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Welcome!
We're glad you found the History of WOWO.com!
Our goal is to share and preserve the rich history of Fort Wayne's legendary 50,000-watt radio station. As we celebrate an exciting milestone -- WOWO's 100th anniversary on March 31, 2025 -- we are proud to celebrate a century of broadcasting excellence. We encourage you to explore the many sections of this site, where you'll find a treasure trove of historical content. Much of the material you will find has been contributed by visitors like you, so please contact us if you have additional material to share!
WOWO's roster of air personalities, like Bob Sievers, Jack Underwood, Dugan Fry, Jay Gould, Chris Roberts, Ron Gregory, Bob Chase, Don Chevillet, John Cigna and many others created a lifelong bond with the citizens of WOWOland.
In its earliest years, WOWO Radio also launched the careers of many prominent broadcasters, including comedian Herb Shriner, Fort Wayne TV pioneer Hilliard Gates, and Tom Carnegie, known to millions worldwide as the voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
And with Indiana's most powerful radio signal, WOWO Radio gave listeners throughout the eastern half of the United States perhaps their only impression of Indiana.
This site will continue its tradition of celebrating WOWO's century-long legacy and impact on WOWOland and beyond. We'll be sharing special features and tributes leading up to the anniversary, highlighting some of the most iconic moments in WOWO's history.
First, we highly recommend the 90th anniversary of WOWO documentary, produced in 2015 by then-Program Director Ryan Wrecker. It's simply excellent (and we're proud to say it utilizes a good amount of source material from this site!)
Second, we are excited to bring you a newly-restored comprehensive 6-part interview with Mr. WOWO, Bob Sievers!
Third, WOWO's present-day owner, Federated Media, created a great 100th birthday video. Watch for some interesting AI-created video motion added to numerous old 1920s and 30s photos from History of WOWO.com!And finally, we recommend a fascinating booklet titled Birth of a Station, WOWO
, written by KD Ross, who played an instrumental role in the 1925 launch of WOWO
Among the most interesting items that you'll find on this site: the first-hand story of the station's birth from one of its founders, many never-before-seen photos from station staffers, extremely rare recordings like the morning that Bob Sievers was "streaked" on the air, Chris Roberts' very first appearance on the station, some hilarious bloopers, plus exclusive interviews with many former WOWO staffers.
Our primary focus is on WOWO's decades of dominance under the ownership of Westinghouse Broadcasting, but we will be doing our best to chronicle everything related to the History of WOWO!!
The History of WOWO.com is a labor of love by a former WOWO Radio staffer with cooperation from many other WOWO fans and alums. If you have any WOWO airchecks, jingles or photos, please contact us and share them! Many of the sounds and images on this site have been submitted by visitors like you!