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{{Short description|News/talk radio station in Yankton, South Dakota}}
{{Short description|News/talk radio station in Yankton, South Dakota}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox radio station
{{Infobox radio station
| name = WNAX
| name = WNAX
| logo = 570 WNAX.png
| logo = 570 WNAX.png
| city = [[Yankton, South Dakota]]
| city = [[Yankton, South Dakota]]
| country = US
| area = [[Sioux City, Iowa]]<br>[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]]<br>[[Omaha, Nebraska]]<br>[[Lincoln, Nebraska]]
| area = {{ubl|Southeast [[South Dakota]]|Northwest [[Iowa]]|Northeast [[Nebraska]]}}
| branding = ''WNAX Radio 570''
| airdate = {{start date and age|1922|11|7}}
| branding = WNAX Radio 570
| frequency = 570 [[kilohertz|kHz]]
| frequency = 570 [[hertz|kHz]]
| translator = 96.9 K245DA (Yankton)
| translator = {{Radio Relay|96.9|K245DA|Yankton}}
| format = [[Commercial radio|Commercial]]; [[Talk radio|News/Talk]]
| airdate = {{start date and age|1922|11|7}}
| power = 5,000 [[watt]]s
| format = [[Talk radio|News/talk]]
| class = B
| power = 5,000 watts
| facility_id = 57846
| class = B
| facility_id = 57846
⚫
| callsign_meaning = None (sequentially assigned)<ref>''Radio Service Bulletin'', December 1, 1922, "New Stations" section, page 3. Other new stations granted during the month of November, 1922 included WNAQ, Charleston, SC, WNAV, Knoxville, TN, WNAW, Fort Monroe, VA, and WNAY, Baltimore, MD. (A fanciful [[Folk etymology]] later developed that WNAX's call letters stood for "North American radio eXperiment".)</ref>
| callsign_meaning = None (sequentially assigned)<ref>''Radio Service Bulletin'', December 1, 1922, "New Stations" section, page 3.</ref>{{efn|name=sequential}}
| former_callsigns =
| former_callsigns =
| network = [[CBS News Radio]]
| network = [[CBS News Radio]]
| affiliations = {{plainlist|
| affiliations = {{plainlist|
* [[Compass Media Networks]]
* [[Compass Media Networks]]
* [[List of Minnesota Twins broadcasters|Minnesota Twins Radio Network]]
* [[List of Minnesota Vikings broadcasters|Minnesota Vikings Radio Network]]
* [[Premiere Networks]]
* [[Premiere Networks]]
⚫
* [[South Dakota State Jackrabbits]] Radio Network
* [[Salem Radio Network]]
* [[Westwood One]]
⚫
* [[South Dakota State Jackrabbits]]
}}
}}
| owner = Saga Communications Inc.
| owner = Saga Communications Inc.
| licensee = Saga Communications of South Dakota, LLC
| licensee = Saga Communications of South Dakota, LLC
| sister_stations = [[WNAX-FM]]
| sister_stations = [[WNAX-FM]]
| webcast = [https://v7player.wostreaming.net/7925 Listen Live]
| webcast = {{listenlive|https://player.amperwave.net/7925}}
| website = [http://www.wnax.com/ wnax.com]
| website = {{URL|https://www.wnax.com/}}
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}
}}


'''WNAX''' (570 [[AM broadcasting|AM]]) is a [[radio station]] in [[Yankton, South Dakota]], currently owned by Saga Communications, Inc., which broadcasts a [[talk radio|News/Talk]] format.
'''WNAX''' (570 [[AM broadcasting|AM]]) is a [[commercial radio|commercial]] radio station in [[Yankton, South Dakota]]. It airs a [[full service radio|full service]] [[radio format]] including news, talk, sports and farm reports. It is owned by Saga Communications, with studios on East [[South Dakota Highway 50|State Highway 50]] in Yankton.


