October 1991

WLWO started out in 1924 as W8XAL, Harrison, Ohio, simulcasting Crosley's famous "national" BCB station, WLW, on 6000 kHz. Both xmtrs moved to Mason in 1928, with the SW power increasing from 250 watts to eventually 75 kw. Toward the late 30's it became a well programmed SWBCer to Latin America, transmitting 21 hours daily. Along with all other U.S. SWBCers, it exchanged its "X" call for permanent call letters in 1939. The government took control in 1942, and eventually WLWO became part of the VOA.

"W9XAA was created around 1930 because the chief engineer at WCFL, Maynard Marquardt, was interested in short wave, and he liked to get letters from far away places. . . Programming over W9XAA was almost completely a simulcast of WCFL, but . . . about once a month a short wave club would use W9XAA to broadcast to other countries. This was an all night affair which sometimes included music from a portable organ the club brought with them. In [the W9XAA engineer's] words, W9XAA as a 'lot of fun' to operate." (M. K. Sidel, Ph.D. dissertation). The top veri at left is from the SW outlet, the bottom one from WCFL MW. Those SW frequencies were 6080, 11830 and 17780, and the imprint under the "WCFL" says "5000 watts, 490 foot vertical radiator."