WRR Radio

A pioneering radio station, WRR Radio grew out of tragic events in early-20th century Dallas. In 1912, a large fire in southern Dallas required all of the city's fire fighting units. While they were on the scenes, another fire broke out in the northern part of the city. The central fire station's signal lines were destroyed, which prevented a dispatch to the second fire. To prevent another such tragedy, Henry Garrett, chief of the city's signal department, worked with Western Electric Co. employees to install a 50-watt radio broadcasting station at the fire department's headquarters. The station's call letters were WRR. Early listeners interested in the new technology could pick up the station's signal using crystal sets. By 1921, the municipally owned broadcasting station became one of the first in the nation to offer regular entertainment programming. Within four years the station had advertising support, saving the taxpayers money. From 1925 to 1939, WRR was housed in several Dallas hotels, including the Adolphus. After the 1936 Texas Centennial Celebration, the station moved to Fair Park, where it was first housed in the General Exhibits Building. In 1948, the city acquired an FM-band frequency located at 101.1 on the radio dial. Over the years the station experimented with different formats, including talk and news shows, city meeting broadcasts and classical music. The city sold its original AM-band station in 1978. However, the city continued to support the FM-band station, which, more than 80 years after its first broadcasts, continues to provide classical music, news and local programming to Dallas citizens. (2003)

WRR Radio is a historical marker in Dallas, Dallas County, dedicated in 2002. It is one of 352 historical markers documented in Dallas County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 574 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.7760, -96.7596 near Dallas. The nearest cataloged historic site is Steel Dust, Fabulous Quarter Horse (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Texas Women in the Civil War, A tribute to, Hall of State, and African American Museum of Dallas.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5113013182. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.