WHO Radio History

WHO radio is one of the longest running radio stations that is still going today. The program is part of the Central Broadcasting Company in Des Moines, Iowa. Its call letters stand for "We Help Others" because they pride themselves on the fact that they work for a better community. 

In 1931, WHO Radio started as a one-hour program on Saturday nights. To gain interest in the station, the program hosted the first WHO Barn Dance Frolic which was an event specifically for mid-westerners. At the time, the radio program was live and people could attend the one-hour show in the theater. The show became so popular that by 1935, they had to move from the Presidential Theater to the Shrine Auditorium where the popular one-hour show turned into three hours with 4,200 seats available. From the first day of the big move, the show was packed each night for all three hours. 

Each Saturday night, it was estimated that throughout the country there were more than one million listeners. Because of this huge listenership, many felt that the Shrine Auditorium could have been the Grand Ole Opry in scope, but it didn't happen. The people that attended the show in the Shrine Auditorium got a great show as the broadcasters were very comical and would often have guests that played live country music, danced or told jokes.  The radio program was so popular that millions of people sent in donations that were sent to others such as the Library and the Country Music Museum.