# The First Broadcast: December 23, 1940

- Link: https://wmrnhistory.com/exhibit/first-broadcast-december-23-1940/
- Published: 2026-06-20T18:57:43-04:00
- Author: 

Narrative Exhibit

## The First Broadcast: December 23, 1940

An interpretive exhibit about WMRN-AM origins, Marion Broadcasting Company, and 
the moment local radio became part of Marion civic life.

WMRN did not begin with a single microphone. It began with a legal corporation, 
capital, facilities, staff, technical planning, and a public promise that Marion
would have a station of its own.

This exhibit gathers founding records, anniversary evidence, early station material,
and later institutional memory to show how December 23, 1940 became the anchor date
for WMRN history.

### Story

#### Incorporation Before the Signal

The Articles of Incorporation for Marion Broadcasting Company document the legal
and financial structure behind the station. They turn the first broadcast from a
legend into a traceable institutional event.

#### A Station Built for Marion

WMRN connected local advertising, news, music, sports, civic announcements, and 
public service into a daily broadcast presence. Its first broadcast marks the beginning
of that civic role.

#### Memory, Anniversary, and Proof

Later anniversary materials repeated and interpreted the origin story, but the archive
is strongest when those memories are paired with primary documents, audio, photographs,
and cataloged objects.

#### What the First Broadcast Made Possible

The AM station created the foundation for WMRN-FM, station personalities, remote
broadcasts, promotional culture, and decades of Marion radio memory. Nearly every
later accession connects back to this start.

### Timeline Anchors

 1. April 22, 1940Marion Broadcasting Company files its Articles of Incorporation.
 2. December 23, 1940WMRN-AM signs on and begins serving the Marion area.
 3. 1953WMRN-FM signs on, extending the station story beyond AM broadcasting.
 4. December 23, 1960The station marks its twentieth anniversary with a preserved address.
 5. December 2010WMRN alumni gather for a seventieth anniversary celebration.

### Featured Evidence

 * **Corporate record: **Articles of Incorporation identify the legal entity and
   founding structure behind WMRN.
 * **Anniversary audio: **The twentieth anniversary address preserves how WMRN described
   its own origins after two decades.
 * **Studio evidence: **Early photographs, furnishings, and equipment records help
   reconstruct the physical station environment.
 * **Promotional material: **Banners, postcards, and handouts show how WMRN presented
   itself to listeners.

### Research Questions

 * Which documents best verify the path from incorporation to first broadcast?
 * What early staff, advertisers, and community partners can be identified from 
   surviving records?
 * How did WMRN describe its own founding during later anniversary broadcasts and
   printed histories?

### Records in This Story

 [  WMRN-2026-039

#### Articles of Incorporation — Marion Broadcasting Company (April 22, 1940)

  This document formally established the legal corporate entity responsible for 
constructing and operating radio station WMRN in M...

 [ Page

#### WMRN Historical Staff Roster (1940–2020)

Documented, year-by-year history of WMRN-AM, WMRN-FM and Marion broadcast staff,
managers, engineers and ownership from 1940 throu...

 [  WMRN-2026-053

#### WMRN 53 Years Serving the Marion Area Promotional Timeline Handout

Printed WMRN promotional timeline handout headed "Celebrating 53 Years of Serving
the Marion Area," likely produced in or after Se...

 [ Page

#### Media & Press

Official media resources, quick facts, logos, approved images, background information
and press contacts for the WMRN Radio Histor...

 [  WMRN-2026-078

#### Robert Tussing Mason Profile, “He Didn’t Wait to Be Asked to Serve” — Broadcasting, November 29, 1965

Original Item Robert Tussing Mason featured in Broadcasting magazine’s “Week’s Profile,”
November 29, 1965, page 93. Description O...

 [ Page

#### WMRN-AM 1490 Collection Hub

 [  WMRN-2026-041

#### WMRN-AM On-Air Studio Interior (Late 1990s Era)

Description Interior view of the WMRN-AM on-air studio, likely photographed in the
mid-to-late 1990s. The image captures the stati...

 [  WMRN-2026-037

#### “Evers In The Morning” — WMRN-AM Program Announcement (October 15, 1990)

Advertisement announcing “Evers In The Morning” on WMRN-AM beginning October 15,
1990.

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