West Plains, Mo. – KWPM 1450 AM celebrated 75 years of operation on Friday, July 15 with an Open House. KWPM aired its first broadcast on July 15, 1947 after Robert “Bob” Neathery received authorization by the Federal Communications Commission.
During the Open House, the owners of KWPM, Neathery’s granddaughter and her husband, Shawn and Tom Marhefka, held a ribbon cutting with the West Plains Chamber of Commerce.
State Representative David Evans presented Ozark Marketing and KWPM with a Proclamation to applaud the history, goals, and accomplishments associated with KWPM Radio.
The original operating power of the station was 250 watts and was increased in 1960 to 1,000 watts. The original FM KWPM station that began in 1951 eventually became KSPQ 93.9. Currently, KWPM still operates at 1450 AM and began to broadcast on 105.1 FM. The call letters stand for Keep West Plains Moving.
KWPM is part of Ozark Marketing and is currently run by Neathery’s granddaughter and her husband, Shawn and Tom Marhefka. KWPM hosts talk radio programs from Sean Hannity, Dave Ramsey, Lars Larson and, Ben Shapiro; and St. Louis Cardinals baseball.
