Editor’s Note: This article is part of a monthly series on the history of Webster City and Hamilton County, written by local historian Nancy Kayser.

In the late 1910’s radio was the new technology. For some, it seemed like a miracle. But Hamilton County residents adopted and adapted to the science of sound traveling the globe with ease.

Development of ship to shore communications and the military’s growing expertise of the airwaves during World War I helped make the phenomenon available to everyone throughout the country. Radio stations, operated by businesses and private citizens, began broadcasting speeches, church services and live musical entertainment.

Local enthusiasts built their own “wireless apparatus” from plans found in magazines, especially “Boys Life”, the official magazine for Boy Scouts. The early crystal sets were basic, requiring a headset to listen. Fancy units were wired to accommodate several headsets at one time.

By mid-1920 and forward, local Boy Scouts Dick Whiteman, Kempster Pyle, Howard Parkhurst and brothers Robert and Everett Richardson demonstrated and shared their radio skills with the community. Pyle and Parkhurst’s fathers added radio building parts to their businesses.

The year 1922 is considered the year of phenomenal growth in the radio industry. Everyone wanted a set and several national firms began to offer manufactured sets, most powered by batteries. The radios and attached speaker were expensive and difficult to tune.

W. H. Hunter, owner of the Freeman-Journal lamented that owners spent more time “tinkering with dials and hoping for good atmospheric conditions” than actually enjoying the programs. Hunter also reported on the search for ungrounded electrical devices in the city which, at times, interfered with reception for weeks at a time. The “leaking” energy generated a buzz on local radio sets making listening unpleasant.

Farmers realized that radio was a significant benefit to their business. Land grant universities, led by the United States Department of Agriculture, went on the air to broadcast market prices and trends several times a day.

George L. Gardner, farmer who lived six miles southwest of Webster City was reported by the Freeman-Journal in May of 1922 to be the first farmer in the County to install a complete radio outfit. It was a universal Clapp-Eastman outfit purchased from the Parkhurst-Pyle Radio Company of Webster City.

The Webster City Freeman published in their editorial column on June 19, 1922 a quote from the Marshalltown Times Republican. The Times Republican wondered “If a ship can be guided by radio, what’s the matter with handling a tractor the same way and doing the plowing from the front porch?”

On October 14, 1922, Webster City residents gathered at the Parkhurst-Pyle store to listen to the broadcast of the Yale-Iowa game from New Haven, Connecticut. Local boy George D. Thompson played left tackle for Iowa and helped secure a 6-0 win for the Hawkeyes. Thompson was named All-Big Ten at the end of the season.

Rev. John A. Farnham was the first local minister to install broadcasting equipment in his church in January of 1923. He was able to send Sunday services for his Methodist Church in Kamrar to several local shut-ins.

Breaking news began to be relayed for broadcast across the county. When President Warren G. Harding died of a stroke in August of 1923, Hamilton County residents learned of his death and the details less than three hours after it happened.

By the mid-1920’s there were hundreds of radio stations across the country. Most of the enterprises were owned by national businesses who used the airwaves to promote their products. Every evening the stations presented live musical or drama events and educational lectures. Families gathered nightly around the radio for the novel entertainment.

Historians consider the advent of the radio homemaker programs, which promoted healthy meals and household hints, as a prime method of eliminating the isolation of housewives. The radio homemaker personality became a welcome daily visitor.

Many radio musical programs used local amateur talent to fill up the time slot in the early days of broadcasting. However, many professional singers, comedians and bands transitioned from vaudeville to radio with ease. Their popularity carried them on to starring roles on stage and screen and for some, even to television.

Listeners also began to hear their elected officials speak to the nation. And, candidates began to buy radio time to campaign for office.

The Shenandoah, Iowa nursery men, Henry Field and Earl May began radio stations promoting their businesses. Field began KFNF, the Friendly Farmer Station, in February of 1924 with May following in September of 1925 with KMA, the Cornbelt Station. The men’s businesses expanded nationwide because of radio promotion. Both built elaborate studios, added the radio homemaker programs and made Shenandoah a tourist destination.

The local newspapers carried a daily radio program listing. Their society pages soon reported that “the evening was spent playing cards, visiting and listening to the radio”. The County’s media routinely reported local receipt of foreign broadcasts and lack of reception due to weather conditions. Readers were reminded of live performances by Hamilton County musicians on WOI in Ames or WHO in Des Moines.

From the beginning, sports broadcasts drew large audiences. In 1933, Iowa State University banned radio broadcasts of conference games due to low sales of stadium tickets. Official said fans listened on the radio rather than coming to the games. The sports broadcasts returned to the radio waves the next year.

In 1927 and 1934 Congress passed laws regulating the airwaves. Stations were required to be licensed and regulated. Call letters, transmission strength and frequency band were assigned by regions. Criteria for a license included public interest, convenience and necessity.

Charles and Ruth Warren and Jack and Gayle Bladine, owners of the Freeman-Journal, built the first Hamilton County radio station. Beginning with the initial application in early 1948, lengthy federal regulation procedures kept the AM station, KJFJ, off the air until February of 1950.

The station’s employees and their families added nineteen new residents to Webster City. Included in that group was G. D Warland, who spent thirty-five years at the station before retiring. In 1973, the station sold to the Go-Rich Radio group and the call letters were changed to KQWC.

Car radios and the small transistor radios introduced in the mid-1950’s enabled the “Baby Boomer” generation to make rock and roll music popular. Major large city stations recognized the trend and converted their stations to popular music formats hosted by on-air personalities. The early small transistor radios even had earphones so listeners could enjoy the transmission without disturbing anyone.

Radio knows no boundaries and continues to extend its offerings. The Boy Scouts still encourage youngsters to “Catch Some Radio Waves” with free on-line instructions on how to build a crystal radio. Building a simple radio set might be a fun project to remember “how it was in the old days”.