1924
Grand Rapids' first local radio programs began on September 16, 1924, when the C.J. Litscher Company, a local seller of receiving sets, and the Radio Corporation of America held a week-long radio exhibition in the Klingman Building. Radio equipment for civilian and military use was displayed, audio engineers described professional techniques to amateur enthusiasts, and prizes were awarded to the best amateur builders of radio sets.
The show's central feature was its broadcasts, which attracted five hundred spectators. Its station, WEBK (with a temporary license from the Department of Commerce), broadcast on 226 meters (1327 kHz) with 250 watts of power and was picked up by radio sets as far as three hundred miles away. Music and talks by civic and military leaders of the area were broadcast each day from 2 PM to 9 PM and 10PM to Midnight.
Grand Rapids' first regular commercial station followed within a month. WEBK was the creation of two local businessmen, Don L. Gildersleeve and Leo J. Robinson, who had begun as the Grand Rapids Radio Company to manufacture radio receiving sets and parts in 1922. In the two years that interevened, they had worked on perfecting transmission and reception equipment. Operating experimentally on 261 meters (1149 kHz) with 20 watts of power, they had been heard as far away as Duxbury, Massachusetts.
On October 19, 1924, (soon after WEBK's first broadcast), the Grand Rapids Herald reported: Station WEBK got on the air for the... community evening services which it is broadcasting from the Trinity Community Church, without a hitch; and before the first number was ended, telephone calls were coming in from radio worshipers all over the city, who reported to the station that the services were being received successfully.
Gildersleeve and Robinson announced the station would broadcast every Sunday and Wednesday night, because most Chicago stations, (which were popular in the Grand Rapids area), were silent on Sunday nights. Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland stations did not broadcast after 8 PM on Wednesday evenings. After two weeks, however, Gildersleeve and Robinson added Monday nights as well, confident they could compete with the big city stations.
1925
Grand Rapids' second commercial station, WBDC, came into being after a half-page advertisement in the Grand Rapids Press announced its opening on Friday, March 13, 1925, at 5:30 PM. The first half of the ad is the Headline, and the second half are the Policies of Operation. The studios were behind the Baxter Laundry Company's office in the city's northeast section (707 Fountain Street). The call letters WBDC stood for "World-wide Baxter Dry Cleaning" for the laundry firm owned by State Senator Howard F. Baxter, who also owned the station. WBDC broadcast every day from 12 Noon to 8 PM on 256.4 meters (1170 kHz) with 50 watts of power.
Meanwhile, Gildersleeve and Robinson operated WEBK from 1924 to 1926 with the financial support of the Furniture Manufacturers Association of Grand Rapids and Walter B. Stiles, co-owner of the city's leading lumber company, Stiles Associated Yards. On December, 21, 1925, the backers asked the WEBK management to request a change of call letters to the more significant and easily remembered WOOD. The Department of Commerce approved, and on January 13, 1926, WEBK became WOOD, and power was increased to 500 watts.
WBDC raised its power to 500 watts in the early months of 1926 and following suit, WOOD's managers obtained new call letters more suggestive of the cleaning business. On October 22, 1926, WBDC became WASH and changed the licensee name to Baxter Launderers & Cleaners. Between 1926 and 1929, each had changes in ownership before both were finally leased to an outside corporation.
1926-1933
Late in 1925, WOOD's inability to show a profit became a matter of concern to one of its backers. By the autumn of 1926, the Furniture Manufacturers Association informed Gildersleeve and Robinson that it would no longer contribute to WOOD's support. When the Association withdrew from the station, Walter B. Stiles, with the aid of his brothers Frederick and Barry Stiles (co-owners of the Stiles Associated Yards), acquired major capital interest and control of the station. Gildersleeve and Robinson remained as minority stockholders.
In May, 1927, WOOD shifted dial positions from 1240 kHz to 1150 kHz, and by January, 1928, the licensee of the station became Walter B. Stiles, Jr., Inc.. The studios were now located in the Hotel Rowe, and the station was sharing time on 1150 kHz with WCMA of Culver, Indiana.
WASH reduced its power to 250 watts in early 1928 and changed its licensee name to Baxter Laundries, Inc. As a result of a major reallocations plan affecting most United States broadcast stations, WASH was required to share time with Grand Rapids' WOOD at 3am on Saturday, November 11, 1928 on a new frequency--1270 kHz.
