December 25 will mark ninety-one years since KWTO aired its first radio broadcast. Introduced to Springfield by businessman Ralph Foster, KWTO was once the leading station in the Ozarks. The station focused on local news and entertainment, including hillbilly music and variety shows. Some of KWTO’s earliest entertainers were Bill Ring, George Earle Wilson, and the Goodwill Family. In addition to broadcasts, KWTO also published The Dial, a monthly publication devoted to radio news.
Edited by radio announcer Bill Bailey, it featured a variety of columns written by KWTO staff including “Queen of the Ozarks,” May Kennedy McCord. The Dial was sent to listeners throughout the station’s listening area which included Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The publication continued for ten years until its final issue in December 1951.
The State Historical Society of Missouri’s KWTO Newsletter Collection contains 45 issues of The Dial from June 1944 to November 1951. Along with general interest columns, the publication features articles about the station’s programs, entertainers, and business staff.
To explore this collection and more, visit the Springfield Research Center inside MSU’s Meyer Library or find us online at SHSMO.org.