![]() Butler: Butler County Sesqui-Centennial Association, 1950. Butler County: 150 Years of History and Development. Butler County Sesqui-Centennial Association. ![]() As the station has developed and changed from its initial founding in 1941 to today, it has succeeded in maintaining its original purpose: to be a source for local news as well as a champion of local community. The station today not only discusses college and professional sports news, but it also broadcasts games. However, the station maintains its focus on the Butler Community by reporting on local news, particularly focusing on sports. The station is now owned by the Butler Broadcasting Network, which also owns WBUT. These small but significant involvements served a transformative role in making WISR more than just a radio station. WISR was not only supportive of cultural programs in and around Butler, but the station also promoted scholastic achievement: in 1973 the station recorded and broadcasted the speech given by the winner of the Voices of Democracy essay contest - an annual scholarship awarded to high school students by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In 1971 WISR’s announcer, William Fleeger, served as master of ceremonies for a music festival in Butler. In 1969 the station’s very own women’s editor, Margo Pitts, participated as a judge in the Central Electric Beauty Pageant. WISR’s participation in local life in the years following WWII was not limited to the Butler community nor the station’s broadcasting activities. However, WISR did not neglect the local community, and after the end of the war the station continued to work closely with Butler county throughout the next several decades. In the same vein, like many other stations at the time, WISR aired war propaganda and ads for war bonds. During its early years, WISR reported on locals that served in WWII. The program was devoted to young people - allowing them to showcase their talents and talk about their skills. From the moment WISR started airing, they featured a radio program called “Stars of Tomorrow”. Instead of simply using the station as an advertising platform, Rosenblum wanted WISR to be an integral part of the Butler Community. ![]() This monopoly allowed WISR to form a healthy relationship with local businesses as they turned to the fledgling radio station for prime advertisement slots. Therefore with the exception of local newspapers, WISR was Butler County’s only local source for news, music, sports, and other programs for a full eight years. Furthermore, the citizens of Butler County did not begin purchasing television sets until 1949. ![]() Several factors contributed to the Rosenblum’s success: the Federal Communications Commission stopped issuing new licenses to radio stations after Pearl Harbor until the end of World War II, and the next radio station to be founded in Butler County, WBUT, did not begin airing until 1949. Rosenblum, took over ownership of the station in the late 1950s. ![]() David’s insight was well founded - the Rosenblum family formed a small radio empire by the time his son, Joel W. Rosenblum had been interested in radio for many years, and recognized its potentially far-reaching influence. During the Second World War, just a few months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Butler County launched its first federally-licensed radio station: WISR! The station served as the county’s leading source for news as the US Navy fought Japanese fighters in the Pacific, and Allied troops fought against the Nazi scourge in Europe. ![]()
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