KWHI CELEBRATES SEVENTY YEARS ON THE AIR

  

Seventy years ago today, Thursday May 8, 1947 at 6 AM, KWHI signed on the air for the first time.  After several days of final testing, KWHI founder Tom Whitehead Sr. received an overnight telegram from the FCC in Washington D.C. authorizing live broadcasts.  The KWHI tower was located just north of Brenham, on property owned by Fritz Kugle.  The studios were located downtown on the square, above Jaster’s Jewelry.  KWHI’s first remote broadcast also occurred just three days later with the live broadcast of the First Methodist Church service.

KWHI’s founder, Tom Whitehead Sr. was the publisher of the Brenham Banner Press having purchased a ½ interest in the paper in 1937.  He also went on to found TV Cable of Brenham in 1971.  The KWHI studios were moved to their current location at the corner of Main and Market Streets in the spring of 1964.  In September of that same year, KWHI added an FM signal broadcasting from a tower atop of their downtown building.  That station would eventual become KTEX 106, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

For seventy years, KWHI has been serving the Brenham and Washington County community with the latest news, information, weather, and sports broadcasts.  To celebrate that time, and to remember our past, KWHI will broadcast some memorable moments of the past 70 years each day this month at 8:10, just before the Country Store program.  We will also be adding historic audio, photos and information to our website under the history menu tab all month.