Articles of Incorporation
The Marion Broadcasting Company • Filed April 22, 1940
On April 22, 1940, The Marion Broadcasting Company was formally incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio. This filing established the legal corporate entity that would construct and operate radio station WMRN in Marion, Ohio.
At the time of incorporation, radio broadcasting was entering one of its most influential eras. Local stations served as primary sources of news, weather, civic information, and national programming. The formation of The Marion Broadcasting Company placed Marion within this expanding communications network during a period of rapid technological and social change.
The incorporation was recorded in Volume 471, Page 131 in the official records of the Ohio Secretary of State.
Corporate Structure and Authority
The Articles granted the corporation broad operational authority, including:
- Owning and operating radio broadcasting stations
- Operating television and facsimile services
- Conducting advertising and promotional business
- Buying, leasing, and managing real estate
- Entering into contracts necessary to carry out corporate purposes
Notably, the document references television broadcasting in 1940 several years before television became commercially widespread, reflecting the forward-looking legal language commonly used in corporate filings of the period.
Filing Details
- Date Filed: April 22, 1940
- State: Ohio
- County: Marion
- Recorded: Volume 471, Page 131
- Initial Capitalization: $15,000
- Authorized Shares: 250 (no par value)
Archival Citation
Articles of Incorporation, The Marion Broadcasting Company. Filed April 22, 1940. Ohio Secretary of State, Records of Incorporation, Volume 471, Page 131. Certified copy preserved by the Marion County Historical Society, Marion, Ohio.
Full Transcription
View Full Transcription of the Articles of Incorporation (April 22, 1940)
Articles of Incorporation
The Marion Broadcasting Company
The undersigned, a majority of whom are citizens of the United States, desiring to form a corporation, for profit, under the General Corporation Act of Ohio, do hereby certify:
FIRST. The name of said corporation shall be The Marion Broadcasting Company.
SECOND. The place in Ohio where its principal office is to be located is Marion, Marion County.
THIRD. The purpose or purposes for which it is formed are:
Owning, leasing and operating radio broadcasting, television and facsimile stations; disseminating advertising, entertainment and amusements of all kinds and in any manner; carrying on a general advertising business; buying, selling, leasing and operating real estate and buildings therein; executing, making, giving and performing any and every agreement or contract necessary or desirable for carrying on any or all of the business of said corporation; and doing everything necessary, suitable or proper for the accomplishment of the purposes herein enumerated and which shall at any time appear expedient for the benefit or protection of said corporation, or its rights, property or assets, or calculated to enhance the value thereof; and to do any and all of the things herein set forth to the same extent as a natural person might or could do, and in furtherance and not in limitation of the general powers conferred by the laws of the State of Ohio; and also to do and perform all other things that it legally may do.
FOURTH. The maximum number of shares which the corporation is authorized to have outstanding is two hundred fifty (250), all of which shall be with no par value.
FIFTH. The amount of capital with which the corporation will begin business is Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000.00).
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, We have hereunto subscribed our names this 22nd day of April, 1940.
Robert T. Mason
Fred E. Guthery
Howard F. Guthery
Notarial Acknowledgment
State of Ohio, County of Marion, ss:
Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said county, this 22nd day of April, 1940, the above named Robert T. Mason, Fred E. Guthery, and Howard F. Guthery, who each severally acknowledged the signing of the foregoing articles of incorporation to be his free act and deed for the uses and purposes therein mentioned.
Enid Little
Notary Public
Secretary of State Certification
State of Ohio
Office of the Secretary of State
I, Geo. M. Neffner, Secretary of State of the State of Ohio, do hereby certify that the foregoing is an exemplified copy of the Articles of Incorporation of The Marion Broadcasting Company, filed in this office on the 22nd day of April, 1940, and recorded in Volume 471, Page 131 of the Records of Incorporations.
Witness my hand and official seal at Columbus, Ohio, this 22nd day of April, 1940.
Geo. M. Neffner
Secretary of State
Digital Facsimile
This certified copy of the Articles of Incorporation is preserved in the collection of the Marion County Historical Society and is reproduced here for historical documentation and research purposes.
Editorial Statement
This document is reproduced as a primary historical record. All details, names, and corporate authorities presented in this exhibit derive directly from the certified filing recorded by the Ohio Secretary of State on April 22, 1940.