We are all well aware that in 1926, 2RN began entertaining the nation from studios located on Little Denmark Street just off Henry Street in Dublin’s city centre. But did you know that in June 1924 a radio station began broadcasting from Grafton Street, Dublin. It was operated by a store owner C.C. Baxter but rather than being a stones throw from St. Stephen’s Green, Baxter’s station was a fifteen watt operation from Grafton Street, Dublin, Texas.
KFPL was opened on June 30th 1924 originally broadcasting from above Baxter’s Discount Store in downtown Dublin but quickly moved to a garage next to Baxter’s house on Grafton Street. It had four studios and initially broadcast many local musicians as the quality of 78s at the time were poor when broadcast. The station proved a boom for the Baxter’s Discount Store that expanded into the neighbouring saloon when prohibition was introduced. The local newspaper the Dublin Progress reported in 1924 that the reception of the station was excellent with phone calls coming in from as far away as Forth Worth. Over the years the station was heard on various frequencies including 242m initially from June 30th 1924, 252m (June 1925-June 1926), 275m (June 1926 – November 1928) 219m (November 1928-February 1929) and finally 229m (February 1929-March 1941).
Part of Baxter’s
promotion of the station was to sell KFPL Mineral Water at a discounted price
in his stores. The shop enhanced the success of the station and the station
enhanced the success of the store. During the early 1930s, this was the only radio station in
operation between Ft. Worth and Brownwood. The broadcasts reached 58 counties
and around one million listeners. It has been reported that a broadcast from
the station was once heard as far away as New Zealand.
The station remained on air until March 1941 when
due to call ups to the armed forces, Baxter struggled to staff his beloved
station and he handed the license back to the FCC with the license moved to a nearby
town as WFTX.
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