On July 18, 1922, WHAS made its first radio broadcast, becoming Kentucky's first radio station.
According to the University of Kentucky, there were an estimated 19,000 radio stations nationwide in 1922, most of which were “amateur operations broadcasting sporadically.” Robert Worth Bingham, owner of the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times Company, set out to establish the bluegrass’s radio presence.
“I want a radio station which will reach into the farthest confines of the state, where a man may string an aerial from his cabin to the nearest pine tree, and sitting in his chair before the fire, have a pew in a church, a seat at the opera, a desk at the university,” Bingham said.
In April of 1922, Bingham was granted a radio license from the Commerce Department. Three months later, WHAS hit the air, per UK. WHAS has gone on to become one of the longest-running radio stations nationwide.
“This is WHAS, the radiotelephone broadcasting station of the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times of Louisville, Kentucky,” were the first words heard across the Commonwealth from station manager and announcer Credo Harris.
In the beginning, WHAS was only on air for around two and a half hours a day, according to UK research. From then on, their coverage grew more widespread, making nationwide radio history.
On Sept. 14, 1922, WHAS became the first radio station to broadcast from a moving train.
In December 1922, the radio station amassed listeners from its commitment to music, beginning with its first remote broadcast of organ music from the old Alamo Theatre. By the end of 1922, the station had received almost 30,000 letters from listeners from as far as Honduras and Australia, per UK. The station then went on to produce over 3,000 performances in its first six months of broadcasting and was ranked one of the top six radio stations in the country.
However, WHAS gained popularity after broadcasting a mock Fort Knox battle in August of 1924. UK research showed that it scared many Kentuckians, some believing that “Martians had landed.”
The following events have been recognized as pivotal in WHAS history, according to UK and Berea College:
- 1922: First radio broadcast
- 1925: The first live Kentucky Derby broadcast
- 1929: Partnership with the University of Kentucky to broadcast university programming and “listening centers” in eastern Kentucky
- 1936: The station began carrying University of Kentucky basketball and football games
- 1937: Awarded CBS Medal for Distinguished Service for its coverage of January floods
- 1939: Recognized as “one of the five best radio newscasts in the nation”
- 1954: Establishes the Crusade for Children, which has raised millions of dollars for children’s charities in the area
- 1970: Began 24-hour broadcast
102 years later, WHAS continues to serve the community and inform listeners throughout Kentukiana.
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