Thursday
9XM/WHA
"9-X-M talking . . department of physics . . University of Wisconsin . . . stand by one minute"
These words crackled in the headphones of crystal sets around the country in 1921 as the University of Wisconsin radio station 9XM began its regular schedule of voice broadcasts. With homemade equipment and ideas developed from scratch, 9XM endured many struggles to became a tangible example of "the Wisconsin Idea," bringing the educational riches of the university to all the state's residents.
WHA, originally 9XM, Madison Wisconsin was constructed in 1909 by Edward Bennet and Earle Terry. The University of Wisconsin claims WHA "the Oldest Station in the Nation ... in existence longer than any other." However, exactly when the station converted from Morse code transmissions to voice, and began regular operations is open to question.
Interestingly, in a booklet issued in 1969, the University of Wisconsin comments on the debate over the definition of oldest, and refers to the "controversial puzzles: "When does an "experiment" become a "broadcast?" and "What do the words 'regularly scheduled' mean?" It was quite interesting to see the author of the booklet take the high ground and declare "We were all responsible for the birth of broadcasting."
