Radio Station WFHR, a look at its development and future, by Julie Bueller, History of Journalism
December 1, 1981.
I chose to write the history of Radio Station WFHR.
A task I thought would be relatively easy, considering the station is not that old that
I've lived in the Wisconsin Rapids area all my life, and because I had worked at the station
for the past two summers, what I soon found out though, was the task before me was much
more difficult than I had imagined.
WFHR's lifetime is not that brief.
In fact, it was one of the first stations to sign on the air in Wisconsin.
I first set out on the project in the public file of WFHR for a day of research.
The day soon ended, and I returned a week later to finish the research and conduct some
interviews.
Each of the information a radio station has to keep in its public file does not pertain
to the history, but rather deals with many trivial matters.
The amount of paperwork which must be sent to the Federal Communications Commission is enormous.
Here's what I found in my research of Radio Station WFHR, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
The founder of WFHR was William F. Huffman.
When WFHR signed on the air November 1st, 1940, Huffman was also the publisher of the
local paper, the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.
Radio was a growing industry, and with Huffman's interest in communications, it was only natural
he would seek out a business venture in the radio medium.
Huffman was born in 1895, he died 54 years later.
At the time of his death, his radio station had only been on the air a brief nine years.
Huffman was described by those who knew him as an intense person, hard working, despite
his weak health.
Huffman was said to have had the local public in mind when he built WFHR.
This local concern would also be WFHR's emphasis in broadcasting.
The first request for a radio station in Wisconsin Rapids was in the form of an application
to the FCC.
It was filed on June 23rd, 1937.
That request was for a frequency of 580 kilo cycles, with a station power of 250 watts
day and night.
Night broadcasts would be directional, so as not to interfere with other AM stations which
had more power.
As a part of the application, depositions were made on behalf of the applicant, William
F. Huffman.
The depositions mainly stated the support for a radio station in the Wisconsin Rapids
area.
The stations were made by business and community leaders from the Tri-City area.
Support also came from Central Labor Union, which said the station would benefit the public.
Despite its initial request for 580 kilo cycles, WFHR signed on the air with a frequency of
1310 kilo cycles.
The broadcast studios were located on the second floor of the Nash hardware building.
Local residents will remember the Nash building as Mount Gummary Awards.
And on the second floor were WFHR's two studios and one control room.
WFHR, if you haven't caught on by now, is quite similar to its owner's initials, William
F. Huffman radio.
When the station signed on from the second floor of the Nash hardware building, broadcasting
was much different than it is today.
First off, most of the programming was live, including the music and all of the commercials.
There existed no tape for recording, so what few that were done were made on huge
disks.
Also, during that time, the attitude toward dead air was more lax.
At times, seconds would pass quietly through the airwaves, transmitting no information at
all.
By today's standards, two seconds dead air is too long.
George Freshett was instrumental in the development of WFHR.
Freshett was the first manager of WFHR.
He had earlier worked for Huffman's Tribune.
George Freshett was a local resident who later became a board member of forward communications.
Forward communications is still a strong broadcast company.
One of its current holdings is WSAW TV in WASA.
The company also has other radio and television stations.
Another person who worked for Huffman during those early years and is still an employee
at WFHR is Arnie Strope.
Strope began his career with WFHR on May 26, 1941, very shortly after the station signed
on the air.
Strope began his work with no knowledge of radio whatsoever.
He started work at the station through a rehabilitation program.
Needless to say, Strope's salary has kept up with current standards, but when he first
began at WFHR, he received $10 a week.
Strope did not start out as an air personality.
He was the control board operator in a two-person broadcast situation.
Today, most people in the Tri-City area associate Arnie Strope with WFHR as the same thing.
During the early years of its existence, WFHR, like other radio stations of the time, had
an extremely hard time filling its airtime.
WFHR became a member of the Mutual Radio Network for $225 a month, and that filled some
of the time.
From this affiliation, WFHR received programs such as Kate Smith's Radio Show along with
Ballroom Dance programs.
There was some live entertainment programming, at least four hours a day.
