Bill Text: VA HJR232 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending WFIR.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-06 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ232ER) [HJR232 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR232-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, WFIR, one of the oldest commercial radio stations in both the Commonwealth and the country, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2024; and
WHEREAS, the radio station that is WFIR today started as the hobby of Frank E. Maddox, who was encouraged in 1924 to build a commercial station by his employer, the Richardson-Wayland Electrical Corporation, so that customers who bought the company's radios would have programming to enjoy; and
WHEREAS, alongside Hayden Huddleston, who would become Roanoke's first radio and television superstar with hit shows like "Klub Kwiz," Frank Maddox built many of the radios that the first listeners of what is today WFIR tuned in on; and
WHEREAS, WFIR started under the call sign of WDBJ on the assigned frequency of 1310 AM and, on June 20, 1924, the station broadcast its first musical act, a fiddle and banjo duo featuring Raymond Jordan, who would play a prominent role at the station in its early years; and
WHEREAS, on October 8, 1929, a few months after upgrading the station's power to 500 watts, WDBJ joined the Columbia Broadcasting System, an affiliation that would last the next 70 years and bring a plethora of syndicated music, drama, serials, and news to the Roanoke airwaves for the first time; and
WHEREAS, over WFIR's history, the station has upgraded its power three subsequent times, up to 1,000 watts in 1934, then to 5,000 watts in 1936, and ultimately to 10,000 watts during the day and 5,000 watts at night beginning in 2014, allowing the station to reach larger audiences and make a greater impact in the community; and
WHEREAS, WDBJ's broadcasts followed the musical trends of the day, from western and swing music in the 1930s, to country in the 1940s and 1950s, to light pop and rock n' roll in the 1960s; and
WHEREAS, the Vodrey Family purchased WDBJ Radio from Times-World Publishing in May 1969 and on November 1 of that year the station began broadcasting under the call letters WFIR, inspired by the station's status as the "First In Roanoke"; and
WHEREAS, WFIR first aired talk shows in 1979 with syndicated broadcasts of Larry King and Bruce Williams and over the next decade would transform into a station that exclusively featured news and other talk show programming, such as "The Rush Limbaugh Show"; and
WHEREAS, today, WFIR's news and talk show programs cover the issues of local government, civic affairs, education, state and national government, crime and public safety, local business and economic development, health and medicine, environment and the outdoors, arts and leisure, sports, and more, making it a valued source of information in the region; and
WHEREAS, WFIR was purchased by Mel Wheeler, Inc., in 2000 and moved to its current location on Electric Road two years later; in addition to broadcasting on 960 AM, the station has also been available on 107.3 FM and 94.5 FM since 2011 and 2017, respectively; and
WHEREAS, for the past 100 years, WFIR's broadcasts have been an important part of what makes Roanoke a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend WFIR of Roanoke on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to representatives of WFIR as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the station's history and best wishes for another century of success.
