1340-KXEO took to the air 50 years ago, after a group of businessmen organized to start a radio station in Mexico, Missouri. A Hannibal newspaper obtained the frequency in the early 40's but following the war opted to go with a stronger signal on a different frequency. Ownership regulations at that time prevented owning stations with overlapping signals, and a group of businessmen in Mexico was approached about putting 1340 on the air in Mexico. Audrain Broadcasting Corporation was formed and included the A.P. Green Company, J.B. Arthur of Mexico Refractories, appliance store owner, Johnny Badaracco and B. Turner Williams of Crown Linen. The original site would have located KXEO at the old fairgrounds, near the current Mexico Junior High, but the station was constructed on a 2.5 acre site at its current location on East Liberty. The station's first official broadcast came on December 3rd, 1948. From 250 watts of power in its early days, Variety 1340-KXEO today broadcasts 24 hours a day with 1,000 watts of power.
   
    By the early 1960's, interest was increasing nationwide in the FM band, and a 3,000 watt class A frequency was assigned to Mexico. An engineering study was launched to find a more powerful class C frequency for Mexico, and on December 14th, 1966, KWWR began broadcasting with 55,000 watts at 400 feet on 95.7. The station was upgraded in 1980 to 100,000 watts and in 1985 a new, 1035' tall tower was constructed just west of Mexico.

    Earl Dougherty was hired as General Manager in 1949, and completed a buyout of the remaining stockholders of Audrain Broadcasting Corporation in 1975. He sold the stations in 1978 to Galen Gilbert, and in 1986, Jerry Johnson purchased the stations. Current owner, Anne Johnson, became the stations' owner in 1989 following Jerry's death.

    The stations have had only 5 General Managers since 1948, with Dougherty serving as General Manager from 1949 until 1978. Larry Weller managed the stations for several years beginning in 1978, followed by longtime employee, Jerry Johnson. Johnson had started working at the stations in the early 60's and worked in a variety of positions, including engineer, salesman and eventually general manager and owner. Gary Leonard, who had started at the stations in 1978 working nights, was named General Manager in 1991.

    One of the challenges of radio is keeping pace with available technology. From the early days of radio when live in-studio entertainment was popular, to vinyl recordings that provided the music for more than 5 decades, to the current digital, computer driven technology, KXEO and KWWR are always working for the highest quality for their listeners.

    A new state-of-the-art transmitter was placed into service for KWWR-Country 96 in January of 1997, with an improved on-air signal and higher reliability. 1340-KXEO placed a new solid state transmitter into service in December of 1998, along with an entirely new antenna system, which has resulted in a stronger, cleaner signal for the Mexico area.
   
    Today, KXEO's 1,000 watt AM signal reaches Audrain and surrounding counties, with a variety of news, farm news, sports and weather, plus popular music that spans four decades. The 100,000 watt FM signal of KWWR-Country 96 reaches a 32 county area in central and northeast Missouri and west central Illinois. Broadcasting area news, radar weather 24 hours a day, and "The BEST Variety of Country" music, that includes today's country hits along with country hits from the past.

    One of the buzz-words of broadcasting in the 90's is consolidation. Deregulation of ownership restrictions that began in the early 80's has resulted in fewer owners controlling more stations. That in turn has led to many smaller communities losing their stations to larger cities. For the general public, consolidation has meant fewer people controlling the news and entertainment content in broadcasting. For advertisers, it can mean fewer choices with respect to the cost of advertising.

    KXEO and KWWR have been an integral part of the Mexico area from their beginning and every day reach more than a quarter of a million homes as ambassadors for Mexico and our central-Missouri area. Locally owned and operated, and proud to be a part of the Mexico area. We are ready for the future.

(Written by Gary Leonard, with some information provided by Earl Dougherty, from an article that originally appeared in the Mexico Ledger Outlook Edition 1998.)

Note:  Earl Dougherty passed away on March 5, 2000.  He was General Manager of KXEO for nearly 30 years and was sole owner of the stations from 1976-1978.  His contributions to radio and the community will not soon be forgotten.  -GL