West Chester in Butler County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Voice of America Bethany Station
During the height of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt turned to the innovative engineers of the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation to build powerful short wave radio transmitters capable of delivering broadcasts overseas. On farm fields near Crosley's WLW facility, six 200 kilowatt transmitters and 24 directional reentrant rhombic antennas were built and on September 23, 1944, the Voice of America Bethany Station was dedicated. The first broadcast was directed at Nazi Germany and began with, "We shall speak to you about America and the war. The news may be good or it may be bad, but we will tell you the truth." For more than fifty years, the Voice of America Bethany Station delivered "truthful news" to the people of Europe, Africa, South America, and parts of Asia, despite some like Adolf Hitler who referred to the VOA as those "Cincinnati Liars." New technology and budget cuts resulted in the silencing of the Bethany Station in 1994.
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Longaberger Company, West Chester Township, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 20-9.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • War, World II . In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #32 Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is September 23, 1944.
Location. 39° 21.316′ N, 84° 21.392′ W. Marker is in West Chester, Ohio, in Butler County. Marker is on Tylersville Road, 0.9 miles east of I-75 Exit 22, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8070 Tylersville Road, West Chester OH 45069, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Blaw-Knox Antenna (approx. 1.6 miles away); First Jain Temple in Ohio / History of Jainism in Ohio (approx. 2 miles away); Interurban Railway and Terminal Company: Rapid Railway (approx. 2.8 miles away); 2007 - 2011 (approx. 4.9 miles away); 1972 (approx. 4.9 miles away); 2012 - 2016 (approx. 4.9 miles away); 1973 (approx. 4.9 miles away); 1974 (approx. 4.9 miles away).
Also see . . . VOA Bethany Station History. (Submitted on November 2, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 2, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,864 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 2, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.