Before WMT-TV there was 30 years of history on the radio dial

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Broadcast Park ushered in the television age in eastern Iowa on September 30th, 1953. But by then, there were 30 years of broadcasting history in eastern Iowa, thanks to WMT Radio. WMT was founded by Douglas "Tex" Perham as WJAM on July 30, 1922. In 1928, Harry Shaw purchased WJAM and moved the station from Cedar Rapids to Waterloo, renaming it WMT (for the then-Waterloo Morning Tribune newspaper).

Later, the station was sold to a family that also owned The Des Moines Register in 1934. The next year, they moved the station back to Cedar Rapids, WMT continued to operate a second studio in Waterloo for another 13 years.

American Broadcasting Stations in 1944 purchased the station, the final sale before WMT radio would make the jump to television.

Those early days were heralded with major innovations, including those early broadcasts. Tex Perham even broadcast a test signal just before signing on the station, offering five dollars to the person who could pick up the signal the furthest away. That money was pocketed by an Iowan who picked up the broadcast 60 miles away, despite being transmitted at very low power by today's standards. By the way, $5 in 1922 translates to nearly $90 today.

Since the construction of Broadcast Park in 1953, WMT radio has maintained their offices here with us, despite the fact that we were separated in a 1981 sale as mandated by new FCC rules.