On this day in 1922, WRM (which would eventually become WILL-AM) first hit the airwaves, broadcasting from the U of I Electrical Engineering Lab. From their website:
“The call letters stand for “We Reach Millions.” WRM possessed the only two vacuum tubes on campus — tubes so fragile they had to be cooled by blasts of an electric fan to avert disaster. They were so rare that they were borrowed during off-the-air hours for Professor Joseph Tykociner’s pioneer work with sound film.”
A few other milestones:
- 1928 – Call letters changed to WILL
- 1935 – Began operating on the 580 AM frequency, where it still broadcasts today
- 1941 – WILL-FM began broadcasting
- 1955 – WILL-TV began broadcasting
- 1999 – The current home of WILL, Campbell Hall, is dedicated
- 2009 – WILL becomes Illinois Public Media
You can read more about the history of the of this important public media source here.
Top photo from Illinois Public Media website.