Fifty years ago, a radio station with the call letters KWMU made its debut in St. Louis. Broadcasting from Lucas Hall on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus, KWMU (now 漏 2024 外网天堂) introduced the very concept of public radio to St. Louis.
Station founder Don Driemeier, who also served as dean of UMSL鈥檚 School of Business, identified .
鈥淎t that time, public radio stations were popping up because the Public Broadcasting Act had created space on the dial for public stations, and they were specifically popping up at universities,鈥� explained longtime 漏 2024 外网天堂 staffer Mary Edwards.
Edwards started as a music assistant in 1974, just two years after the launch of the station. She worked full time at 漏 2024 外网天堂 for 44 years and retired as executive producer of St. Louis on the Air in 2018.
Edwards witnessed many changes over the years. That includes the start of receiving programs via satellite in 1979. Prior to that, programs either originated locally or came by mail on reel-to-reel tapes from a syndicated service. 鈥淚 got a big box with the five programs. We aired them one week, then I put them in the mail to send to KBIA in Columbia, and then they aired them the next week. They came with these address labels, and then they would send it on to the next station,鈥� she said.
In 1983, 漏 2024 外网天堂 received the area's first compact disc player. On the weekends, production manager Barry Hufker would take the CD player to record stores to demonstrate the new technology.
Music programs, primarily classical music, dominated the radio station for the first half of its existence. The station began airing two hours of NPR鈥檚 鈥淢orning Edition鈥� in 1980 and didn鈥檛 start airing 鈥淎ll Things Considered鈥� until 1982, more than a decade after the national program debuted. It wasn鈥檛 until 1996 that the station fully transitioned to a news/talk format, which coincided with the .
Other significant developments in the station鈥檚 history include moving into a 27,000-square-foot building in St. Louis in 2012 and, an online news nonprofit, in 2013. The merger drastically increased the size of the newsroom of the combined organizations. The station鈥檚 reach expanded in 2012 and 2017, when it began broadcasting in Quincy and Rolla, respectively.
Ushering 漏 2024 外网天堂 into the future is CEO Tina Pamintuan. Pamintuan, who began working at the station last December, has a vision for the station that centers equity in all of its work.
鈥淚t's about going back to the very heart of the mission of public radio, which is this idea that it is public,鈥� Pamintuan said. 鈥淓very step of the way, you are either inviting people in or not inviting them in. And I think 漏 2024 外网天堂 has done both in its history. It has invited people in and it has not invited people in. And my intention during my tenure is to make sure that we are really reflecting the communities that we are representing.鈥�
Said Pamintuan, 鈥淚 would really love to see STLPR really claim the space of local journalism in St. Louis, and Rolla and Quincy where we also broadcast. Because up until now, STLPR has done a wonderful job in terms of its breaking news, its features and its public affairs.
鈥淏ut I don't think we're really quite there yet at the point where we are known as the source. And so what I would like to see going forward is for us to not only claim the space, but really engage with our community so that we know the issues that aren't being addressed.鈥�
A highlights notable moments and photos over the decades. A public exhibit is set to open Aug. 4, and a celebratory street party will be held in the fall.
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . Avery Rogers is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
