South Dallas in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
WRR Radio
To prevent another such tragedy, Henry Garrett, Chief of the city's signal department, worked with Western Electric Co. employees to install a 50-watt radio broadcasting station at the fire department's headquarters. The station's call letters were WRR.
Early listeners interested in the new technology could pick up the station's signal using crystal sets. By 1921, the municipally owned broadcasting station became one of the first in the nation to offer regular entertainment programming. Within four years the station had advertising support, saving the taxpayers money. From 1925 to 1939, WRR was housed in several Dallas hotels, including the Adolphus.
After the 1936 Texas Centennial celebration, the station moved to Fair Park, where it was first housed in the General Exhibits building. In 1948, the city acquired an FM-band frequency located at 101.1 on the radio dial. Over the years the station experimented with different formats, including talk and news shows, city meeting broadcasts and classical music. The city sold its original AM-band station in 1978, However, the city continued to support the FM-band station, which, more than 80 years after its first broadcasts, continues to provide classical music, news and local programming to Dallas citizens.
Erected 2003 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 13182.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 32° 46.567′ N, 96° 45.575′ W. Marker is in Dallas, Texas, in Dallas County. It is in South Dallas. Marker can be reached from 1st Avenue west of Pennsylvania Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1516 1st Avenue, Dallas TX 75210, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fabulous Quarter Horse Steel Dust (approx. ¼ mile away); A Tribute to Texas Women in the Civil War (approx. ¼ mile away); Hall of State (approx. 0.3 miles away); Texas Centennial Exposition (approx. half a mile away); Continental D.A.R. House (approx. half a mile away); State Fair of Texas (approx. half a mile away); Dr. Frank E. Rutherford Veterinary Hospital (approx. 0.6 miles away); Juanita Craft House (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dallas.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2018, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. This page has been viewed 291 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 8, 2018, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.