Opinion
WNAX And A Century Of Service
Nov 8, 2022
Today, we wish a happy birthday to Yankton radio station WNAX, which is celebrating 100 years
on the air.
That’s no small feat, and it’s worth giving a nod of appreciation to this member of Yankton’s
media family.
The station came on the air in 1922, just two years after the era of commercial radio officially
debuted (by most accounts) when KDKA in Pittsburgh broadcast the returns from the 1920
presidential election. The new electronic medium spread out from there but, given the capital
investment required to make radio happen (notably, a station needed to erect a tower to reach
an audience), that growth was an ambitious undertaking.
When WNAX hit the airwaves two years later, it was mostly broadcasting to a vast Midwest
frontier more acclimated to distance and isolation than interconnectivity. (In that sense, it
shares a similar trajectory with the Press & Dakotan, which was established as a weekly
newspaper in June 1861 just after Yankton was designated the first capitol of the new Dakota
Territory. The newspaper also confronted a vast frontier.)
WNAX became one of the premier radio stations in the Upper Plains, offering news, live music
and more. It also gave the world Wynn Speece, who, as the “Neighbor Lady,” served up recipes,
household tips and conversation to women who may have been isolated across this vast rural
range. WNAX provided long-distance connection and a sense of community in those days when
distances seemed far greater than in these digital modern times.
The radio station also became a major element of life in Yankton. WNAX was purchased by the
Gurney family in 1926 and became known as the “Voice of the House of Gurney,” promoting
the various Gurney Seed and Nursery products.
The station also helped boost the career of a North Dakota musician named Lawrence Welk,
who performed on air at WNAX for a decade and built a regional fanbase that eventually
propelled him to stardom.
WNAX has endured through changing times and even a 1983 fire that destroyed its former
home. The station stayed on the air, but the destruction of memorabilia from the Gurney/Welk
days and more was a tremendous loss to the station and the community.
The station remains today, still with its original call letters and still, to many, the “Big Friend in
the Midwest.”
(As we noted, it’s a member of Yankton’s media community, which is uniquely robust. The town
features three radio groups, all of which are flagship broadcasters for college athletic events;
they also have news departments, which is becoming increasingly rare in the radio industry.
Yankton also has a daily and a weekly newspaper, as well as a shopper publication. That kind of
media variety and depth is unusual for a community this size.)
Congratulations to WNAX on its century of service. We’re anxious to see what the next 100
years will bring.
kmh

Thanks to Editor Kelly Hertz!