History of WWNR, Beckley
WWNR signed on the air Friday, August 9, 1946. According to a 1971 advertisement, "The NR in its call letters represent the initials of Nick Rahall, Beckley pioneer businessman and the father of the owners--N. Joe, Farris, Deem and Sam. (Deem was killed in a plane crash in 1952.) N. Joe Rahall continues to live in Beckley. Sam and Farris are located at the parent company's headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida." N. Joe Rahall was born in Beckley on March 25, 1913, and died at Deerfield Beach, Florida, on April 1, 1993. The station originally operated with 250 watts on 1450 kHz. Studios and transmitter were originally located at 1516 Harper Road. The station was affiliated with the Mutual Network. A 175-foot tower was originally located next to the studio building. WWNR apparently was granted a 20 kW FM in the late 1940s but the station was never constructed. On Nov. 12, 1946, the Charleston Daily Mail reported that Roy Lee Harmon joined the staff of WWNR as city news editor. The 1950 Broadcasting Yearbook shows WWNR on 1450 kHz with 250 watts, and an affiliate of the Mutual network. The licensee was Rahall Broadcasting Co., N. Joe Rahall, President. Other staff were: Tom Douds, General Manager; Don Hays, Program Director; and Estil Wills, Chief Engineer. On May 15, 1950, the FCC granted a frequency change from 1450 to 620 kHz, with a power increase from 250 watts to 1000 watts day, 500 watts at night. In 1951 WWNR switched frequencies from 1450 to 620. Power was increased to 1000 watts day and 500 watts at night. The lower dial position and higher power output allowed for an increased coverage area. The transmitter site was moved to Cabell at this time, since operation on 620 kHz required a directional antenna system consisting of four towers to be used at night. In January 1952 Richard Booth became station manager. In 1952, WWNR applied to operate a TV station on Channel 6. The station proposed 100 kW visual, 50 kW aural, 1280 feet AAT, 503 feet above ground, 14 miles SSW of Beckley atop Indian Grave Mountain at 37 35 30, 81 09 00. (The station may also have applied to operate a TV station on Channel 4 at another time in the 1950s.) A program schedule in the Beckley Daily News-Digest of Oct. 9, 1952, shows the station signing on at 4:45 a.m. with "Hit the Deck," and signing off at 12:30 a.m. The schedule shows Mutual Network programs at night. (An image of the schedule is on the pictures page.) A January 1953 newspaper shows that WWNR was broadcasting Woodrow Wilson High School basketball games that year. The 1956 Broadcasting Yearbook shows the following personnel: N. Joe Rahall, president; Richard H. Booth, general manager; Eugene J. Morehouse, commercial manager and sports director; C. Phil Vogel, program director; Shirley D. Walker, program manager; Anthony P. Gonzales, chief engineer; C. P. Vogel Jr. and Dennis Hollandsworth, farm director; Nannie Ellen Tucker, women's director. The 1971 advertisement has: "Some of the old time shows were 'Uncle Gene,' 'Women's Angle,' 'Open Mike,' 'Hillbilly Jamboree,' and 'Polka Time.' Many air personalities have appeared on WWNR, but perhaps the most unusual was 'Gus' the talking mynah bird who appeared with the morning announcer for almost five years. In the early 50's WWNR broke the tradition of doing all of its programs from the studio and began broadcasting from everywhere in southern West Virginia. It is believed that WWNR has done more 'remote' broadcasts than any station in West Virginia." [The mynah bird was actually known as 'Static,' at least during part of its time on the air.] The 1961-62 Broadcasting Yearbook shows the following staff: Anthony P. Gonzales, general manager; Robert Harvit, commercial manager; Frank M. "Bud" Kurtz, program director; Margaret A. Jenkins, program manager; Robert Miller, news