1280 Kilocycles – – – 234.2 Meters
KWK which until a month ago carried the call letters KFVE is now in its tenth month of operation in its present home and under its present ownership and management, the station having officially opened bearing the name of the International Life Insurance Company on March 17th, 1927.
It is generally conceded that KWK now ranks as St. Louis’ most progressive station. Its rapid rise to recognition started in April, 1927, when it scooped all other local stations and was first to present a play-by-play account of both the Cardinal and Brown Baseball Games (Ed. note: Some dispute this claim.) This feature won for the station thousands of followers. Through the broadcasting of nationally known orchestras from the Palm Room of the Hotel Chase it developed a large number of listeners who tuned in nightly to enjoy the music of the best orchestras in the St. Louis district.
Through its morning shoppers’ program another large following was developed, as it was the first station to present morning programs which were enjoyed.
In the month of October, the station gained a splendid reputation through its untiring efforts and successful work during the tornado disaster. It was the first station on the air with the news.
The Shut-In-Fund through which the station provides radio sets for the unfortunates who are shut in has been another nice feature that has won public favor and brought joy and happiness to many of the unfortunate in the St. Louis district.
The station’s standing in the community was most conclusively proven when more than twelve thousand listeners cast a vote by letter requesting the Federal Radio Commission to grant the station full time on its wave length while only forty-one voted against full time; and, though it is true full time was not granted by the commission, the station was only asked to give up two hours on Sunday to two other stations, namely WMAY and KFQA.
On December the first the station acquired the Blue Network programs from the National Broadcasting Company, and now broadcasts daily many national features, namely: Roxy and His Gang, Rise and Shine, Stromberg-Carlson Orchestra and Quintettes, The Sixty Continentals, The Torrid Tots, The Armand Company Girls, The Variety Hour, The Mediterranean Dance Band, The Ampico Hour, The Chicago Civic Opera Company’s Balkite Program, The Wrigley Wrigamarole, The Victor Hour, Collier’s Hour, Thomas Cook & Son Travelogue and a program by Montgomery Ward & Co., and the White Rock Mineral Springs Co. which starts next week.
On Sunday in each week, the station has also added the broadcast of a Little Symphony Concert with soloists from 12:00 to 2:00 P. M. followed by the St. Louis Symphony Pop Concerts through the courtesy of the Laclede Gas Light Company from 3:00 to 5:00 P. M.
Many new features and additional programs are being developed and the most promising future appears to be in store for the station. It is the ambition of the entire staff and all those affiliated with the station that KWK rank with the best in the west on or before the first birthday of the station which will be March 17th, 1928.
(Originally published in the International Life Broadcaster January 1928).