by Frank Absher (Author)
Since it signed on the air on December 24, 1925, KMOX has literally been the "Voice of St. Louis," a pace setter for the radio industry. That positioning statement perfectly described the station and its mission. Through the years, KMOX listeners have heard hillbilly music, local drama, award-winning news, soap operas, bedtime voices in the night, sports play-by-play, call-in talk shows, local editorials, world leaders, local events, and announcers who were perceived as friends of the family. In radio's heyday, hundreds of CBS network programs heard around the nation originated from the Mart Building studios of KMOX. The station has won every major broadcast award imaginable, directly reflecting its influence and local dominance. For many years, St. Louis's KMOX was tops in the nation in radio market share, and the studios were regularly visited by international radio executives to study the station's success.