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WBAA was licensed on April 4, 1922 as an AM station. Please take some time to browse through our long history. If you have additional details about our history, please email WBAA AM & FM.Special thanks to Dave Samuelson and Aaron Fiddler who have assisted with the content of these pages.New audio content was posted on November 30, 2012.

Broadcasting in the 1932-1933 School Year

The Purdue Exponent - Sunday, September 25, 1932

J. W. Stafford Names Student Radio Staff

Bailey to Retain Position as Student Program Manager; Broadcasts Start October 3.

J. W. Stafford, who is in charge of station WBAA, announced last  night the student program staff for the semester and stated that J. C. Bailey will retain the position of student program director which he held last year. He will supervise the entire student staff while W. A. Chandless will be directly over the remainder of the announcing staff which is to consist of E. G. Burgess, L. L. Haas, W. L. Parton and G. K. Parnell. M. W. Brown has been appointed student manager and will be in charge of two assistants, L. J. M. Waxman and B. H. King.

A definite broadcasting program has been outlined calling for the first regular program October 3 and the first athletic broadcast October 1, the Kansas-Purdue football game. The same periods will be used as formerly consisting of Monday and Friday broadcasts 7-8 p.m. with special broadcasts at unannounced intervals. Added to the Monday and Friday programs will be the University news flashes about 7:30 p.m.

 

The Purdue Engineer, Vol. 28, No. 1, p. 13, October 1932

Purdue Resumes Broadcasts

Regularly scheduled radio programs over WBAA, the University radio station, silent for the summer, began again on October 3, and will continue every Monday and Friday evening. Special broadcasts to cover sporting events, agricultural and engineering conferences will be schedule and announced later, the faculty committee in charge of the station recently announced, following agreement on the general broadcast schedule.

WBAA is owned by the University, and is operated by students of Electrical Engineering. It operates on a frequency of 1400 kilocycles, 214.2 meter, has a daytime power of 1000 watts, and a night power of 500 watts.

 

 

The Purdue Exponent - Thursday, October 6, 1932

J. W. Stafford Announces Technical Staff of WBAA

J. W. Stafford, general manager of the University radio station, WBAA, yesterday announced the appointment of R. R. Brunner as chief engineer, and Leo E. Yoder as assistant engineer for the station.

Others appointed to the technical staff are J. W. Hammond, graduate engineer; D. H. Ebbler, first licensed operator; C. M. Backer, second licensed operator; R. Bookwalter and J. McMahon, remote control operators; and D. Beggs, W. Blackford, B. Brion, J. Crooks, W. Freeman, E. Fults, R. Hammond, R. Lamb, D. Solomon, J. McDaniel, W. Taylor, and L. Tomey, assistants.

Equipment has been installed in WBAA which maintains a constant frequency of 1400 kilocycles, with variation no greater than one part in a million, according to Professor Stafford. Among  other improvements, a cathode ray oscillograph developed by R. H. George of the electrical engineering experiment station, is being used to monitor the wave form of the station's output to insure perfect quality at all times.

 

The Purdue Exponent - Tuesday, November 1, 1932

WBAA Broadcasts Program Observing Purdue's Birthday

Commemorating the birth of John Purdue, founder of the University, T. R. Johnson, University publicity manager, talked over WBAA last night, giving the main facts of his life. Besides the broadcast, the military department recognized the significance of the day by firing two shots shortly after 1 o'clock. This date also was the anniversary of the Purdue wreck in 1903, when 17 men lost their lives as the football squad was journeying to Indianapolis by the Big Four route to meet Indiana in their annual gridiron battle. At the edge of the city the special train met with disaster bringing death to the 17 and injuring several others.

John Purdue was born in Huntington county, Pennsylvania, in 1802, moving to Ohio when a young man. Soon he came to Lafayette and became a successful merchant. With the wealth that he amassed he made the donation which made possible the establishment of the University. The University was established in 1869 after the gift of $200,000 and 100 acres of land in what is now West Lafayette, by Purdue. Recognizing his generosity the state legislature names the college after him and made him a permanent trustee. He followed the construction of Purdue Hall from day to day as it was being erected.

After a few years his health began to fail and on September 12, 1876, he passed away. Emerson E. Shite, president of the University at that time, delivered the funeral address. He was buried on the oval in front of University Hall which was a fitting tribute to pay to the founder of the University.

 

The Purdue Exponent - Saturday, December 17, 1932

University Radio Station Will Give Special Program

At the request of the Atlantic Radio Club and the Globe Circlers' Radio Club, WBAA will broadcast a special DX program from one to three o'clock tomorrow morning. The following are scheduled to appear on the program: J. G. Tolentino, piano selections; Claude Winkler, harmonica and old time songs; Eddie Memmer and Art Wooton, piano and vocal selections; Ora Brown and his daughter Betty will present their Brownie Band; Glenn Wright, accordian selections; Glenn Crose, guitar, harmonica and old time songs.

It is suggested that local listeners tune in on this program and send their comments to the station.

 

The Purdue Engineer, Vol. 28, No. 4, p. 61, January 1933

WBAA Heard at Sea

A short time ago, Mr. J. W. Stafford, manager of the University broadcasting station, received a letter from Mr. H. W. Jackson, whose home address is 64 Longlands Road, Sidcup, Kent, England. Mr. Jackson stated that he heard the WBAA program on Sunday, November 13, while aboard the liner Newfoundland when the ship was 600 miles North East of St. Johns, Newfoundland. Mr. Jackson reported signal strength and quality very good and mentioned that he used only a three tube receiver.