A LEGISLATIVE COMMEMORATION, Celebrating one hundred years of WNAX radio.

WHEREAS, on November 25, 1922, WNAX began broadcasting music from a “talking machine” as a part of the fiftieth anniversary of First National Bank, now known as First Dakota National Bank, and was home to many household names, such as House of Gurney, Lawrence Welk Novelty Orchestra, and The Neighbor Lady; and

WHEREAS, in 1943 WNAX built a new broadcast tower, the tallest in the United States at the time, and to celebrate the tower, WNAX threw a party in Yankton with an estimated thirty thousand people in attendance; and

WHEREAS, through excellent programming and a commitment to quality reporting, WNAX continues to be a favored source of news and programming despite a changing media landscape. News Director for WNAX, Jerry Oster stated, “Radio’s been pronounced dead half a dozen times. TV was going to kill it, the Internet’s going to kill it. But we’re still here.”: and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT COMMEMORATED, by the Ninety-Seventh Legislature of the State of South Dakota, that the Legislature recognizes the continued success and 100th anniversary of WNAX Radio Station.