A new radio broadcasting station with headquarters in the Hotel Chase took the air recently over a wave length of 239.9 meters. The station, organized under the laws of Missouri, is being operated by the Greater St. Louis Broadcasting Corporation, which has acquired the good will, assets, apparatus, call letters and wave length of station KFVE.
The new corporation is headed by Thomas P. Convey, president; David W. Hill, vice-president of the International Life Insurance Company, holds similar office in the new body, and George T. Thompson, vice-president of the Hotel Chase, is secretary.
One wing of the ninth floor has been reconstructed and converted into a transmitting studio, offices and reception room.
The station is not operated on the unit basis, Convey states, but toll rights are being allotted to individual concerns and organizations on a contract basis. Only professional talent is to be used, quality rather than quantity being the policy of the station. In order to insure good programs, all contracts provide that a stipulated budget must be set aside by the contracting companies for talent.
“In organizing this station, we proceeded on the theory that rather than ask for a new wave length and further congest the air, we would take an existing wave length and utilize it,” Convey said. “As our corporation name implies, we intend to use the station to further any plan looking to a better and greater St. Louis. In this connection we have invited the Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Publicity Bureau, Better Business Bureau, the Advertising Club, the American Retailers’ Association, Salesmanagers’ Bureau and other civic bodies to join.”
“It is our aim to give a short program each evening.”
The Chamber of Commerce has appointed a committee composed of W. Palmer Clarkson, Charles A Pearson and J. Will Finlay, to inquire into the feasibility of broadcasting programs over the new station.
Convey, who came to St. Louis in January, 1925, has been intimately identified with radio for a long time. He organized and developed the St. Louis Radio Trades Association, the Southwest National Radio Show and Station KMOX. He had a leading part in the Hoover radio conference in Washington in October, 1925, and served on a special publicity committee of three. During the latter part of last year he was identified with the Chamber of Commerce on special work.
The new station will be flexible and capable of operating on from 500 to 2,500 watts, but it is the intention to increase this by fall to 5,000 watts.
(Originally published in Greater St. Louis April, 1927).