Radio Broadcasting

in the Mahoning Valley

Many people listen to the radio everyday to hear news, weather, music, and other information.  When you listen to the radio, you’re hearing sound waves that are converted into energy and sent through the air from radio station transmitters.  Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, is thought to have invented the radio in 1896, and since then, it has had a rich history globally, nationally, and even right here in the Mahoning Valley!

The first official voice broadcast in the United States occurred around 1912.  Not long after this, four local stations were started in Salem and Warren, Ohio, and in New Castle and Grove City, Pennsylvania.  These early radio stations played for only a few hours a day and only had one frequency.  All four stations stopped broadcasting when World War I began.

After the war, radio began to blossom again in the Valley.  Usually, the station operators were local businessmen who would provide programs, and in exchange, advertise their products and services to the public.  The first postwar radio stations were no exception, but once again only existed for a short time.  Not until 1926 did the Mahoning Valley see a radio station that would endure.  Warren P. Williamson and Creed M. Chorpening started WKBN which had its first broadcast on September 26^th , 1926, and continued airing regular programming for several hours a day.  Today, WKBN is known as Youngstown’s oldest surviving AM station.  In 1939, William F. Maag Jr. started a new radio station, WFMJ, which ensured that radio in the Valley was here to stay!

Since then, many radio stations have formed to satisfy the many different needs and interests of local residents.  Many listen to radio programs that are known across the country such as “A Prairie Home Companion,” “Paul Harvey-News and Comment,” and popular music countdowns, while others most enjoy listening to the thoughts of men and women who live right here in the Mahoning Valley. Would you rather listen to music or talk shows? When do you listen to the radio? Do you have a favorite radio host? If so, who?

Warren P. Williamson

WFMJ Islay Radio Show

WBBW Hugh John

WBBW Dan Ryan

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society educates and promotes an interest in the history of the Mahoning Valley by collecting, preserving, and developing material representative of the people who have inhabited the region.

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