These programs consisted of a half-hour religious program, a live country-western orchestra,
and other music shows which much resembled a talent show.
Local music students were encouraged onto the air by their music teachers.
News for WFHR was another program block.
The station often used the daily news collected by the Tribune reporters.
The news would then be broadcasted on a show called the Tri-City News Final.
The show ended in the early 60s when WFHR began its own and completely separate news operation.
From this point on, the Tribune and WFHR had totally separate editorial staffs.
When WFHR signed on, its signal was not very strong.
It was classified a local station.
Each of its coverage area was lost at sunset due to protection for other larger, stronger
stations.
At night, the broadcast transmissions change and go further due to a change in the atmosphere.
That means strong, clear channel stations, such as the Nashville station, can be heard
in Wisconsin.
Other smaller stations must cut their power to protect the signal of the clear channel
stations.
The signal is then shaped or patterned so that it also does not drift into the coverage
area of other stations on the same frequency.
An application was finally filed with the FCC in 1958, requesting an increase of power
for WFHR.
This formal application requested a frequency change to 1320 kilo cycles, with a power
of 5 kilowatts during the day and 500 watts directional power at night.
Prior to the request, WFHR had moved from its original frequency of 1310 kilo cycles
to 1340 kilo cycles.
This change came when the FCC stretched the broadcast band to allow more stations on
the air.
A request for the regional channel of 1320 created an extreme amount of paperwork for WFHR.
The problem was a station in Kankake, Illinois, WKAN wanted to broadcast at night with 500
watts of power on the same frequency 1320.
This was at the same time WFHR wanted to maintain its night broadcasting, but also on
the 1320 frequency.
WKAN's proposal power increase would interfere with the proposed increase of operation for
WFHR, and the proposed power increase of WFHR would interfere with another station, KMQ,
Makokata, Iowa.
KMQ also had the 1320 kilo cycle frequency.
The FCC called for a hearing with WKAN and WFHR to determine the extent of the interference
with each other and KMQ.
The FCC said it would at that time decide in the light of the issues which applications
would be granted.
The hearing was set for November 20th, 1958 in Washington, DC, but was then postponed indefinitely.
The FCC finally allowed WFHR to change its frequency from 1340 to 1320 kilo cycles,
and the FCC also allowed the station to increase its power to 5 kilowatt-stay time and 500
watts directional night time.
WFHR and its sister station, WWRWFM, are the only stations licensed to the city of Wisconsin
Rapids.
Other stations compete for the advertising dollars, but as far as community service, there
are only two stations to serve the Tri-City area.
The stations have what could be considered by some as a monopoly on the market, but along
with the benefits of that monopoly is a huge responsibility to meet the needs of the community
according to the standards of the FCC.
At the beginning of the 1960s, another radio station proposed to enter the Wisconsin Rapids
market.
Bill S. Lamb of Wisconsin Rapids wanted to construct radio station WRNE in Wisconsin Rapids.
WRNE was to be a 500-watt daytime only station with a frequency of 1220 kilo cycles.
At that time, and looking back now, it is generally accepted that Lamb was acting for
the rice family.
The rice's owned WCOW radio in Sparta, and its believed they wanted to break into the
Wisconsin Rapids market.
The application then was under Lamb's name, but financially backed by the rice's.
Lamb faced many problems in getting his or rice's station on the air.
The proposed frequency, 1220, is one which Mexico has priority to, and any station assigned
to it must recognize that priority.
Lamb also had a hard time financially.
In a document to the FCC, WFHR pointed out Lamb had not finished ground preparation for
the transmitter.
Lamb said this was because the weather had turned inclement.
WFHR maintained it was because the anticipated expense of clearing the land would be too
great.
Due to all the difficulties, WRNE was never to be, and WFHR had met its first challenge
to its market head on, and had won.
Aside from the physical operations and station challenges, there is another side to the history
of WFHR.
There is the social aspect and impact, and more importantly, the legal aspect of operating
and owning a powerful public medium like a radio station.
Today, it is quite common for television stations, radio stations, and newspapers to carry
libel insurance.