WNAX is a [[list of broadcast station classes#AM|Class B]] station, powered at 5,000 watts. By day, it is [[omnidirectional antenna|non-directional]]. At night, to protect other stations on [[570 AM]] from interference, it uses a [[directional antenna]] with a three-[[tower array]]. The [[transmitter]] is on 444th Avenue in [[Mission Hill, South Dakota]].<REF>[https://radio-locator.com/info/WNAX-AM Radio-Locator.com/WNAX-AM]</REF> Programming is also heard on [[FM translator]] '''K245DA''' at 96.9 [[Hertz|MHz]] in Yankton.<ref>[https://radio-locator.com/info/K245DA-FX Radio-Locator.com/K245DA]</ref>
⚫
WNAX broadcasts at 5,000 watts around the clock from a tower in eastern Yankton. Due to its location near the bottom of the AM dial, transmitter power, and South Dakota's flat land (with near-perfect [[ground conductivity]]) the station's 5,000-watt signal provides at least secondary coverage during the day to most of the eastern half of South Dakota, much of western Iowa, and most of the densely populated portion of Nebraska. In addition to its home markets of [[Sioux City]] and [[Sioux Falls]], WNAX provides a strong grade B signal to [[Omaha]] and [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]]. Under the right conditions, its daytime signal penetrates as far south as [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], as far north as [[Fargo, North Dakota|Fargo]] and well east of [[Des Moines]] with a good radio. Among U.S. stations its daytime land coverage is exceeded only by [[KFYR (AM)|KFYR]] in [[Bismarck, North Dakota]].<ref>[http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=WNAX-AM&h=D Predicted Daytime Coverage Area for WNAX 570 AM, Yankton, SD], radio-locator.com. Accessed December 28, 2015</ref> A single tower is used during the day. Three towers are used at night to protect [[clear-channel station]]s on adjacent frequencies, concentrating the signal along the Sioux Falls-Sioux City corridor.


==Programming==
⚫
[[File:Peoples Broadcasting Advertisement 1960.tif|left|thumb|270px|1960 advertisement for Peoples Broadcasting Corporation, later known as Nationwide Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of the [[Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.]] ''(Note the Nationwide "eagle" logo inside the Peoples microphone logo)'']]
WNAX airs a mix of local shows and [[radio syndication|nationally syndicated]] programs. Weekday mornings begin with ''The WNAX Early Morning Get-Together'' with Big Scott Allen. It includes local news, agriculture reports and updates from [[CBS News Radio]]. The rest of the weekday schedule features news, ag reports and local talk. At 6pm, the station switches to [[Fox Sports Radio]]. At midnight, WNAX carries ''[[Coast to Coast AM]] with [[George Noory]]''. Before dawn, it airs ''[[This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal]]''.

Weekends feature specialty shows on money, health, travel, gardening, car repair, home repair and technology. Syndicated weekend shows include ''[[Peter Greenberg|Eye on Travel with Peter Greenberg]], Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger, [[CBS News Weekend Roundup]], [[Major Garrett|The Takeout with Major Garrett]], [[The Tech Guy|Rich DeMuro on Tech]], [[Face The Nation]]'' and ''[[Meet The Press]]''. Most hours begin with an update from CBS News Radio. Sunday mornings feature religious shows and Sunday evenings carry Fox Sports Radio.

⚫
In addition, WNAX is the [[flagship (broadcasting)|flagship station]] for [[South Dakota State University]] sports. It also carries [[Minnesota Twins]] baseball and [[Minnesota Vikings]] football.


==History==
==History==
===Gurney's Seed and Nursery===
WNAX was first licensed on November 7, 1922, to the Dakota Radio Apparatus company,<ref>''Radio Service Bulletin'', December 1, 1922, "New Stations" section, page 3.</ref> and is the oldest surviving radio station in the state of South Dakota. The call-letters came from a sequentially assigned list, and WNAX was the last station in the state to receive a callsign starting with a W instead of K (other than sister station WNAX-FM), as additional stations in the state were established after the January, 1923 shift that moved the K/W call letter boundary from the western border of South Dakota to the Mississippi River. WNAX was purchased by [[Gurney's Seed and Nursery Company]] in 1926 and became known as "WNAX—Voice of the House of Gurney in Yankton". The station was used to promote Gurney products and services, making Gurney's a household name.<ref name="VH">[http://www.saveseeds.org/company_history/gurney/index.html Gurney Seed and Nursery Company], Victory Horticultural Library.</ref> In 1957, Cowles Broadcasting Corporation sold the station to [[Nationwide Communications|Peoples Broadcasting Corporation]], a subsidiary of [[Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.]], which, in turn, was an affiliate of the [[Ohio Farm Bureau Federation]]. Peoples Broadcasting was then the owner of [[KCAU-TV|KVTV-TV]] (now KCAU-TV).
WNAX was first licensed on November 7, 1922, to the Dakota Radio Apparatus company.<ref>''Radio Service Bulletin'', December 1, 1922, "New Stations" section, page 3.</ref> It is the oldest surviving radio station in the state of South Dakota. The [[call sign]] came from a sequentially assigned list.{{efn|name=sequential}} WNAX was the last AM station in the state to receive a call sign starting with a W instead of K; all subsequent AM stations in the state were established after the January 1923 shift that moved the K/W call letter boundary from the western border of South Dakota to the [[Mississippi River]].