In early 1929, WASH raised power to 500 watts once again, and the station was again under different ownership. Senator Baxter found operating WASH an added burden to his other interests. On March 9, 1929, he sold WASH to a group of parishioners of the Grand Rapids Calvary Undenominational Church. This group, under the leadership of Adrian L.H. Verwys, Thys Ferwerds, and William Schonwald, bought the station mainly to make it possible for the Reverend Martin R. De Haan to broadcast his "Radio Bible Class," but also as a commercial venture. By December of 1929, WASH's studio was moved to the Peninsular Building (154 Louis Street).
WOOD was acquired by Norman Hoffman in the fall of 1930, and relocated to Fourth and Market Streets. Ownership passed to Detroit's Kunsky-Trendle Broadcasting Corporation, Inc., owned by John H. Kunsky, who began his career as the owner and operator of a Detroit penny arcade, and George W. Trendle, a young Detroit businessman. In the early 1900's, these two had formed a partnership to invest in the rapidly-developing motion-picture industry, and by 1930 they owned Detroit's largest chain of motion-picture theaters. That year they sold all their theater holdings to Paramount Pictures, Inc., to concentrate on their other interest, commercial radio.
In late 1931, WASH was acquired by Kunsky-Trendle, and upon acquisition, WASH was consolidated with WOOD. The two stations merged facilities but retained both station licenses, and the hyphenated call letters of WOOD-WASH were assigned. On March 8, 1932, WASH was authorized to use the transmitter and studio of WOOD, sharing a common transmitter and antenna system. WASH was on the air from 8am to Noon, and WOOD from Noon to Midnight.
Note: The Kunsky-Trendle corporation had been involved in radio since 1925 when it purchased WGHP in Detroit from George Harrison Phelps, Inc., advertising agency. They changed the station's call letters to WXYZ, where Trendle later originated the long-lived "Lone Ranger" series. WXYZ carried programs of the Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc., for almost a year before dropping the affiliation to operate as an independent station.
1935-1942
Highlights of a schedule in February, 1935:
9:45am and 1:45pm - Eve Gladstone, pianist
4:15pm - The Kiddies Karnival conducted by Jimbo Jambo the happy clown
5:30pm - Tarzan of the Apes
8pm - Thrills of the Secret Service
9:45pm - Slim and Jim. From Holland come these two lads to entertain with their hillbilly music and yodeling novelties
WOOD-WASH became an NBC Red affiliate on September 29, 1935, and the licensee name of WASH changed from Kunsky-Trendle Broadcasting Inc. to the King-Trendle Broadcasting Company on September 24, 1936. (Kunsky legally changed his name to King on May 25, 1936.) By 1938, the slogan of WOOD-WASH was "This is Grand Rapids," liked by President George Trendle and Station Manager Stanley Barnett.
WOOD-WASH was Grand Rapids' only radio station until September 18, 1940, when WLAV, a 250-watt station, came into existence. Though Grand Rapids was known as the radio capital of Michigan, King and Trendle felt that their 500-watt station was not powerful enough to reach listeners in the sparsely-populated and rural areas surrounding Grand Rapids.
In the NARBA frequency reallocations affecting most North American broadcast stations on March 29, 1941, WOOD-WASH was assigned to utilize 1300 kHz, and a construction permit was issued by the FCC in November to an upgrade in power. On December 1, 1942, with the approval of the Federal Communications Commission, WOOD-WASH's power was increased from 500 to 5,000 watts. The WOOD-WASH night-time signal then reached Iowa, Missouri, and Maryland, and the station had to use directional radiation at night to prevent its programs from interfering with stations operating in those states.
King and Trendle decided to return the WASH license for cancellation and continue on 1300 kHz with the increased power with WOOD in November, 1942. By December, 1942, the WASH call letters were dropped completely.
1945-1947
King and Trendle owned and operated the WOOD Broadcasting Company, Inc., until June 22, 1946, when the newly-formed American Broadcasting Company, Inc. (Edward Noble interests) purchased the King-Trendle Broadcasting Company and its stations (including WOOD and WXYZ) for $3,650,000. The sale was announced back on May 6th. The FCC refused to approve the sale, however, because WOOD was still under contract to NBC, an ABC competitor. Officials at ABC promptly announced their intention to sell WOOD as soon as possible.
The sale of WOOD became increasingly complicated, however, as two corporations sought to purchase the station in a struggle that was not resolved by the FCC until March, 1948. The first prospective buyer of WOOD, the Liberty Broadcasting Company, Inc., announced on June 28, 1946, that they had purchased the station pending FCC approval. The FCC eventually did approve the purchase of the station for $850,000 from the ABC subsidiary firm on December 19, 1946. ABC became impatient with Liberty's failure to finance the project quickly enough, however, and announced on August 13, 1947, that it had "resold" WOOD for the same price to Harry Bitner, Sr., former general manager of the Hearst newspaper chain.
