RC lbonus: remembering WSB Atlantis, 100 years on the air

·18 min·1 clip

How did a radio station born with borrowed equipment in 1922 survive a century of technological upheaval?

The episode opens with celebratory audio and host Chris Chandler introducing WSB Atlanta's 100-year anniversary. It begins in March 1922, when WSB first broadcast a weather report using borrowed equipment in a downtown Atlanta building. The call letters WSB were randomly assigned, contrary to the later-invented motto 'Welcome South Brother.' In 1926, WSB carried the first NBC network show and invented a chime station ID signal. The station moved to the Biltmore Hotel in 1925 and settled on 750 AM around 1930. During World War II, WSB produced 20 news programs daily and had news director Wright Bryan cover D-Day in 1943. The 1950s brought the threat of television, leading general manager Dr. Elmo Ellis to create 'Shake the Rust Off Radio' with local programs like 'Calling Car 48' to save the station. In 1955, WSB moved to the White Columns building in Midtown. The WSB Skycopter launched in 1960 for news and traffic, with reporters like Scott Slade and Captain Herb Emery becoming iconic. The station covered major events like the 1962 Orly plane crash, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights era, and Hank Aaron's 715th home run. It transitioned to spoken-word format as FM rose. Personalities like Aubrey Morris, Elmo Ellis, and later hosts like Scott, Clark, and Neil are noted. WSB reported on the 1996 Olympic bombing, 9/11, and the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching its largest audience in 30 years in 2020. The episode mentions losses like Herman Cain and Rush Limbaugh. Recent innovations include FM broadcasting at 95.5, online streaming, and video content. Community efforts like the Child Cancer Battling Carathon and Clark's Christmas Kids are highlighted. The episode ends with a historical segment about post-WWII Atlanta rebuilding, emphasizing WSB's role in the city's growth.

As heard by us

A lively centennial montage ties WSB's changing sound to Atlanta's history.

WSB Atlanta marks its centennial with a brisk history of how radio changes to survive. Station IDs, news reports, sports calls, jingles and familiar voices carry the story from the roaring twenties through the pandemic. The archival montage is the main attraction.

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Why you'd press play

You hear a century of Atlanta history through the changing sound of WSB.

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