WNAX was purchased by [[Gurney's Seed and Nursery Company]] in 1926 and became known as "WNAX—-Voice of the House of Gurney in Yankton". The station was used to promote Gurney products and services, making Gurney's a household name.<ref name="VH">{{Cite web |title=Gurney Seed and Nursery Company -- SaveSeeds.org |url=http://www.saveseeds.org/company_history/gurney/index.html |access-date=January 26, 2024 |website=www.saveseeds.org}}</ref>
⚫
On February 10, 1933, the [[Federal Radio Commission]] authorized an increase in daytime power from 1,000 [[watt]]s to 2,500 watts.<ref>{{cite news|title=WNAX Power Increase|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1933/1933-02-15-BC.pdf|access-date=7 October 2014|agency=Broadcasting|date=February 15, 1933}}</ref> Less than two years later, December 18, 1934, the new [[Federal Communications Commission]] authorized another increase in power, to 5,000 watts.<ref name=bc010135>{{cite news|title=Four Stations Get 5 kw.|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1935/1935-01-01-BC.pdf|access-date=12 October 2014|agency=Broadcasting|date=January 1, 1935}}</ref>


⚫
On February 10, 1933, the [[Federal Radio Commission]] authorized an increase in daytime power from 1,000 watts to 2,500 watts.<ref>{{cite news|title=WNAX Power Increase|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1933/1933-02-15-BC.pdf|access-date=October 7, 2014|agency=Broadcasting|date=February 15, 1933}}</ref> Less than two years later, December 18, 1934, the new [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) authorized another increase in power, to the current 5,000 watts.<ref name=bc010135>{{cite news|title=Four Stations Get 5 kw.|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1935/1935-01-01-BC.pdf|access-date=October 12, 2014|agency=Broadcasting|date=January 1, 1935}}</ref>
⚫
The radio station launched the careers of many stars, both local and national. Starting in the late 1920s, [[Lawrence Welk]] spent a decade performing daily without pay on WNAX. In 1939, [[Wynn Speece|Wynn Hubler Speece]] started her radio program and became known regionally as "Your Neighbor Lady". Speece was still continuing to do her Marconi Award-winning broadcast more than sixty years later when WNAX celebrated its eightieth anniversary in 2002. Other well-known regional radio personalities from WNAX have included Norm Hilson, Whitney Larson, "Happy" Jack O'Malley, Bob Hill, Ed Nelson, Jerry Oster, Carl Thoreson, Steve (Mike) Wallick, George B. German, Roland "Pete" Peterson and the hillbilly performers on the ''WNAX Missouri Valley Barn Dance'' show.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hillbilly-music.com/programs/story/index.php?prog=540 |title=WNAX Missouri Valley Barn Dance |work=hillbilly-music.com |access-date=June 22, 2017}}</ref>


===Popular shows===
In October 2005 Speece announced her retirement after almost 66 years of continuous broadcasting. She died on October 22, 2007, at 90 years of age.<ref>http://www.woi-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7251278&nav=1LFX</ref>
⚫
The radio station launched the careers of many stars, both local and national. Starting in the late 1920s, orchestra leader [[Lawrence Welk]] spent a decade performing daily without pay on WNAX. In 1939, [[Wynn Speece|Wynn Hubler Speece]] started her radio program and became known regionally as "Your Neighbor Lady". Speece was still continuing to do her Marconi Award-winning broadcast more than sixty years later when WNAX celebrated its eightieth anniversary in 2002. In October 2005, Speece announced her retirement after almost 66 years of continuous broadcasting. She died on October 22, 2007, at 90 years of age.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Story |url=http://www.woi-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7251278&nav=1LFX |website=WoiTV}}</ref>


Other well-known regional radio personalities from WNAX have included Norm Hilson, Whitney Larson, "Happy" Jack O'Malley, Bob Hill, Ed Nelson, Jerry Oster, Carl Thoreson, Steve (Mike) Wallick, George B. German, Roland "Pete" Peterson and the hillbilly performers on the ''WNAX Missouri Valley Barn Dance'' show.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hillbilly-music.com/programs/story/index.php?prog=540 |title=WNAX Missouri Valley Barn Dance |work=hillbilly-music.com |access-date=June 22, 2017}}</ref>
⚫
In 1983 a fire destroyed the main WNAX building. All of the station's historic live recordings as well as thousands of records were destroyed. The staff of WNAX went to the station's transmitter site and continued broadcasting. Eventually, the station recovered when a new building was constructed on [[South Dakota Highway 50|Highway 50]] in Yankton.