1948-1951
The struggle for control of WOOD carried on into 1948 before the FCC settled the issue in a night session on April 16. The Liberty application was withdrawn and the Bitner purchase, under the name of Grandwood Broadcasting Company, Inc., was approved. On May 1, 1948, the Bitner interests assumed control of WOOD.
Television technology was growing, and Bitner's next step was to apply to the FCC for a commercial station license on August 5, 1948. Because the FCC put a freeze on the allocation of commercial television station licenses, however, they had to wait a year for the FCC to lift the freeze. WLAV, which had applied earlier in the year, was approved for the license and began operating in 1949. WOOD's manager Stanley Barnett (who took control on May 20, 1950) announced that WOOD had purchased a television transmission site on high ground in northeast Grand Rapids, but could take no further steps without a license.
Bitner waited in vain until 1951, and on May 18 of that year, he announced that they had reached an agreement with the owner of WLAV-AM and WLAV-TV to purchase his television station and its microwave relay system linking Grand Rapids with Chicago. The sale went for $1,367,000, and WOOD-TV began telecasting on Channel 7 on October 19, 1951.
1955-1972
On January 1, 1955, the WOOD Broadcasting Company moved into its new radio and television studios, WOODLand Center, at 120 College Avenue.
Time-Life Broadcasters, Inc. (a subsidiary on Time, Inc.) soon entered into the picture when they decided to purchase seven midwestern radio-television stations, including WOOD-AM and WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids. They purchased the seven stations on April 17, 1957, for about $15,750,000, and took over operations on May 22.
That purchase completed, Time created a new corporation, TLF Broadcasters, Inc., as one of its subsidiaries. Grandwood Broadcasting, Inc., was liquidated and its stock was turned over to WOOD Broadcasting, Inc., a new Michigan corporation held by TLF Broadcasters. Williard Schroeder's WOOD Broadcasting, Inc. acquired the station for $2,000,000 in January of 1972.
WOOD-FM signed on the air at Noon February 26, 1962 during broadcasting's first triplecast on WOOD-FM Stereo, WOOD-AM, and WOOD-TV. WOOD-FM, with 265,000 watts of power, is still the third most powerful FM facility in the United States.
From here on, the details are sketchy. WOOD began broadcasting at their present location, 180 North Division, on Labor Day morning, 1979. Harvey Grace bought WOOD for 8.1 million dollars and kept the station under his ownership for around 3 1/2 years. He sold the station to United Artists for 18 million dollars, and they remained in control for approx. 3 1/2 years as well.
1982-2001
In 1982, WOOD-AM 1300 became Michigan's first AM station to convert program service to full stereo.
WOOD Radio Limited Partnership purchases WOOD-AM/FM from United Artists.
On May 10, 1996, Clear Channel Communications was granted the FCC license to officially become the new owners of WOOD-AM 1300 and WOOD FM-105.7 .
2002
In June 2002, The FCC grants approval to WOOD-NEWSRADIO 1300 AM, a power increase from 5,000 watts to 20,000 watts. Construction begins on a new transmitting facility in Allegan County.
2003
In October, The FCC issues final approval for WOOD Radio's power increase from 5,000 watts to 20,000 watts. WOOD begins broadcasting at 20000 watss with a new directional antenna pattern located in Leighton Township in mid-October of 2003.
Sources:
Grand Rapids Herald - 9/14/24, 9/17/24, 10/5/24, 10/20/1924, 11/3/24, 1/13/26, 5/3/46
Grand Rapids Press - 3/12/25, 12/1/42, 12/19/46, 8/5/40, 7/31/49, 5/23/56
Michigan History Magazine. "History of Radio In Michigan." Winter 1937.
Broadcasting: 1960 Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1960.
The Grand Rapids Public Library Interviews:
-Frederick Stiles, November 25, 1960. He was formally a partner in the WOOD Broadcasting Company, Inc.
-Thys Ferwerds, December 10, 1960. He was formally Secretary-Treasurer of the WASH Broadcasting Company, Inc.
-Dr. Stanley W. Barnett, November 20, 1960. He was the General Manager of the WOOD-WASH Broadcasting Company, Inc., from 1945 to 1949.
-Leonard Bridge, October 19, 1960. He was the Business Manager of the WOOD Broadcasting Company, Inc.