9XM - The First Transmission of Human Speech and the Creation of Public Radio

Professor Earle Terry, the key figure in the stations rapid early development, and 9XM's early Morse Code broadcast setup.

In 1914 University of Wisconsin Electrical engineering professor, Edward Bennett, set up a wireless transmitter on campus. He applied to the Commerce Department for a license and was assigned the call letters 9XM. The license was transferred to the University of Wisconsin for use with a new transmitter.
On December 4th, 1916, 9XM carried the first regular morse code broadcasts from UW's Science Hall. In an effort to break free of Morse Code transmitter and broadcast "live" over the air, The station experimented with broadcasting music from phonograph records.
During America's entry into World War I, most stations around the nation were shut down. 9XM stayed on the air in order to participate in "experiments" overseen by the Army and Navy. In 1918, with the Army looking on, a series of early voice transmissions were made over the air. Then, on February 17th, 1919, the world's first documented clear transmission of human speech was made.
Two years later, with regular broadcasts on a daily schedule, 9XM became the first radio station in the United States to provide the weather forecast by voice. In September, farm market broadcasts were added, and on November 1st, 1921, 9XM carried the first live broadcast of a symphony orchestra - The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra - live from the University of Wisconsin Armory.
Later, 9XM was relicensed by the US Commerce Department as WHA, making it the oldest public Radio station in the United States.....and while all this was happening, frozen yogurt was about to be invented at Babcock Hall.

"Chapter a Day" is one of the longest, if not the longest running program in radio history. It began in 1927 when a radio guest canceled his appearance, forcing the host to read a library book to fill the time. Listeners loved it. By 1939, it was on the daily schedule.

(First published in Wisconsinology in 2008. Revised in 2020 by the Author)