===New owner===
⚫
In 1942 the station built a tower at Yankton at {{convert|929|ft|m|0}}, which was the tallest radio broadcasting tower at the time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.fybush.com/site-011010.html |title=Tower Site of the Week; The Big Travelogue: Part Seven |work=fybush.com |last=Fybush |first=Scott |date=October 10–17, 2001 |access-date=June 22, 2017}}</ref>
Gurney's sold WNAX for $200,000 to [[Gardner Cowles Jr.]]'s South Dakota Broadcasting Corporation in 1938. The station joined [[Cowles Media Company|Cowles media holdings]] that also included ''[[The Des Moines Register|The Des Moines Register & Tribune]]'', [[KXNO (AM)|KSO]] and [[KRNT]] in [[Des Moines, Iowa]], and [[WMT (AM)|WMT]] in [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]].<ref name="b&ba-saletocowles">{{cite news |title=Sale of WNAX to Gardner Cowles Jr. For $200,000 Is Approved by the FCC |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1938/1938-11-01-BC.pdf#page=24 |access-date=May 29, 2002 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising]] |date=November 1, 1938 |pages=24, 40}}</ref>


⚫
In 1942 the station built a [[radio masts and towers|tower]] in Yankton at a height of {{convert|929|ft|m|0}}. It was the tallest radio broadcasting tower at the time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.fybush.com/site-011010.html |title=Tower Site of the Week; The Big Travelogue: Part Seven |work=fybush.com |last=Fybush |first=Scott |date=October 10–17, 2001 |access-date=June 22, 2017}}</ref> The current tower is {{convert|911|ft|m|0}} tall.
The current tower is {{convert|911|ft|m|0}} tall.


===Blue Network===
⚫
Today WNAX continues many of the traditions started in 1922 with frequent news, sports, weather and farm market updates. The station continues to be affiliated with [[CBS Radio]], an association that began in the late 1920s.
In December 1944, the [[Blue Network]] announced that WNAX, along with Cowles sister stations KRNT in Des Moines and [[WWDJ|WCOP]] in Boston, would be among six new [[Network affiliate|affiliate]], effective June 15, 1945.<ref name="b&ba-wnaxcbstoblue">{{cite news |title=Blue Additions Presage Network Scramble |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1944/1944-12-18-BC.pdf#page=13 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising]] |date=December 18, 1944 |pages=13, 79}}</ref> The affiliation change coincided with the network's rebranding as the [[American Broadcasting Company]] (ABC).<ref name="b&ba-bluetoabc">{{cite news |title=American to Drop Blue Net Identity |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1945/1945-04-02-BC.pdf#page=16 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising]] |date=April 2, 1945 |page=16}}</ref> Prior to this affiliation, WNAX had been a [[CBS News Radio|CBS Radio]] affiliate.<ref name="b&ba-wnaxcbstoblue"/> Concurrently with the termination of WCOP's ABC affiliation on June 15, 1951, WNAX and KRNT would also leave ABC and rejoin CBS.<ref name="bt-wnaxabctocbs">{{cite news |title=WLAW to ABC |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1951/BC-1951-03-12.pdf#page=24 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting–Telecasting]] |date=March 12, 1951 |page=24}}</ref>


⚫
[[File:Peoples Broadcasting Advertisement 1960.tif|thumb|270px|1960 advertisement for Peoples Broadcasting Corporation, later known as Nationwide Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of the [[Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.]] (Note the Nationwide "eagle" logo inside the Peoples microphone logo.)]]
⚫
WNAX is the flagship for [[South Dakota State University]] sports. WNAX also carries [[Minnesota Twins]] baseball and [[Minnesota Vikings]] football.
In 1957, Cowles Broadcasting Corporation sold the station, along with co-owned television station KVTV (now [[KCAU-TV]]) in [[Sioux City, Iowa]], for $3 million. The new owner was [[Nationwide Communications|Peoples Broadcasting Corporation]], a subsidiary of [[Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.]], which, in turn, was an affiliate of the [[Ohio Farm Bureau Federation]].<ref name="b-saletopeoples">{{cite news |title=FCC Asked to Okay WNAX, KVTV (TV) Sales |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1957/1957-11-04-BC.pdf#page=74 |access-date=May 29, 2002 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=November 4, 1957 |page=74}}</ref> Peoples sold WNAX to [[Red Owl (retail chain)|Red Owl Stores]] for $1.5 million in 1965.<ref name="b-saletoredowl">{{cite news |title=Four stations sold for $6.8 million |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1965/1965-06-07-BC.pdf#page=79 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=June 7, 1965 |pages=79–80}}</ref> Control of Red Owl was acquired by [[Gamble-Skogmo]] in 1967; the transfer occurred before seeking FCC approval, and in 1968 the commission ordered Red Owl to sell its stations.<ref name="b-saletogambleskogmo">{{cite news |title=Okays transfers, but orders stations sold |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1968/1968-04-01-BC.pdf#page=9 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=April 1, 1968 |page=9}}</ref> WNAX, along with [[WEBC]] in [[Duluth, Minnesota]], and [[KTNF|KRSI AM]]-[[KZJK|FM]] in [[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]], was then acquired by [[Park Communications|Park Broadcasting]] in a $2.9 million deal announced that July.<ref name="b-saletopark">{{cite news |title=Park adds 3 radio outlets |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1968/1968-07-22-BC.pdf#page=45 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=July 22, 1968 |page=45}}</ref>