This is for financial protection in the event the station has taken to court in a libel
suit.
WFHR has faced two such suits, neither of which reached the courtroom.
Both involved the broadcast of commentaries over the year.
One was a local commentary, and the second a statewide syndicated program.
The first case involved the news director of WFHR Hugh Mix.
Mix was a 1947 graduate of the University of Illinois.
He came to WFHR in 1966 after a strong career in news.
Mix wrote an anchor to show called Mix Nuts, which aired five days a week Monday through
Friday at 7.55 a.m. and lasted five minutes.
The show was a commentary on the community, world, and country.
On November 11, 1969, Mix broadcasted a commentary on two taverns in Wisconsin Rapids.
One was the Red Steer, owned by the plaintiff in the suit Mrs. Welton.
The Red Steer had originally been the poor inn from 1964 to 1968.
In September of 1968, the bar was facing financial problems and changed its format to a bar
with go-go dancers.
Mix had been in the bar on November 4, 1969, when one of the female dancers removed her
pasties.
Hugh Mix also witnessed dancers undressed men from the audience.
While this prompted him to write a commentary which aired on November 11, 1969.
In the opening of this commentary heard that morning, Mix wrote,
every city has a problem to some degree, and in Wisconsin Rapids there are two places
which are notable for this.
They are the place on West Grand Avenue and the Red Steer on Second Avenue South.
Mix went on in his commentary.
The Red Steer has been an object of a number of complaints dating back to last September
and beyond which have required the attention of the police.
Mix wrapped up his commentary in this manner.
Perhaps more important is the question of good taste and the answer to the question whether
this type of entertainment necessarily needs to be designed to the kinds of people who are
likely to cause police problems.
All this was broadcast at 755 in the morning as residents sat down at their tables to a
bowl of cream of wheat.
Imagine this in the city of Wisconsin Rapids where such things, if they do exist, are
not spoken of in proper circles, let alone at 8 o'clock in the morning.
The owner and operator of the bar Mrs. Welman brought charges against the station in Welman
versus radio station WFHR.
In the defendant's remarks prepared for the trial it was stated.
These dancers would wear bikini type fringed bottoms below the waist and above the waist
they would wear what is known as pasties.
These pasties were little round discs which would fit on each breast and cover the nipples.
The case went right to the court steps before the matter was settled out of court for $1,000.
My immediate response after being told the case was settled out of court was why?
To me it seemed plain and simple that WFHR would certainly win the case.
I thought of the case as an opportunity for the station to stand up for its first amendment
rights and wave the flag of journalistic freedom.
Yeah, I thought of all that good stuff journalism students are supposed to think about.
The one thing I did not consider was the business aspect of the reality of the case.
The preparation for the case had taken an extreme amount of time and money for WFHR.
Makes himself had already left the area.
He had cancer and had left for the warmer climate of Florida.
In fact, he gave his deposition on his deathbed.
The $1,000 out of court settlement was an easy and inexpensive way to end a problem which
was quite drawn out and costly.
The settlement was, as I now look at it, the sensible thing to do, but it still might
have been interesting if the case had gone to court.
In the second case, WFHR was a member of group of stations which were cited in a suit.
Miles McMillan anchored a show entitled Hello Wisconsin.
The program originated in Madison and printed portions of the commentary in the Madison
papers.
The stations which received the program and were involved in the suit included WATK Antigo,
WBAY Green Bay, WDSM Duluth, WFHR Wisconsin Rapids, WJMC, Rice Lake, WLIP Kenosha, WXMT
Merrill, W-A-T-W-Ashland, W-C-O-W Sparta, W-E-A-Q O'Clair, W-I-G-M Metford, W-K-T-Y LaCrosse,
W-M-A-M Marinette, and W-I-B-A Madison.
McMillan of Madison newspapers incorporated in his syndicated show Hello Wisconsin told
his audience of a gathering of officials at a gambling hall of which Matai was set to
be involved.
Matai then proceeded to sue all of the radio stations which carried the program.
