"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 Part1, I presented information about radio station KDKA in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania that many 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 discussed 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."

In Part 3, I detailed radio stations KFNF "Keep Friendly Never Frown," and KMA "Keep Millions Advised," in Shenandoah, Iowa.


Henry Field erected two 218-foot tall towers adjoining his seed house in Shenandoah. These supported a horizontal wire antenna. Afterwards, Field installed a 500 watt transmitter inside the building. His first broadcast on what became popularly regarded as the "Friendly Farmer Station" occurred on February 24, 1924. The program featured discussions on poultry and agriculture. There was "old time music," religion, and homespun folksy philosophy. Field acted as the main announcer.

The uncrowded radio bands of KFNF, and static-free evenings, allowed the radio station to be heard throughout Iowa and several surrounding states. Field's " Missouri English," as homey as it was, endeared him to Midwest farmers who felt comfortable ordering merchandise advertised on KFNF and Field's mail order business flourished quickly. Drawn mainly from the staff of his seed company, performers such as the "Seedhouse Girls," and the "Cornfield Canaries," gained popularity. However, Field was the primary benefactor of KFNF's prosperity.

Thousands of listeners flocked weekly to Shenandoah to meet Field. He began to offer tours of his station's facilities and his seed company. His business boomed. Eventually, Field built his own studio on the south end of his seed house. The studio was replenished with its own auditorium, pew-style benches, and views of proceedings. A dining room, and a kitchen, served coffee and sandwiches. Next came a grand piano and a large pipe organ for live musical broadcasts.

So many tourists arrived in Shenandoah, Field constructed a row of cabins for additional housing for them. In time, Field added an arcade, a soda fountain, a gas station, and a trading post in the small town, as well as seven nearby communities. All of these were supported by KFNF.

Additionally, KFNF celebrated a Fall Festival Weekend in Shenandoah for live broadcasts. These offered attendees free pancakes, carnival rides, and exhibits. By 1939, the jubilees provided by KFNF, and their rival station KMA, totalled in excess of 439,200 revelers.

The listening public of KFNF was enthralled by the radio station, and for the most part, the radio station was more or less a catalyst for publicity for Field's business enterprises.