Note
Abstract
The Eminent Years of Powel Crosley Jr., His Transmitters, Receivers, Products, and Broadcast Station WLW, 1921–1940, by Charles J. Stinger
This paper chronicles the rapid rise of Powel Crosley Jr. from a restless, multi-venture entrepreneur into an international pioneer of radio manufacturing and broadcasting.
Driven by his guiding business philosophy that "Better Costs Less," Crosley utilized a Ford-style factory assembly line system in Cincinnati, Ohio, to manufacture affordable crystal and vacuum tube receivers (such as the Harko and the Crosley Pup) alongside popular accessories like porcelain tube sockets and the Musicone loudspeaker. This initiative effectively brought radio technology into the financial reach of the average American family.
To stimulate receiver sales, Crosley simultaneously advanced the limits of commercial radio transmission through consecutive power upgrades of his licensed station, WLW. Operating chronologically through 20-watt, 50-watt, and 500-watt configurations in the early 1920s, WLW achieved "Super Power" status in 1925 as America's first remotely controlled 5,000-watt station.
By October 1928, the facility was upgraded to a 50,000-watt transmitter at Mason, Ohio, establishing WLW as a dominant national presence known as "The Nation's Station". In 1933, the station added a landmark 831-foot vertical Blaw-Knox antenna.
This progression culminated in May 1934 with the dedication of a massive, custom-engineered 500,000-watt RCA/Westinghouse/General Electric transmitter. Featuring a unique multi-cabinet isolation layout and twenty water-cooled 100-kW tubes, the 500-kW amplifier generated up to two million watts of peak power, functioning as a high-power "static eliminator" to deliver clear, long-distance coverage across the United States.
This historical account details the extensive technical specifications, infrastructure investments, and cultural programming—including early network feeds and iconic daily serials—that defined the peak of the Crosley Radio Corporation during the Great Depression.