director; Jack Slygh, chief engineer. In the 1960s WWNR was described as one of the most successful small-market stations in the U. S. WWNR had no network affiliation through most of the 1960s, but did join the American Contemporary Radio Network in 1969. (During the weekend of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, WWNR arranged to carry programming of the NBC radio network.) An advertisement in the Beckley Post-Herald/Raleigh Register on November 14, 1971, on the 25th anniversary of WWNR, shows the NR good guys with the following caption: "The WWNR staff was officially proclaimed 'The Good Guys' in 1964 by John Wesley Smith, then mayor of this city. From left to right: Bob Horton, who came to WWNR as music director from Bristol, Virginia, in May of 1965; Dick Callaway who joined the 'Good Guys' in September, 1966, as news director; Rod O'Dell who joined the staff in June, 1961, and is now program director; D. S. Goodwin, the Public Service Director for WWNR who started in December 1969; and Phil Vogel who has been with WWNR since January, 1955 and is currently the production manager for WWNR." The advertisement lists the sales staff as Lyle O. Weagel, Pat Roach, Bob Skaggs, Danny Tilson, and Tom Hicks. The office staff is shown as Sandie Lilly, receptionist; Betsy Hatcher, bookkeeper and office manager; Cathi Lipsinic, traffic director; Fred Persinger, copy director. In April 1984 the station was purchased by Al Martine. In 1994 the station was sold to Dynastar Communications Inc., Hugh M. Caperton, president. In the 1990s the station featured a talk format, with mostly network programming. Southern Communications, owner of WCIR, took over the operation of WWNR in the 1990s (and in about 2001 purchased the station from Dynastar Communications Inc.) Three of the four towers at Cabell were taken down and WWNR switched to non-directional operation at night, with lower power. In June 2000, WWNR had a talk format, featuring programs such as Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura Schlessinger, as well as Cincinnati Reds baseball and CBS News on the hour. A local talk show, the Mid-Morning Monitor, was hosted by Steve O'Brien. Local programming for the station was originated at the facility near the Airport Road Industrial Park which also housed the WCIR studios. On Nov. 15, 2000, WWNR began transmitting its signal from Crab Orchard, utilizing the same tower as WIWS-1070. By that time station had begun airing Beckley's Morning News, a three hour news block from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays, as well as The WWNR News Hour, a 5 p.m. hour update. WWNR was utilizing three anchors and three or four reporters and providing traffic reports from Skyhawk traffic. On Feb. 6, 2001, the last of the four towers at Cabell - a 305-foot Blaw-Knox tower -- was taken down. On Feb. 22, 2002, daytime power output was increased to 5000 watts, utilizing a Broadcast Electronics AM5E transmitter. In 2002 the studios of WCIR-FM, WTNJ-FM, WMTD-AM/FM, WAXS-FM, WWNR, and WIWS were moved to 306 South Kanawha Street in Beckley (the old Appalachian Power Company building). In January 2003, WWNR was programming local news from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., a local talk show hosted by Steve O'Brien from 10 a.m. -12 noon, Dr. Bill O'Brien from 3 p. to 5 p.m., and a local news hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. In 2004, Southern Communications Corporation, which had been operating WWNR, took over ownership of the station. The Federal Communications Commission approved the transfer of ownership on January 26, 2004. On Feb. 11, 2004, WWNR began streaming its locally-originated programming on the Internet from its web site at www.wwnrnewstalk620.com.
Gonzales Will Manage Station
This article appeared in the Beckley Post-Herald in 1962
or 1961.
