WOMT Radio Went on the Air in 1926
Francis Kadow at WOMT radio station
Radio station WOMT (1240 AM), owned by Francis and Lillian Kadow of Manitowoc, first went on the air at 5:30 p.m. on November 8, 1926. At that time, WOMT’s studios and offices were located on the second floor of the Mikadow Theatre building across from Washington Park in Manitowoc. The call letters stood for “World’s Only Mikado Theater.”
WOMT was one of the first broadcasting stations in Wisconsin during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1920s. Other early radio stations, licensed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, were located in Milwaukee, Fond du lac, Waupaca, Osseo, Madison and Sheboygan. Wisconsin’s oldest radio station, WHA 970 AM at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, came on the air in 1917.
On November 6, 1926, The Manitowoc Herald-News reported station WOMT would go on the air for the initial broadcast the following week. The local station intended to broadcast news bulletins, courtesy of the Herald-News. This was done with the permission of the Associated Press of which the newspaper was a member.
The day after the broadcast, the Herald-News reported WOMT had experienced “some little difficulty” with microphones that needed adjusting. This caused a delay in the broadcast of regular programs from the station.
In mid-December, programs on the 50 watt radio station were not yet back on air. Francis Kadow explained, “a lot of things had to be changed in order to get results.”
On January 13, 1927, the first program was successfully broadcast by the station. Mr. Kadow announced that dinner hour programs would be broadcast regularly thereafter from 5:30 to 6:30 daily.
The next day, Station WOMT was on air for the second time with Bob Keller playing the Mikado theatre organ. Hundreds of people called in to tell Francis Kadow that the concert was “coming in fine.”
A wide variety of on air programs were broadcast from the radio station during 1927. They included a concert by Holy Family Conservatory orchestra students; boy scout programs; a Lions club meeting; Manitowoc high school boys basketball games with play-by-play; a high school shorthand contest; and an American Legion Jamboree with music, songs and comedy.
Other programs followed: a Lenten service broadcast from First Presbyterian church; April election returns; cooking talks by a nationally known home economist; a radio used car sale (sponsored by the Two Rivers Motor Co., a Studebaker dealership); a fund-raising campaign for American Red Cross relief work after the catastrophic Mississippi River flood; and several musical programs by area orchestras, bands and soloists.
WOMT advertisement. Manitowoc Herald-Times, January 13, 1970
In December 1927, WOMT helped raise funds for the Christmas Seals campaign to fight tuberculosis, the leading cause of death in the United States at the time. Letters to Santa Claus were also read on air.
And so, WOMT radio station was off and running. It quickly became a vital part of the community, serving the city, county and the neighboring listening audience for the next 100 years.
Francis and Lillian Kadow owned and operated WOMT for 40 years. In 1966, they sold the station to Manitowoc Radio Inc., a subsidiary of Wisconsin Fuel and Light Co. In 1970, WOMT was purchased by Seehafer and Johnson Broadcast Corp. The St. Peter, Minnesota firm was headed by Don Seehafer, president and general manager, and Robert C. Johnson, vice president.
Today, “The Lakeshore’s Good Neighbor” features talk shows, music, local and state news and sports. WOMT’s studios and offices have been located at 3730 Mangin Street since 1980. The radio station is currently owned and operated by the Seehafer family.
Happy 100th Anniversary, WOMT!
Listen to some audio files from our WOMT archives:
