two meals. All these costs were paid by a benefactor, Clarence Howard, chairman of the board of General Steel Castings in Granite City. Two 62’ masts were constructed atop Howard Gymnasium 85’ apart and the aerial was strung between them. The studio was built in a 12’X12’ room, and the first transmitter had a power of 50 watts. There were unconfirmed reports of reception of KFQA along the Eastern seaboard.

It is clear from all documents in the Principia archives that the primary raison d’être for the station was to broadcast local Christian Science church services and lectures.

In radio’s early days two or three stations were often required to share the same frequency, and when KMOX signed on in December of 1925, it was given the same frequency as KFQA. Along with KFQA’s new neighbor came a new, powerful transmitter, 5,000 watts. The Principia station would be allowed to broadcast, without charge, over the frequency 104 hours a year. This arrangement had a two-year life span, and then KFQA had to start paying for broadcast time, which totaled about 64 hours a year. The cost, including remote line charges, would be $5,327.00.

Soon the Federal Radio Commission began to question whether The Principia should be allowed to continue operating a radio station. KFQA had been forced to change frequencies in 1927, from 1150 Kc. to 1210 Kc. (shared with WMAY), and later to 1280 Kc. (shared with KWK and WMAY). In May of 1928 the station was ordered to leave the air, but they were back on in October of that year, again sharing a frequency with KMOX.

It was an interesting arrangement. KMOX was obligated to broadcast the Christian Science church services. KFQA was obligated to buy shares of the corporation owning KMOX and pay the station the equivalent ad rates for the broadcast time. And KMOX would be identified as KFQA during those broadcasts.

This arrangement, convoluted as it was, stayed in place until July of 1930, when the Federal Radio Commission deleted the call letters of KFQA from its active files.

(Reprinted with permission of the St. Louis Journalism Review. Originally published 04/01)

Photos courtesy of the Principia Archive, Elsah, IL. All Rights Reserved.

The station, at 570 kHz, was a carrier-current student operation at Washington University.

Among the various mission activities of the Lutheran Church, Radio Station KFUO has a prominent place. KFUO broadcasts the precious gospel of Jesus Christ, bringing the glad tidings of salvation to places inaccessible to our missionaries, to people not affiliated with any church, to persons not familiar with the doctrines and principles of our church, as well as to members of our own congregations, especially to those who cannot attend church on account of external circumstances,such as sickness, lack of means of transportation, and bad roads.

A few remarks concerning the history of Station KFUO, its work and success, will be of interest to everyone. On February 19th, 1923, under the guidance of Dr. R. Kretzschmar, enthusiastically supported by Dr. W. A. Maier, the first definite move towards the purchase, installation and maintenance of a radio station got under way. Space will not permit to give a detailed account of the various meetings, the laborof the committee, of the installation of the initial radio apparatus, and subsequent larger development of the station, of the zeal and love of those interested and associated with the problem of bringing KFUO into existence. Among those who took an active part in the founding and development of KFUO, we must mention the Walther League, the Lutheran Layman’s League and the St. Louis Publicity Organization. The latter two still support KFUO with an annual subsidy.

In the course of years, thousands of individuals and may Lutheran congregations, organizations and societies have contributed toward the maintenance of KFUO, the great Missionary of the Air.

Formal dedication of Station KFUO occurred on Sunday, December 24th, 1924, at the old Concordia Seminary on South Jefferson Avenue. With the completion of the new Seminary, west of Forest Park, a new and larger plant was erected and dedicated to the service of the Triune God on May 29th, 1927. Since that time the equipment of Station KFUO has been kept up to date and all of the apparatus required by the Federal Radio Commission has been installed from time to time, thus assuring the listeners 100 percent efficiency in the transmission of our programs.

When KFUO began to broadcast, only two programs per week came over the air. Later, however, more programs were added. At the present time KFUO may be heard several times a day. Most of the broadcasting is done in the English language. Programs in the German, Slovak, Polish, Norwegian and Spanish language are also given. This is done in compliance with the great commission which Christ gave to the Church, “To Preach the Gospel to Every Creature.”