Tony Gonzales has been named general manager of Radio Station WWNR, according to an announcement today by Ogden R. Davies, of Allentown, Pa., who is general manager for the five N. Joe Rahall radio stations. Gonzales succeeds Richard (Dick) Booth, who will assume the position of general manager of WEEZ, Chester, Pa., effective June 1. Having been associated with WWNR for the past nine years, Gonzales has served in the capacity of chief engineer and more recently account executive. A native of Niagara Falls, N. Y., he is married to the former Maxine Bragg, of Beckley, and the couple has three children, one daughter and two sons, and reside at 119 Curtis Ave. Gonzales is a graduate of Central Radio and Television Schools, Kansas City, Mo. He has served as president of the Maxwell Hill Parent-Teacher Assn. for the past two years and currently is president of the Maxwell Hill Country Life Program. A member of the Elks and Moose Lodges, he is looking forward to active participation in both the local Chamber of Commerce and Beckley Business Bureau. "There will be no changes in the staff of WWNR," stated Gonzales. He added that Robert Harvit would continue as sales manager, Frank "Bud" Kurtz in charge of the program department, Jack Slygh, chief engineer and Mrs. Paul Jenkins, office manager. Booth, a native of Sharon Hill, Pa., has served as station manager of WWNR since January, 1952. He noted that "Gonzales has been associated with WWNR for a longer period of time than present staff members and has done an excellent job in his capacity." The three Rahall brothers, Joe, Sam and Farris own and operate, in addition to Radio Station WWNR the following stations: WKAP, Allentown, Pa., WQTY, Arlington, Fla., WLCY, St. Petersburg, Fla., and have received the examiner's initial decision for Channel 10 Television in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Anthony P. Gonzalez Sr. (1930-2001)Anthony P. "Tony" Gonzalez Sr., 71, of Goldcrest Drive, Beckley, died Tuesday, May 22, 2001, in Washington, D.C., while on a business trip.Born May 25, 1930, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., he was the son of the late Nemesia and Josefa Marcos Alvarez Gonzalez. After receiving radio schooling in Kansas City, Tony joined WWNR Radio in 1956 and planned to stay six months to gain radio experience; he has been here ever since. He worked for WWNR (Rahall Group) until 1980 when he along with Congressman Nick Rahall put Radio Station WTNJ on the air; the call letters stand for Tony and Nick Joe. Congressman Rahall was the president and Tony was secretary/treasurer and manager. Radio station WAXS, formerly WOAY Radio, had entered a leasing agreement, and Tony also served as manager of that station. During his years of broadcasting, he was the promoter and director of the Raleigh County Home Show, The Women's Expo and numerous other station promotions and concerts, parades and sport banquets for basketball championships. Tony, along with then recreation director for the city of Beckley, Frank Rodriquez, co-chaired the fund raising for the creation of the New River Park Swimming Pool for Mayor John McCulloch. He held all offices for the West Virginia Broadcasters Association including the office of president. He was also a recipient of the Broadcaster Of The Year Award and served on the National Board of The Associated Press. He also served on the SALT Treaty under President Jimmy Carter. Tony was a member of the Memorial Baptist Church, Beckley, the Gideons International and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Mount Hope. He also belonged to many civic organizations. Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Betsy Hatcher Gonzalez; a daughter, Carmen Davis and her husband, Steve, of Roanoke, Va.; two sons, Paul Gonzalez and his wife, Carol, of Fayetteville and Robert Gonzalez and his wife, Methlyn, of Safety Harbor, Fla.; two grandchildren, Kara Davis of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Makenzie Gonzalez of Fayetteville; a sister, Josephine Alexander and her husband, Jack, of Carlsbad, N.M.; and four brothers, James Gonzalez and his wife, Louise, and Angelo Gonzalez and his wife, Josephine, all of St. Petersburg, Fla., Neal Gonzalez and his wife, Lois, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Paul Gonzalez of Chicago, Ill. Service will be 1 p.m. Saturday at the Memorial Baptist Church, 1405 S. Kanawha St., Beckley, with the Revs. Paul Blizard and Jim Franklin officiating. Burial will follow in the Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Beckley. Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. today at the church. Pallbearers will be Fred Persinger, Randy Kerbawy, Ron Clay, Don Bare, Mike Moore and Frank Rodriquez. Donations of sympathy may be made to Memorial Baptist Church or to Gideons International. Arrangements by Melton Mortuary, Beckley.
Frank M. “Bud” Kurtz, Jr.Bud Kurtz died on December 20, 2006, at the age of 79. At the time he was living in Lakeland. He owned WVFM-FM 94.1 with partners Duane McConnell and Herb Todd. After selling the stations, he worked there for an additional eight years.