⚫
In December 1983, a fire destroyed the main WNAX building. All of the station's historic live recordings as well as thousands of records were destroyed. The staff of WNAX went to the station's transmitter site and continued broadcasting. Eventually, the station recovered when a new building was constructed on [[South Dakota Highway 50|Highway 50]] in Yankton.

In 1991, Park also acquired KCBM, an FM station in Yankton at 104.1 [[Hertz|MHz]].<ref name="r&r-saletopark">{{cite news |title=Fresno 'FIG Deal is $2.1 Million Headliner |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1991/RR-1991-08-23.pdf#page=9 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=[[Radio & Records]] |date=August 23, 1991 |pages=9–10}}</ref> The FM [[sister station]] would be renamed [[WNAX-FM]].

===Saga Communications===
In 1996, Saga Communications purchased WNAX and WNAX-FM from Park Communications for $7 million.<ref name="r&r-saletosaga">{{cite news |title=Rochester In 'Seventh Heaven' For ARS |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-03-01.pdf#page-6 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=[[Radio & Records]] |date=March 1, 1996 |pages=6, 8}}</ref> Programming from [[SportsMap|One on One Sports]] was added to WNAX's [[full service (radio format)|full service]] format in January 1997.<ref name="mst-wnax1on1sports">{{cite news |title=Format Changes & Updates |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-M-Street/M-Street-Journal/M-Street-1997-01.pdf#page=31 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=The M Street Journal |date=January 29, 1997 |page=1}}</ref>

In 2002, Saga dropped the limited [[country music]] played during WNAX's daytime news and farm information programming, and replaced evening carriage of Sporting News Radio (the former One on One Sports) with syndicated talk shows.<ref name="northpine-wnaxnocountry">{{cite news |title=SOUTH DAKOTA CORRECTION: Small changes at Saga Broadcasting's WNAX/570 (Yankton)… |url=https://www.northpine.com/broadcast/archive/news1002.html |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=Upper Midwest Broadcasting |date=October 30, 2002}}</ref>

⚫
Today WNAX continues many of the traditions started in 1922 with frequent news, sports, weather and farm market updates. The station continues to be affiliated with [[CBS News Radio]], an association that began in the late 1920s, and was only interrupted by the six years with [[ABC News Radio|ABC Radio]] from 1945 to 1951.

==Signal==
⚫
WNAX's 5,000-watt signal provides unusually large daytime coverage, equivalent to a full-power FM station. It provides at least secondary coverage during the day to most of the eastern half of South Dakota, much of western Iowa, southwestern Minnesota, and most of the densely populated portion of Nebraska. In addition to its home markets of [[Sioux City]] and [[Sioux Falls]], WNAX provides a strong grade B signal to [[Omaha]] and [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]]. Under the right conditions, its daytime signal penetrates as far south as [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], as far north as [[Fargo, North Dakota|Fargo]] and well east of [[Des Moines]] with a good radio.

Among U.S. stations, KNAX's daytime land coverage is exceeded only by [[KFYR (AM)|KFYR]] in [[Bismarck, North Dakota]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=WNAX-AM Radio Station Coverage Map |url=https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=WNAX-AM&h=D |access-date=January 26, 2024 |website=radio-locator.com}}</ref> A single tower is used during the day. Three towers are used at night to protect other stations on 570 AM and on adjacent frequencies. The nighttime signal is concentrated along the Sioux Falls-Sioux City corridor.

WNAX's signal benefits from its location near the bottom of the AM dial, as well as its transmitter power, and South Dakota's flat land (with near-perfect [[ground conductivity]]).


