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WSB Radio records

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WSB Radio:

A Guide to Its Records at Georgia State University Library

Georgia State University
Georgia State University
Special Collections and Archives
100 Decatur St., SE
Atlanta, GA 30303-3202
404-413-2880
Fax: 404-413-2881
archives@gsu.edu

1986-2006



Profile Description

Creation: EAD finding aid created from HTML source and revised by Laura Botts and Trish Raque Bogdan, July 2005.
Language: English

Collection Summary

Repository: Georgia State University Library, Special Collections and Archives, Atlanta
Creator: WSB (Radio station : Atlanta, Ga.)
Title: WSB Radio records
Dates: 1920-1985
Dates: [bulk 1960-1980]
Quantity: 24 linear ft. 52 boxes
Abstract:WSB Radio was first radio station to broadcast in the city of Atlanta, on March 15, 1922. With its many breakthrough practices, from being the first radio station to use a slogan to broadcasting a Spanish translation of "Voice of America" programs to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, WSB always remained cutting edge and more importantly, relevant. The records, 1920-1985, contain correspondence, memos, scrapbooks, news clippings, publicity materials, program log books, scripts, radio engineering lesson plans, contracts, licenses, photographs, slides, sound recordings, moving image recordings, transcripts, and artifacts relating to the early history of WSB Radio, to WSB performers, programs, awards, and sponsored events (such as news workshops and career conferences for students), and to WSB-FM and WSB-TV.
Identification: M004
LanguageEnglish.

Organization of the Records

Organized into 6 series:
Series I: Office Files
Subseries A: Elmo Ellis files
Subseries B: General Office files
Series II: Publicity
Subseries A: Promotion Department files
Subseries B: Publications and news clippings
Series III: Log Books
Series IV: Scripts
Subseries A: WSB Scripts
Subseries B: Meet the Artist Scripts
Series V: WSB Radio Engineering Lesson Plans
Series VI: Audio-Visual Materials and Artifacts
Subseries A: Photographs
Sub-subseries 1: WSB History and Facilities
Sub-subseries 2: WSB Employees and Performers
Sub-subseries 3: WSB Awards, Events, and Promotions
Subseries B: Sound Recordings
Sub-subseries 1: Transcripts
Sub-subseries 2: Recordings
Subseries C: Films
Subseries D: Artifacts

Scope and Content of the Records

The records contain correspondence, memos, scrapbooks, news clippings, publicity materials, program log books, scripts, radio engineering lesson plans, contracts, licenses, photographs, sound recordings, moving image recordings, transcripts, and artifacts relating to the early history of WSB Radio, to WSB performers, programs, awards, and sponsored events (such as news workshops and career conferences for students), and to WSB-FM and WSB-TV.

The sound recordings in the collection include examples of musical, dramatic and general interest programming from circa 1944 through circa 1984; news programming; and political speeches from 1946 and 1948, generated by the heated gubernatorial and congressional races of those years. The political speeches include campaign addresses by Eugene Talmadge, Herman Talmadge, James Carmichael, E.D. Rivers, Helen Douglas Mankin, James C. Davis, Ellis Arnall, M.E. Thompson and others.


History of WSB Radio

WSB ("Welcome South, Brother") Radio, the first radio station to broadcast in the city of Atlanta, was "born" on March 15, 1922, when it went on the air for the first time at a power of 100 watts. The station was originally owned by The Atlanta Journal and broadcast from a makeshift studio on the fifth floor of The Journal building on Forsyth Street in downtown Atlanta. In 1925 the station moved to more spacious quarters on the top floor of the Biltmore Hotel, where it remained for the next thirty years. Both The Journal and WSB were purchased by Governor James M. Cox of Ohio in 1939; WSB is still a property of Cox Broadcasting Corporation, which was formed when Cox operations reorganized in 1964. From late 1955 until 1998, the offices and studios of WSB Radio (and WSB TV) were located at White Columns on Peachtree Street. In June 1998, WSB Radio moved into new facilities at the intersection of Beverly Road and Peachtree Street, taking with it four columns from White Columns and placing the historic columns in the rear garden of the new buildings.

Hailed as the "Voice of the South," WSB Radio was an innovative pioneer in radio. With its many breakthrough practices, from being the first radio station to use a slogan to broadcasting a Spanish translation of "Voice of America" programs to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, WSB always remained cutting edge and more importantly, relevant. Its presence continues to be felt in the city of Atlanta, throughout the nation, and worldwide.

Further information on the history of WSB Radio can be found in Welcome South Brother, the book prepared for the station's 50th anniversary, and in the "History" files in this collection.


Index Terms

Country music--Archival resources
Gospel music--Archival resources
Lyricists--United States--20th century--Archival resources
Radio plays--Archival resources
Radio programs, Musical--Archival resources
Radio scripts--Archival resources
Radio broadcasting--Georgia--Atlanta--Archival resources
Georgia--Politics and government--1865-1950
Arnall, Ellis Gibbs, 1907-
Camp, James C., (James Curran), 1895-
Carmichael, James Vinson, 1910-1972
Ellis, Elmo Israel
Mankin, Helen Douglas
Rivers, Eurith Dickinson‚1895-1967
Talmadge, Eugene, 1884-1946
Talmadge, Herman, (Herman Eugene), 1913-
Thompson, M. E.
WSB (Radio station: Atlanta, Ga.)

Restrictions

Restrictions on access

Unrestricted access.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any publication, including on the Worldwide Web, any material from this collection, the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from this collection should consult the reference archivist to determine copyright holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must contain the complete citation to the original. All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.


Administrative Information

Citation

[item], [folder title] [series], WSB Radio records, M004, Popular Music Collection. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University, Atlanta.

Acquisition Information

Donated by WSB Radio in 1984.

Processing Information

Initial inventory and processing by Christopher Ann Paton, November 1986; revised by Paton and Christine de Catanzaro, February 1990, September 1994, October 1994, September 1999, December 2001, March 2002 (material added). Revised and EAD finding aid created by Laura Botts and Trish Raque Bogdan, 2005. Finding aid updated and additional sound recordings processed in 2006 by Amanda Brown.


Related Material

Related materials in other repositories: Material on the 1962 Orly Airport plane crash, which carried mainly WSB workers, and WSB transcripts are available at The Atlanta History Center.

WSB-TV records are housed in the Walter J. Brown Media Archives, University of Georgia.

WSB-TV and WSB records, ca. 1968-1980 are held at the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia.

WSB records and Elmo Ellis papers are available at the Manuscript, Archives, Rare Book Library, Emory University.

Related materials in this repository: Other audio recordings of prominent Georgians can be found in the Georgia Government Documentation Project, Oral History Collection.

Lane Brothers' Photographic Collection.

Frances Wallace papers, Popular Music Collection.

WSB Sheet Music, Popular Music Collection.


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