Robert B. HarvitRobert Bruce Harvit, formerly of Beckley and Williamson, passed away Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at the age of 70 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami, where he resided. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ann and Edward Harvit of Beckley, and a brother, Harold Harvit of Williamson. Bob was born in Beckley and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, where he was a member of the Flying Eagle football team. Bob began his illustrious broadcasting career while he was still in high school, working as an announcer at WWNR in Beckley. After attending West Virginia University, Bob returned to WWNR to resume his career in broadcasting as an announcer and a sales manager. In 1966, Bob became the owner of WBTH in Williamson. He eventually expanded that facility, formed Harvit Broadcasting and owned several stations in West Virginia (White Sulphur Springs, Montgomery and Fairmont), as well as Kentucky and Indiana. Bob was very active in the Williamson community. During the Tug River flood in 1977, Bob kept WBTH on the air and served as the focal point for emergency information. He served on the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association and was twice elected as the board’s president. In 1977, Bob earned the association’s Mel Burka Distinguished Broadcaster Award, which recognizes the organization’s most outstanding broadcaster. In 2007, Bob was inducted into the West Virginia Broadcasters Hall of Fame. After contracting multiple sclerosis, Bob was forced to decrease his broadcasting activities. He eventually sold his radio stations and moved to Miami Beach, although his love for West Virginia remained strong, and he returned to his home state as frequently as he could. Bob will be remembered as a dedicated businessman and loving family member who inspired those who knew him with his courage, ceaseless zest for life and grand sense of humor. Bob’s survivors include his wife, Wilda Harvit; daughter and son-in-law, Kathe and Peirce Whitt of Williamson; sister and brother-in-law, Rita and Nemo Nearman of Charleston; nephew, Bill Harvit and his wife, Pam, of Charleston; niece, Lynn Kuhn and her husband, Don, of Charlotte, N.C.; sister-in-law, Gloria Harvit of Charlotte; nephew, Merrill Nearman and his wife, Sandy, of Boca Raton, Fla.; niece, Polly Nearman Greene of Baltimore, Md.; and nephew, Henry Nearman and his wife, Tammy, of Charleston. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to local humane societies in tribute to Bob’s strong lifelong love for animals, to a hospice organization or to any charity in Bob’s honor. A memorial/celebration of Bob’s life will be announced later.
FCC Microfiche File
The FCC microfiche files was transcribed by Xen Scott of ABC News, Washington, and is posted here with his permission. The microfiche files are incomplete in coverage of events in the 1920s, and they contain no information past the early 1980s.
WWNR-AM Now at 5000 WattsThis article appeared in the Register-Herald on March 19, 2002.By JESSICA SHIFFLETT Extra power equals clear sound and stronger transmission for listeners of WWNR-AM radio in Beckley. The station's broadcast power was increased last month from 1,000 to 5,000 watts. "The extra power helps by making a clearer signal," Station Manager Jay Quesenberry said. "People in town will notice the increase in power. They'll notice a stronger sound without interference." When WWNR first began broadcasting 56 years ago, only AM radio was available in West Virginia because AM radio signals wave up and down, transversing the mountains, a WWNR representative explained. When the interstate cut through the mountains, FM radio waves - flat waves - could take sound without being blocked by the mountains. AM radio waves aren't as strong as FM waves and they gain more interference, WWNR reps explained, a factor that has been lessened by the stronger power. "What this means to people in southern West Virginia is that we've made a huge commitment to this community and this station," Quesenberry said. "We want to be a good news talk station to all our listeners and community." The station manager said listeners may have already noticed less interference and a cleaner, stronger sound since the station upped its power, something that is important since WWNR's news/talk format is interactive and features call-in talk shows. "Since it's news format, this enables more people to participate," Quesenberry explained. "News talk is a discussion of topics of interest to listeners, from medicine to economic issues to personal issues like relationships. "It's audience participation," he added. Steve O'Brien, host of WWNR news talk show "Mid-Morning Monitor," says his program has been affected by the AM power surge the extra watts generate. "This increase of power gives me a new source of listeners from as far away as Summersville to Logan to Lewisburg to Princeton. "I think the popularity will increase twofold. It's really a major rebirth for AM radio in the area," said O'Brien. "This is just my opinion, but I think that we have the clearest sound with our new transmitter of any AM station in the state."
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