Dallas's Radio Station Wrr - Paperback

by Kristi Nedderman (Author), Quin Mathews (Foreword by), Sharon Benge (Foreword by)

Radio station WRR, the United States' first fire and police dispatch network, originated in 1920 thanks to the innovative thinking of Dallas police and fire signal superintendent Henry Garrett, who realized the potential of communicating via the then brand-new medium of wireless radio transmission. When dispatchers began broadcasting music between fire alarms, citizens listened on their homemade sets, and the Dallas, Texas, radio station was born. In August 1921, operating with 50 watts, WRR became the first federally licensed radio station west of the Mississippi River and the second in the United States. During the last 103 years, the WRR call letters have been at the heart of both an AM and an FM station, and North Texas listeners eagerly tuned in to both frequencies.

Author Biography

Illustrated primarily with images from the Dallas Municipal Archives, Dallas's Radio Station WRR highlights the origins and development of this municipally owned and nationally recognized radio station. Author Kristi Nedderman is the assistant city archivist for the City of Dallas. The Dallas Municipal Archives, a division of the City Secretary's Office, preserves, documents, and provides public access to the historic and permanently valuable records of city government.