The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-08-29
CROSLEY HOLDS
LEADERSHIP IN
RADIO ADVANCE
Cincinnati Man Prominent
in Both Manufacturing
and BroadCaSting.

Foremost among those men prom
inently identified with the history
and development OF radio stands
Powell Crosby Jr.. president and
founder Of the Crosley Radio Cor
poration. To tell the story Of his
brilliant career during the last
twelve years is TO tell in no small
measure the story OF radio itself.
AS the directing genius Of the
Crosby Radio Corporation. with its
broadcasung plant for 5OOOO-watt
WLW and 1OO00-watt Short-wave
W8XAL. and the new 500 OO0-watt
transmitteT making WLW the
worlds most powerful brOadcasting
station. Mr.. CrOsley still maintains
close daily contact with the indus
try with which he has been so close
IS identified.
Mr.. Crosley first became interest
Cd in radio back in 192l-on Wash
ingtOn's birthday. 10 be exact. On
that day ne set out with his young
son 10 purchase a radio receiving
set.
MADE RADIO Net AT home
Finding the most inexpensive one
available sold for Sl30. an amount
far in excess Of what he thought
advisable 10 spend in satisfying a
childish whim he agreed TO COM
promise with his son and the two
decided 10 build a homemade set.
That home made set cost but S35,
and in building It Mr.. CrOsley con-
ceived an idea which proved the
turning point in his life. He de-
termined TO turn his energies 10 the
work Of manufacturing moderate
priced radio receiving sets. His spec
tacular achievements in this field
have long been a matter Of record.
CO-ncidental with his entrance
into the field or radio manufacture,
Mr. CroSley became vitality inter-
ested in brOadcasting.
II he were to become successful
in his ambition to manufacture low
priced radio receiving sets he must
build them on a mass production
basis. and to do this, he reasoned,
II was first necessary to develop a
mass market. That meant, in other
words. that the public must be pro-
vided with regular broadcasting en-
tertainment of uniformly high
quality.
AT that time there were but very
few brOadcasting stations. Few of
these operated on a regular sched-
ule and what programs were broad
cast were OF a hit-and-miss nature
and OF but mediocre quality. Cros-
ley envisioned a nation dotted with
powerful broadcaSting stations
through which at all times of the
cav or night the public might bring
into homes the worlds best in mu-
sic, art. literature and education.
Given License in 1922
And so, the early spring of 1921
found Mr.. CrOsley. engrOSSed in ex-
pcrimental research in the field of
brOadcaSting. IN July of that year
he was granted an experimental
broadcasting license with call let
tiers CIR for the transmitter he had
constructed at his home. A few
months later he found it advisable
10 transfer his tranSmitter TO the
Crosley Manufacturing Company
plant
Here, his experimental work con-
tinued steadily and in March of
the following year the first license
under the call letters Of WLW was
issued.
The next step Of Importance
taken by CroSley in his activities in
broadcasting was taken early in 1923
when he aquired controlling inter
est in the Precision Equipment Com
pany in Cincinnati. AS early as 1919
this concern had owned and oper-
ated station WNIH. one of the first
two broadcasting stations in Ameri-
ca to operate on a regular schedule.
With the acquisition of the Pre-
cision Equipment Company. the
operation Of wNIH was discontinued
and Mr.. CroSley's rapidly growing
activity in broadcasting was concen-
trsted upon station WLW
When the Crosley station was
moved 10 his Brighton plant in the
fall of 1922 its power was increased
10 500 watts.
Sought Improvement
It is well worth recalling at this
time that during those hectic days