==Honors and awards==
==Honors and awards==
In May 2006, WNAX won one first place in the commercial radio division of the South Dakota Associated Press Broadcasters Association news contest.<ref>{{cite news |work=Yankton Press & Dakotan |title=SDPB, Yankton Stations Lauded |date=2006-05-08 |url=http://www.yankton.net/stories/050806/news_20060508021.shtml }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
In May 2006, WNAX won one first place in the commercial radio division of the South Dakota Associated Press Broadcasters Association news contest.<ref>{{cite news |work=Yankton Press & Dakotan |title=SDPB, Yankton Stations Lauded |date=May 8, 2006 |url= https://www.yankton.net/news/article_6606b2ee-0da2-5ec3-b17c-b8199d349e18.html}}</ref>


==Notes==
{{notelist|
⚫
{{efn|name=sequential|Other new stations granted during the month of November 1922 included WNAQ, Charleston, South Carolina; WNAV, Knoxville, Tennessee; WNAW, Fort Monroe, Virginia; and WNAY, Baltimore, Maryland. (A fanciful [[folk etymology]] later developed that WNAX's call letters stood for "North American radio eXperiment".)}}
}}
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.wnax.com/ WNAX website]
*[https://www.wnax.com/ WNAX website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050404061931/http://www.yankton.net/progress2/images/7499WNAXAdv.PDF WNAX: From 1922 to Today]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050404061931/http://www.yankton.net/progress2/images/7499WNAXAdv.PDF WNAX: From 1922 to Today]
*[http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200211/25_steilm_wnaxanniverary/ Article on the eightieth anniversary of WNAX] by [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
*[http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200211/25_steilm_wnaxanniverary/ Article on the eightieth anniversary of WNAX] by [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
{{AM station data|WNAX}}
{{AM station data|57846|WNAX}}
*{{FMQ|K245DA}}
*{{FCC-LMS-Facility|202251|K245DA}}
*{{FXL|K245DA}}
*{{FXL|K245DA}}
*{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=65768 |title= History Cards for WNAX|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}} ([[Wikipedia:WikiProject Radio Stations/History Cards|Guide to reading History Cards]])<!--Converted from {{FCC letter}}-->
*{{FCC letter|letterid=65768|callsign=WNAX|hcards=yes}}
*[https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Station-Albums/WNAX-Album.pdf WNAX 1945 Album - History of WNAX]
*[https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Station-Albums/WNAX-Album.pdf WNAX 1945 Album - History of WNAX]


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{{Coord|42|54|47|N|97|18|58|W|type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC|display=title}}


[[Category:Radio stations in South Dakota|µWNAX (AM)]]
[[Category:Radio stations in South Dakota|μWNAX (AM)]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1922]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1922]]
[[Category:News and talk radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:News and talk radio stations in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 21:34, 25 December 2024

WNAX
Broadcast area
Frequency570 kHz
BrandingWNAX Radio 570
Programming
FormatNews/talk
NetworkCBS News Radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Saga Communications Inc.
  • (Saga Communications of South Dakota, LLC)
WNAX-FM
History
First air date
November 7, 1922; 102 years ago (1922-11-07)
Call sign meaning
None (sequentially assigned)[1][a]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID57846
ClassB
Power5,000 watts
Translator(s)96.9 K245DA (Yankton)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wnax.com

WNAX (570 AM) is a commercial radio station in Yankton, South Dakota. It airs a full service radio format including news, talk, sports and farm reports. It is owned by Saga Communications, with studios on East State Highway 50 in Yankton.

WNAX is a Class B station, powered at 5,000 watts. By day, it is non-directional. At night, to protect other stations on 570 AM from interference, it uses a directional antenna with a three-tower array. The transmitter is on 444th Avenue in Mission Hill, South Dakota.[3] Programming is also heard on FM translator K245DA at 96.9 MHz in Yankton.[4]

Programming

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WNAX airs a mix of local shows and nationally syndicated programs. Weekday mornings begin with The WNAX Early Morning Get-Together with Big Scott Allen. It includes local news, agriculture reports and updates from CBS News Radio. The rest of the weekday schedule features news, ag reports and local talk. At 6pm, the station switches to Fox Sports Radio. At midnight, WNAX carries Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. Before dawn, it airs This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal.

Weekends feature specialty shows on money, health, travel, gardening, car repair, home repair and technology. Syndicated weekend shows include Eye on Travel with Peter Greenberg, Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger, CBS News Weekend Roundup, The Takeout with Major Garrett, Rich DeMuro on Tech, Face The Nation and Meet The Press. Most hours begin with an update from CBS News Radio. Sunday mornings feature religious shows and Sunday evenings carry Fox Sports Radio.

