WRR Radio
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A pioneering radio station, WRR Radio grew out of tragic events in early-20th century Dallas. In 1912, a large fire in southern Dallas required all of the city's fire fighting units. While they were on the scenes, another fire broke out in the northern part of the city. The central fire station's signal lines were destroyed, which prevented a dispatch to the second fire. To prevent another such tragedy, Henry Garrett, chief of the city's signal department, worked with Western Electric Co. employees to install a 50-watt radio broadcasting station at the fire department's headquarters. The station's call letters were WRR. Early listeners interested in the new technology could pick up the station's signal using crystal sets. By 1921, the municipally owned broadcasting station became one of the first in the nation to offer regular entertainment programming. Within four years the station had advertising support, saving the taxpayers money. From 1925 to 1939, WRR was housed in several Dallas hotels, including the Adolphus. After the 1936 Texas Centennial Celebration, the station moved to Fair Park, where it was first housed in the General Exhibits Building. In 1948, the city acquired an FM-band frequency located at 101.1 on the radio dial. Over the years the station experimented with different formats, including talk and news shows, city meeting broadcasts and classical music. The city sold its original AM-band station in 1978. However, the city continued to support the FM-band station, which, more than 80 years after its first broadcasts, continues to provide classical music, news and local programming to Dallas citizens. (2003)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
WRR Radio grew directly out of disaster: in 1912, with every Dallas fire unit fighting one blaze, a second broke out that the crippled signal lines could not report. To prevent a repeat, signal chief Henry Garrett worked with Western Electric to install a 50-watt transmitter at fire headquarters, and by 1921 the municipally owned station had become one of the nation's first to broadcast regular entertainment. Over the decades it moved among hotels and Fair Park, added an FM signal, and—more than eighty years on—still airs classical music and local programming.
Why it matters
As one of America's earliest broadcasters and a rare city-owned station, WRR marks the dawn of commercial radio and the birth of a new mass medium.
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Related people
- · Henry Garrett
Themes & tags
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