WOI (AM)
Encyclopedia
WOI is a News
/Talk
radio station
affiliated with National Public Radio serving the Des Moines, Iowa
area. It is located at 640 on the AM dial.Due to its dial position, power and Iowa's flat landscape, it can be heard throughout most of the state of Iowa (as far west as Sioux City and as far east as Cedar Rapids). Its signal also reaches parts of Missouri
, Minnesota
and Nebraska
. The station's studios are located in room 2022 of the Communications Building at Iowa State University
in Ames
(where the station is licensed) along with WOI-FM
.
Professor "Dad" Hoffman set a transmission line between the Campus Water Tower and the Engineering Building and set up a wireless telegraph station. By 1913 this was known as experimental station 9YI and it was sending and receiving weather
reports by morse code
on a regular basis. The first sound broadcast was an hour of concert music on November 21, 1921. The Commerce Department issued a full radio license for station WOI in April 1922 and the first regular broadcast took place on April 28, 1922. It is the oldest noncommercial radio station west of the Mississippi River
. The original callsign 9YI is now W0YI and is retained by the ISU Campus Radio Club, with the amateur radio
station located in the Electrical Engineering building.
athletic teams. In 1925, "The Music Shop" was started. This program is one of the longest-running shows in the history of radio and can still be heard on sister station WOI-FM
. In 1927 another long time favorite, "The Book Club" was added.
at 90.1 on the FM dial. In its early years it primarily simulcast the AM station. WOI-TV
was launched in 1950 as the first television station in central Iowa. It was also the first commercial TV station owned by an educational institution. It originally was affiliated with all four networks of its time before it became solely an ABC
affiliate in 1955. WOI-TV was sold by the Iowa Board of Regents on March 1, 1994.
WOI became a charter member of NPR in 1971.
and locally produced talk shows along with local news and BBC
news updates. The classical music of the early years migrated exclusively to WOI-FM
in the 1960s.
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
/Talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
affiliated with National Public Radio serving the Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
area. It is located at 640 on the AM dial.Due to its dial position, power and Iowa's flat landscape, it can be heard throughout most of the state of Iowa (as far west as Sioux City and as far east as Cedar Rapids). Its signal also reaches parts of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. The station's studios are located in room 2022 of the Communications Building at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in Ames
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
(where the station is licensed) along with WOI-FM
WOI-FM
WOI-FM is a radio station licensed to Ames, serving the greater Ames/Des Moines area. The station is owned by Iowa State University. WOI-FM is an affiliate of Iowa Public Radio, and mostly carries the network's "Classical Network" service, in addition to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things...
.
9YI: The experimental years
The history of WOI can be traced back to 1911 when PhysicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
Professor "Dad" Hoffman set a transmission line between the Campus Water Tower and the Engineering Building and set up a wireless telegraph station. By 1913 this was known as experimental station 9YI and it was sending and receiving weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
reports by morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
on a regular basis. The first sound broadcast was an hour of concert music on November 21, 1921. The Commerce Department issued a full radio license for station WOI in April 1922 and the first regular broadcast took place on April 28, 1922. It is the oldest noncommercial radio station west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The original callsign 9YI is now W0YI and is retained by the ISU Campus Radio Club, with the amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
station located in the Electrical Engineering building.
Programming in the early years
The first regular programming on WOI was farm market reports gathered by ticker tape and morse code and broadcast throughout the state. Another early staple was sporting events by Iowa State'sIowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
athletic teams. In 1925, "The Music Shop" was started. This program is one of the longest-running shows in the history of radio and can still be heard on sister station WOI-FM
WOI-FM
WOI-FM is a radio station licensed to Ames, serving the greater Ames/Des Moines area. The station is owned by Iowa State University. WOI-FM is an affiliate of Iowa Public Radio, and mostly carries the network's "Classical Network" service, in addition to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things...
. In 1927 another long time favorite, "The Book Club" was added.
New technology and NPR
On December 1, 1949 WOI launched WOI-FMWOI-FM
WOI-FM is a radio station licensed to Ames, serving the greater Ames/Des Moines area. The station is owned by Iowa State University. WOI-FM is an affiliate of Iowa Public Radio, and mostly carries the network's "Classical Network" service, in addition to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things...
at 90.1 on the FM dial. In its early years it primarily simulcast the AM station. WOI-TV
WOI-TV
WOI-DT, channel 5, is the ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Ames, and serving the Des Moines, Iowa market. Its studios are in West Des Moines...
was launched in 1950 as the first television station in central Iowa. It was also the first commercial TV station owned by an educational institution. It originally was affiliated with all four networks of its time before it became solely an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate in 1955. WOI-TV was sold by the Iowa Board of Regents on March 1, 1994.
WOI became a charter member of NPR in 1971.
WOI today
Today WOI's programming consists of both NPRNPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and locally produced talk shows along with local news and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
news updates. The classical music of the early years migrated exclusively to WOI-FM
WOI-FM
WOI-FM is a radio station licensed to Ames, serving the greater Ames/Des Moines area. The station is owned by Iowa State University. WOI-FM is an affiliate of Iowa Public Radio, and mostly carries the network's "Classical Network" service, in addition to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things...
in the 1960s.