In addition, WNAX is the flagship station for South Dakota State University sports. It also carries Minnesota Twins baseball and Minnesota Vikings football.

History

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Gurney's Seed and Nursery

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WNAX was first licensed on November 7, 1922, to the Dakota Radio Apparatus company.[5] It is the oldest surviving radio station in the state of South Dakota. The call sign came from a sequentially assigned list.[a] WNAX was the last AM station in the state to receive a call sign starting with a W instead of K; all subsequent AM stations in the state were established after the January 1923 shift that moved the K/W call letter boundary from the western border of South Dakota to the Mississippi River.

WNAX was purchased by Gurney's Seed and Nursery Company in 1926 and became known as "WNAX—-Voice of the House of Gurney in Yankton". The station was used to promote Gurney products and services, making Gurney's a household name.[6]

On February 10, 1933, the Federal Radio Commission authorized an increase in daytime power from 1,000 watts to 2,500 watts.[7] Less than two years later, December 18, 1934, the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized another increase in power, to the current 5,000 watts.[8]

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The radio station launched the careers of many stars, both local and national. Starting in the late 1920s, orchestra leader Lawrence Welk spent a decade performing daily without pay on WNAX. In 1939, Wynn Hubler Speece started her radio program and became known regionally as "Your Neighbor Lady". Speece was still continuing to do her Marconi Award-winning broadcast more than sixty years later when WNAX celebrated its eightieth anniversary in 2002. In October 2005, Speece announced her retirement after almost 66 years of continuous broadcasting. She died on October 22, 2007, at 90 years of age.[9]

Other well-known regional radio personalities from WNAX have included Norm Hilson, Whitney Larson, "Happy" Jack O'Malley, Bob Hill, Ed Nelson, Jerry Oster, Carl Thoreson, Steve (Mike) Wallick, George B. German, Roland "Pete" Peterson and the hillbilly performers on the WNAX Missouri Valley Barn Dance show.[10]

New owner

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Gurney's sold WNAX for $200,000 to Gardner Cowles Jr.'s South Dakota Broadcasting Corporation in 1938. The station joined Cowles media holdings that also included The Des Moines Register & Tribune, KSO and KRNT in Des Moines, Iowa, and WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[11]

In 1942 the station built a tower in Yankton at a height of 929 feet (283 m). It was the tallest radio broadcasting tower at the time.[12] The current tower is 911 feet (278 m) tall.

Blue Network

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In December 1944, the Blue Network announced that WNAX, along with Cowles sister stations KRNT in Des Moines and WCOP in Boston, would be among six new affiliate, effective June 15, 1945.[13] The affiliation change coincided with the network's rebranding as the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).[14] Prior to this affiliation, WNAX had been a CBS Radio affiliate.[13] Concurrently with the termination of WCOP's ABC affiliation on June 15, 1951, WNAX and KRNT would also leave ABC and rejoin CBS.[15]

1960 advertisement for Peoples Broadcasting Corporation, later known as Nationwide Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. (Note the Nationwide "eagle" logo inside the Peoples microphone logo.)

In 1957, Cowles Broadcasting Corporation sold the station, along with co-owned television station KVTV (now KCAU-TV) in Sioux City, Iowa, for $3 million. The new owner was Peoples Broadcasting Corporation, a subsidiary of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., which, in turn, was an affiliate of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.[16] Peoples sold WNAX to Red Owl Stores for $1.5 million in 1965.[17] Control of Red Owl was acquired by Gamble-Skogmo in 1967; the transfer occurred before seeking FCC approval, and in 1968 the commission ordered Red Owl to sell its stations.[18] WNAX, along with WEBC in Duluth, Minnesota, and KRSI AM-FM in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, was then acquired by Park Broadcasting in a $2.9 million deal announced that July.[19]

In December 1983, a fire destroyed the main WNAX building. All of the station's historic live recordings as well as thousands of records were destroyed. The staff of WNAX went to the station's transmitter site and continued broadcasting. Eventually, the station recovered when a new building was constructed on Highway 50 in Yankton.

In 1991, Park also acquired KCBM, an FM station in Yankton at 104.1 MHz.[20] The FM sister station would be renamed WNAX-FM.

