Blaw-Knox Antenna

Side A: In 1922, during the infancy of broadcast radio, the call letters WLW were assigned to the station begun by Cincinnatian Powell Crosley Jr. The station moved its transmitting operations to Mason in 1928, and by April 17, 1934, WLW had permission to operate experimentally at 500,000 watts. Becoming the first and only commercial radio station to broadcast at this “superpower,” WLW was formally opened at 500,000 watts by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 2, 1934. Using its 831-foot Blaw-Knox antenna to broadcast at ten times the power of any station, it earned the title “The Nation’s Station.” Locals reported hearing broadcasts on barbed wire fences, milking machines, rainspouts, water faucets, and radiators. The custom built transmitter, a joint venture between RCA, GE, and Westinghouse, remained in operation until March 1, 1939 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered the station to return to broadcasting at 50,000 watts. Side B: Same