Crosley Broadcasting Corporation

It had a major influence in the early years of radio and television broadcasting, and helped the Voice of America carry its message around the world.

The company was founded by pioneer radio station operator Powel Crosley and was based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The 500,000 watt transmissions were only allowed by the FCC in the "experimental" hours, midnight to 6:00 AM, and the signal was heard in many places, including Europe.

It operated as many as five shortwave radio stations, using the call signs WLWK, WLWL, WLWO, WLWR, and WLWS.

Crosley (Avco) also owned WLWF, an FM broadcasting station it operated along with its Columbus, Ohio TV outlet WLWC (now WCMH-TV).

Programs which aired nationally included NBC's Midwestern Hayride (on which Rosemary Clooney often performed) and Breakfast Party.

Other programs originated on the Crosley network included DuMont's The Paul Dixon Show and The Ruth Lyons 50-50 Club.

By 1997, all of the original Crosley radio and television properties had been sold off by its successor companies, with the exception of WTHR in Indianapolis, which is now owned by Tegna Inc. since they acquired the Dispatch Broadcast Group in 2019.

By the 1970s, the Crosley name had ceased to exist in the memory of most American citizens (as would that of its major successor company, Avco, a decade later), but many of the "WLW-" station call-letters persist.

At about the same time, Premier Broadcasting Corporation also announced that it would be using the WLWC call letters for Columbus low-power television station W62BE.