"For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the Grand Ole Opry"...George Dewey Hay


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In Part 1, I examined radio station KDKA in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania that most sources cite as the Pioneer Broadcasting Station of the World and the first commercial radio station in the United States. Whether it was or not is not really relevant. However, KDKA played an enormous part in the progression chain that eventually led to the establishment of the Grand Ole Opry, the longest continuously running radio program in history.

In Part 2, I examined one of the most bizarre traveling medicine shows ever known to exist and Doctor John Romulus Brinkley, who became famous as the "Goat Gland Doctor".

PART 3:

Unique, quirky, and wide listenership were watchwords of early radio broadcasting in the 1920s. Among these stations were KFNF, who's slogan was "Keep Friendly, Never Frown," AND KMA, who claimed to "Keep Millions Advised," of Shenandoah, Iowa. The two "Friendly Farmers," as they were regarded.

Shenandoah is located in Page and Fremont Counties in Southwestern Iowa, along Fourmile Creek and the East Nishnabotna River. The small, rural, town, with unpaved roads, was referred to as the "Mail Order Seed and Nursery Capital of America." Shenandoah held about five thousand citizens in those days. Radio stations KFNF, and KMA, drew thousands of visitors to the area. No less than ten different seed companies operated in Shenandoah, however, probably the best known was the Henry Field Seed Company.

He was a plain-spoken area farmer who developed a booming seed business beginning in 1899. By 1923, Field's operation employed some 600 workers housed in a three-story tall brick building on Shenandoah's north end. Residing not that far from the bustling big city of Omaha, Nebraska, approximately 61 miles or so to be precise, Field traveled there to promote his business over radio station WOAW, which later became the mega-station WOW.

Field's live, popular performances included hymns, Old Time fiddle tunes, and the host detailing the advantages of his life in Shenandoah. (I will explore much more about Henry Field, and KFNF, in Part 4.)

Earl May became another participant in WOAW broadcasting, and Henry Field's chief antagonist in the Shenandoah seed battles. He owned the May Seed Company that he purchased in 1919. May's folksy personality appealed to the local community's customers. They purchased not only seeds from May, but also baby chicks, canned fruits, dried fruits, frozen fish, and other assorted wares.

Like Henry Field, May soon realized the potential radio provided in promoting his seed company and the long stretch the medium offered for communications with customers. (I will present much more about Earl May, and KMA, in Part 5.)

KFNF, and KMA, launched the careers of several Top Named Entertainers including Phil and Don, collectively known as The Everly Brothers, as well as the Jazz double bass player Charles Edward Haden. On KMA radio, where his family performed Country music and Folk songs, Haden revolutionized the harmonic concept of bass playing in Jazz music. Of note, Haden made his professional debut at the ripe old age of two.