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Radio was most significant in the social life and economic development of the Great Plains from the early 1920s through the 1960s. An article in
There was a great deal of enthusiasm about
the arrival of radio. When KDYS in Great Falls,
Montana, went on the air in 1922 nearly 800
people crowded around a single radio at a local
store to hear the first broadcast. The broadcast
was cut short by a mechanical failure, and the
radio station went off the air the following
year, but the event signified the popularity of
radio.
The region's residents eagerly welcomed radio
because it reduced boredom and isolation
and helped them feel connected with the rest
of the country. Rural communities listened to
the same news and entertainment programs
heard by the rest of the nation. Rural families
in the Great Plains, like other families in
America, would gather around the radio to
listen to their favorite evening programs. NBC
was heard over KFYR in Bismarck and KOA in
Denver. In Omaha, KOIL aired the NBC Basic
Blue Network, while wow aired NBC Basic
Red. CBS was heard over KLZ in Denver, WNAX
in Yankton, and WIBW in Topeka. WBAP in
Fort Worth aired NBC programming but also
carried the Texas Network.
Regional and local radio stations offered a
variety of programs that targeted local audiences.
Religious services were broadcast for
people who could not leave the farm for Sunday
services. Educational programs were
broadcast from stations such as KOOW of the
Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha,
Oklahoma, and KFJM from the University of
North Dakota in Grand Forks. The U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) recognized
the important benefits of radio and sponsored
a number of programs that provided radio
stations in rural areas with up-to-date agricultural
and household information. The USDA
programming provided a cost-effective way
for small local stations to fill their schedule.
Women were a particularly important market
because radio provided companionship during
routine daily chores. Home economists
working for the USDA, the Rural Electrification
Administration (REA), and other groups
provided a variety of radio programs that targeted
women in rural locations.
A radio was generally inexpensive to own
and operate, and in most cases the purchase
of a single radio provided years of service.
Battery-powered radios were a common appliance
in rural homes, and the battery from
the family automobile was a useful way to
power the radio. The automobile was parked
on an incline before the battery was removed
so the car could be rolled to a start if the power
of the battery had been drained by an evening
of listening to the radio. Most rural listeners
developed recharging systems to maintain the
battery's power. The arrival of REA power during
the late 1930s through the early 1950s allowed
rural residents to switch to AC-powered
radios. REA reports indicate that the AC radio
was the most frequently purchased household
electrical appliance of new REA electrical users.
In addition to its popularity as a form of
entertainment, radio brought significant economic
benefits to the Great Plains. Two informational
benefits of radio were critical to the
economic lives of Great Plains residents. First,
the accuracy and availability of weather reports
improved. Residents were alerted about
approaching violent weather in their immediate
area. Weather changes were more accurately
tracked as local forecasting improved.
This was especially important when deciding
a planting or harvesting schedule or when to
gather or release livestock. The second major
informational benefit of radio was the availability
of up-to-date market reports. As early
as 1922, KFKA in Greeley, Colorado, regularly
provided information about livestock prices
in Denver. Radio provided rural communities
and residents access to accurate and timely
trade information. Decisions about when to
buy and sell products and commodities were
based on the latest market information from
Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Kansas City,
and other regional trade centers. Radio gave
Great Plains residents a greater sense of freedom
and control over their economic lives.
Radio also provided local businesses with
an advertising medium that could reach into
remote areas of their communities and expand
their markets. Seed, tires, batteries, and
other important farm goods were advertised
over the radio, as were household items and
clothing. For example, the Gurney Seed and
Nursery Company of Yankton, South Dakota,
purchased WNAX radio for $2,000 in 1927 and
developed a strong local clientele and mailorder
business by advertising a wide variety of
goods over the radio. The company developed
and sponsored some of the most popular music
programs in the state and was one of the
first stations to feature Great Plains musicians
such as the Lawrence Welk Band.
Radio delivered entertainment, companionship, education, religion, weather reports, market reports, and a wide variety of informational programs that made life in the Great Plains easier and more enjoyable. Radio allowed the residents of the Great Plains their first opportunity to feel as though they were in tune with the rest of the nation. The arrival of television in the 1950s and 1960s and the continued development of advanced media delivery systems eventually diminished radio's importance in the region.