KFUO is heard in homes, in barber shops, at filling stations and garages, also on the highways by persons who have radios installed in their automobiles. Its broadcasts come to the shut-ins, to the bedside of the sick, to the mansions of the rich, and to the humble living room of the poor. It is heard early in the morning and at midnight. Those who tune in on KFUO may begin their daily task with the morning devotion, and close it with a midnight meditation on certain evenings of the week. Truly its work is to bring the Word of God into the lives of the people. Through the broadcasts of KFUO, the world is daily informed about the way to salvation. Every day of the week our Station answers the question of perplexed and troubled sinners who ask, “What must I do

to be saved?” Daily through the message of KFUO, these anxious enquirers are told, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” What then is the work of KFUO? We reply, to proclaim the Word of God in truth and purity, to lead sinners to repentance, to direct their hearts and minds in true faith to the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

Frequently listeners ask: How do you maintain your Station? Do you not broadcast any commercial programs? The answer is, no business man or commercial firm could buy one minute of our time for advertising purposes. Our Station is altogether dependent on the free-will gifts from Lutheran organizations and congregations, and from the vast host of listeners-in. God blesses our work through the willing hearts and hands of the people.

For religious, educational, cultural and up-lifting programs – tune in on Station KFUO.

(Originally published in RAE Annual Radio Personality Yearbook 1933.)

Although it has jumped up and down the radio dial during its 73 years of broadcasting, KFUO is still owned by the same organization that put the station on the air back in 1924.

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s seminary board proposed development of the station at its meeting in February of 1923, and a broadcasting license was issued October 25, 1924.

When KFUO went on the air Dec. 14 of that year, the first broadcast originated from the attic of one of the seminary buildings. It shared the 550 kHz frequency with KSD, which was owned by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the religious station broadcast two programs per week initially. Its founders say KFUO is the oldest religious radio station in the world. By 1928, the number of hours of broadcasting had increased to 21 per week.

In 1927, in a move that reflected the chaos encountered by the federal government in its attempts to regulate the radio industry, KFUO was forced into a time share with KFVE at 1280 kHz (KFVE later became KWK), but a month later the time share with KSD was reinstated. By 1933, KSD determined it wanted the 550 spot all to itself and set out to find a new frequency for the Lutheran station.

In 1936, application was made, but legal wrangling by government agencies prevented the change from taking place for 7 years. On July 1, 1940, KFUO, with 1,000 watts of power, was assigned to 830 kHz. A year later the station was moved to its present “home” at 850 kHz, and power was increased to 5,000 watts the following September.

The station’s studio was originally located at the old Concordia Seminary on South Jefferson in St. Louis, and it followed the move of the seminary to its present grounds in Clayton in 1926. The station now shares studios with KFUO-FM, which went on the air in 1948.

At one point in 1935, the Lutheran Church turned down an offer of $100,000 for the station from the St. Louis Star-Times. (Publisher Elzey Roberts then bought KFRU in Columbia, Mo., and ended up building KXOK in St. Louis within a year.) Although KFUO is on a commercial frequency, it does not run advertisements, instead relying on monetary donations from its listeners. As for any hidden meanings in the call letters, a reference was found in printed material that read “Keep Forward-Upward-Onward!”

(Reprinted with permission of the St.Louis Journalism Review. Originally published 7/97)

Maybe it’s the fact that they don’t spend any money on tv commercials. You don’t see any bumper stickers containing their call letters. There’s that thing about their history, being owned by the same group since signing on in 1948. Oh, yes – They’re the oldest FM station in the market, and in the past two years, they’ve averaged a respectable 3.1 quarter hour 12+ share in Arbitron, delivering the kind of high-end demographics many advertisers crave. And then there’s the Marconi Award last year.

So why is it that when the “radio reporter” for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes a rambling, misinformed article on the lack of variety on the market’s music radio stations, she doesn’t even mention KFUO-FM? Doesn’t classical music count?