When the proceedings began, WFHR suspended Hello Wisconsin until the outcome of the lawsuit
filed by James Matai became known.
Again, the case never went to court.
One of the stations did decide to settle out of court, but that decision proved to be
premature since the case never arrived in court.
WFHR never resumed broadcast of Hello Wisconsin.
WFHR recently went through another renovation this time in the area of programming.
WFHR changed from playing records to what is known as a live assist manner of operation.
WFHR is a client of Drake Chanalt Enterprises.
Drake Chanalt sends out tapes of music, pre-programmed, and selected for a certain audience type.
WFHR programs adult contemporary music during a major portion of the day.
The station also has a great amount of programming time devoted to news and information.
As a member of the CBS Network, WFHR carries almost all of the network's programming features.
Commentaries by Dan Rather, Harry Reasiner, Walter Cronkite, and Charles Osgood, along
with programs about traveling, cooking, and children, are programming highlights.
The morning hours between 6 and 8 are mainly made up of easy listening music with a high
concentration of news, sports, weather, and features from CBS.
Other programming highlights of WFHR include local sports coverage, including live broadcasts
of area basketball, football, and baseball games.
Arnie Strobe hosts a live Colin Talkshow called Coffee Clutch.
WFHR has also returned to its original network, Mutual, and added the popular Larry King
show for late-night listening.
With the addition of Larry King, WFHR has gone to 24-hour operation.
The major competitor for sales and news coverage for WFHR is the local paper The Daily Tribune.
WFHR's sales manager, Dennis Gibson, said the sales goal for both WFHR and WWRW combined
is $1 million for this year.
Aside from the competition of the print medium, WFHR faces competition from Marshfield,
Stevens Point, and Wassup broadcast stations.
Gibson says he sees his sales consultants as teachers of the value of radio on the local
level.
WFHR has enjoyed the unique status of being a family-owned station right from the start
by the same family.
Such an established ownership is becoming rare, even more rare, as of this past fall.
This fall papers were signed and hands shook on the sale of WFHR pending FCC approval.
On September 18, 1981, a transfer of ownership applications was filed with the FCC.
WFHR will leave the Huffman family.
William F. Huffman Jr. has agreed to sell WFHR AM and WWRWFM to the Gazette Printing Company
of Jamesville.
The Gazette Company is a corporation with many media holdings.
In fact, it is almost met its full complement of radio station holdings.
The president of the Gazette Printing Company is Marshall W. Johnston.
Chairman of the board is Robert M. Bliss.
The broadcast holdings of the corporation include WJVL FM Jamesville, WCLO AM Jamesville,
K.I.JV AM Huron, South Dakota, K.U.R.O. FM Huron, South Dakota, W.I.X.N. AM, Dixon
Illinois, W.I.X.N. FM, Dixon, Illinois, WJMC AM Rice Lake, WJMC.
FM Rice Lake, WBKV AM West Bend, and WBKV FM West Bend.
WFHR and WWRW have been under the advanced broadcasting corporation of which William
Huffman is president.
Huffman is also a board member of Forward Communications.
The Wisconsin Rapid Stations will soon come under the management of the Bliss family
who will establish the Wisconsin Rapid's Broadcast Company.
This company will be wholly owned by the Gazette Printing Company.
Negotiations for a sale of any radio station tend to be lengthy and complicated.
This is mainly due to the amount of regulations which must be followed as outlined by the FCC.
They agreed purchase price for WFHR AM and WWRM FM including the building came to $1,145,000.
While the arrangements have been made, now all that is pending is approval from the FCC.
The time it takes to receive this approval depends upon the workload of the commission.
The sale of the station is probably the biggest and toughest transition WFHRs had to make.
The soon-to-be owners of WFHR have pledged to maintain a high percentage of involvement
in the community through news, public affairs, sports, and local information programs.
With the transfer from one broadcast family to another, an entire new history of WFHR begins.
Maybe in 20 years, another broadcast journalism student may have the formidable task of writing
a history of WFHR since the sale.
Now I think that topic has possibilities.
