WHAS Radio Historical Collection

WHAS was the first licensed radio station in Kentucky when it started broadcasting on July 18, 1922. Early programming included news and sports coverage. The station aired the first live broadcast of the Kentucky Derby on May 16, 1925. It was originally part of the Bingham family owned Louisville media empire which most notably included the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times. The station joined with the University of Kentucky in 1929 to broadcast university programming and to create “listening centers” throughout eastern Kentucky.  Broadcasted programs were educational in nature and included music and agricultural news.  Utilizing donated battery-powered radios, the centers enabled citizens of remote areas in eastern Kentucky to receive radio service. (Shadburne, Bettie. (2000). WHAS.  In The Encyclopedia of Louisville. (Pages 935-936). University of Kentucky Press.) During the 1937 Ohio River flood, the station provided non-stop news coverage, transmitting commercial-free for weeks. During this period, WHAS relayed over 115,000 messages to rescue crews as many civil agencies had no other means of communication. On March 29, 1941 the station moved to its current frequency of 840 kilocycles on the AM band and was granted clear-channel status by the Federal Communications Commission making it the only station in the country allowed to use that frequency. In March of 1970 WHAS began broadcasting 24 hours a day. (Shadburne, Bettie. (2000). WHAS.  In The Encyclopedia of Louisville. (Pages 935-936). University of Kentucky Press.)