Saga Communications

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In 1996, Saga Communications purchased WNAX and WNAX-FM from Park Communications for $7 million.[21] Programming from One on One Sports was added to WNAX's full service format in January 1997.[22]

In 2002, Saga dropped the limited country music played during WNAX's daytime news and farm information programming, and replaced evening carriage of Sporting News Radio (the former One on One Sports) with syndicated talk shows.[23]

Today WNAX continues many of the traditions started in 1922 with frequent news, sports, weather and farm market updates. The station continues to be affiliated with CBS News Radio, an association that began in the late 1920s, and was only interrupted by the six years with ABC Radio from 1945 to 1951.

Signal

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WNAX's 5,000-watt signal provides unusually large daytime coverage, equivalent to a full-power FM station. It provides at least secondary coverage during the day to most of the eastern half of South Dakota, much of western Iowa, southwestern Minnesota, and most of the densely populated portion of Nebraska. In addition to its home markets of Sioux City and Sioux Falls, WNAX provides a strong grade B signal to Omaha and Lincoln. Under the right conditions, its daytime signal penetrates as far south as Kansas City, as far north as Fargo and well east of Des Moines with a good radio.

Among U.S. stations, KNAX's daytime land coverage is exceeded only by KFYR in Bismarck, North Dakota.[24] A single tower is used during the day. Three towers are used at night to protect other stations on 570 AM and on adjacent frequencies. The nighttime signal is concentrated along the Sioux Falls-Sioux City corridor.

WNAX's signal benefits from its location near the bottom of the AM dial, as well as its transmitter power, and South Dakota's flat land (with near-perfect ground conductivity).

Honors and awards

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In May 2006, WNAX won one first place in the commercial radio division of the South Dakota Associated Press Broadcasters Association news contest.[25]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Other new stations granted during the month of November 1922 included WNAQ, Charleston, South Carolina; WNAV, Knoxville, Tennessee; WNAW, Fort Monroe, Virginia; and WNAY, Baltimore, Maryland. (A fanciful folk etymology later developed that WNAX's call letters stood for "North American radio eXperiment".)

References

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  1. ^ Radio Service Bulletin, December 1, 1922, "New Stations" section, page 3.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WNAX". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WNAX-AM
  4. ^ Radio-Locator.com/K245DA
  5. ^ Radio Service Bulletin, December 1, 1922, "New Stations" section, page 3.
  6. ^ "Gurney Seed and Nursery Company -- SaveSeeds.org". www.saveseeds.org. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "WNAX Power Increase" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 15, 1933. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "Four Stations Get 5 kw" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 1, 1935. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  9. ^ "Global Story". WoiTV.
  10. ^ "WNAX Missouri Valley Barn Dance". hillbilly-music.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  11. ^ "Sale of WNAX to Gardner Cowles Jr. For $200,000 Is Approved by the FCC" (PDF). Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising. November 1, 1938. pp. 24, 40. Retrieved May 29, 2002.
  12. ^ Fybush, Scott (October 10–17, 2001). "Tower Site of the Week; The Big Travelogue: Part Seven". fybush.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Blue Additions Presage Network Scramble" (PDF). Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising. December 18, 1944. pp. 13, 79. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "American to Drop Blue Net Identity" (PDF). Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising. April 2, 1945. p. 16. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  15. ^ "WLAW to ABC" (PDF). Broadcasting–Telecasting. March 12, 1951. p. 24. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  16. ^ "FCC Asked to Okay WNAX, KVTV (TV) Sales" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 4, 1957. p. 74. Retrieved May 29, 2002.
  17. ^ "Four stations sold for $6.8 million" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 7, 1965. pp. 79–80. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  18. ^ "Okays transfers, but orders stations sold" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 1, 1968. p. 9. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  19. ^ "Park adds 3 radio outlets" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 22, 1968. p. 45. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  20. ^ "Fresno 'FIG Deal is $2.1 Million Headliner" (PDF). Radio & Records. August 23, 1991. pp. 9–10. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  21. ^ "Rochester In 'Seventh Heaven' For ARS" (PDF). Radio & Records. March 1, 1996. pp. 6, 8. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Format Changes & Updates" (PDF). The M Street Journal. January 29, 1997. p. 1. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  23. ^ "SOUTH DAKOTA CORRECTION: Small changes at Saga Broadcasting's WNAX/570 (Yankton)…". Upper Midwest Broadcasting. October 30, 2002. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  24. ^ "WNAX-AM Radio Station Coverage Map". radio-locator.com. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "SDPB, Yankton Stations Lauded". Yankton Press & Dakotan. May 8, 2006.
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42°54′47″N 97°18′58″W / 42.91306°N 97.31611°W / 42.91306; -97.31611

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