“Keep West Plains Moving”
West Plains, Missouri – KWPM 1450 AM is celebrating 75 years of operation in 2022. KWPM aired its first broadcast on July 15, 1947 after Robert “Bob” Neathery received authorization by the Federal Communications Commission.
According to an article written by the West Plains Daily Quill for the 20th anniversary, “KWPM was a pioneer venture in radio broadcasting, since most radio stations at that time had been established only in cities much larger than West Plains. The population of West Plains was then only slightly more than 3,000, but Neathery saw a need for small town radio and he had faith in the future of West Plains.”
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.
Neathery passed away in 2003 and operation of the station is now in the hands of his 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.