There is a uniqueness to Classic 99, including the fact that it’s still on the air, and still commercially successful. In the past few years, classical music stations in New York, Chicago, Miami, Detroit, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Denver have dropped the format, opting for something more popular – and more lucrative. Chicago Sun-Times Radio/TV columnist Robert Feder tells SJR his city once enjoyed “two full-time commercial classical music stations.” When big money came calling, the married couple who owned WNIB (having put it on the air for $8,000 45 years ago) sold for $165 million. Exit classical music; enter rock music.

Philadelphia saw the same thing happen. Kent Steinriede, who writes for the Philadelphia Weekly, says “WFLN was bought by a big radio chain that dropped the [classical] format because it didn’t pay.” It’s a rock station now, and the City of Brotherly Love can only hear classical music during a limited number of hours each day on the Temple University station.

Here in St. Louis, that situation was reversed. In 1994 the non-commercial radio station owned by the University of Missouri – St. Louis dropped its broadcasts of classical music, thereby giving KFUO-FM a sort of classical monopoly. At Classic 99, they’ve been running commercials since 1983, and although they provide a significant chunk of income to their owners from spot sales, there’s a slight difference in their operating philosophy when compared to other commercial stations.

In St. Louis, KFUO-FM is owned by the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, and the station’s director of broadcast, Dennis Stortz, says that gives the station a big advantage over those that were sold. “The mission of the station is really two-fold: to support the cultural well-being of the community and to represent its ownership in that quest. Broadcast groups search endlessly for the right format. This is a traditional format and people respect it.”

It appears the Lutheran Church is one of those “old-fashioned” radio owners that cares very deeply about serving the community. The station works hard at publicizing the entire St. Louis Arts community. They’ve established outreach programs to take music into the schools, provide musical instruments to students, and give disadvantaged kids a chance to perform the music they’ve learned. Dennis Stortz admits there’s no way to please all the listeners. “In 1990 or 91, it became apparent we had to start giving the audience a format based largely on the popular classics.” The result was a load of letters from an audience segment upset that they were no longer hearing entire orchestral works. Stortz says the jump in audience levels was significant the audience has stayed. The format also includes CNN news broadcasts during morning and afternoon drive and regular reports from the Wall Street Journal when the markets are open.

KFUO-FM’s uniqueness in the radio business extends beyond format and community service. “Our full-time staff hasn’t changed in any dramatic way in the past ten years,” says Stortz. Morning man Jim Connett has been there for 10 years; John Roberts, who holds down middays has been an announcer there since 1977; Dick Wobbe, who is in afternoon drive has been on the air at Classic 99 since 1985; and operations director Ron Klemm, whose voice is on many commercials an most of the station’s weekly specialty shows, has been there for 23 years.

Everyone at the station agrees there’s a special relationship between Classic 99 and its listeners. Afternoon announcer Dick Wobbe puts it succinctly: “I think the people who listen to us realize our station is something special.” And Dennis Stortz says staff members are appreciative of their relationship with the listeners: “We spend a lot of time each day answering emails from our audience. They listen. They respond. We never have remotes where people don’t show up.”

Staff members agree the two-way listener-station relationship is based, in part, on the musical product. Jim Connett, who is also the station’s program director, says, “People come here for the music. It’s their [listeners’] radio station.” And Ron Klemm says the listeners’ taste is due to their demographic backgrounds: “Classical music people are more educated, are more involved in the community. There is a connection with the listener that is so intimate that each of them has a sense of ownership in what we’re doing.”

One man, Paul DeVantier, has a perspective of the radio station that is unique. Now retired and living in Wisconsin, he served as general manager of the station for many years before moving to the position of Executive Director of Communications for the synod.

DeVantier says over that 28 year period, he saw a “leadership in the synod committed to classical music as its most appropriate use of the airwaves, because it tied in with the Lutheran understanding of the importance of music in life itself.”

Thanks to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, there’s really no limit on the number of radio stations a company can own. Because of that four corporations own the bulk of the nation’s radio properties, and the days are gone when the corporate executives knew the names of the people who worked for them. That is, they’re gone almost everywhere. At KFUO-FM in the nation’s seventeenth largest radio market, the staff is well known to the owners, and to the station’s many listeners.

(Reprinted with permission of the St.Louis Journalism Review. Originally published 04/01)