A legend that’s in tune with past, present and future.
If Fair Park is a classic destination for Dallasites, then WRR 101.1 FM is its classical heart. What a fitting location for the oldest radio station west of the Mississippi…surrounded by Art Deco masterpieces and extraordinary museums. The Texas Historical Commission has designated WRR a Historical Treasure.
Gregory Davis, General Manager of WRR, feels privileged to continue an award-winning legacy begun in 1912 when the city-owned station was founded by Henry Garrett, Police and Fire Signal Superintendent for the City of Dallas. “To be associated with this tradition is an honor.”
AM Station WRR 1310 originated as a way for fire stations to communicate to each other that there was a fire. “In between fires, music was played and announcers read newspaper articles or told jokes on the air,” explains Davis. “WRR next became a sports station, then a mixture of comedy, classical music, sports and news.”
Classical around the clock.
In the 1920’s, the studios moved from the Adolphus Hotel and Southland Life Buildings downtown to the finished-out basement of the Fair Park Automobile Building. 
In the late 1930’s, the station settled in its present location near the Science Place buildings. When phonograph records became popular in the 1940s, and orchestras like the NBC Radio Orchestra performed live on the air, WRR listenership rose.
In 1948, WRR 101.1 FM was established, and the official format became classical music. Recalls Davis, “I grew up in Denison listening to the Dallas Symphony. WRR was the only place you could hear classical music.” “Here was a chance to showcase local symphonies and the opera,” says Davis. “Classical music was felt to be good programming that showed Dallas had culture.” The station broadcast on both AM and FM frequencies until the AM station was sold in 1978.
Over the past 20 years, the biggest changes in listening have been the advent of the Sony Walkman and the iPod, believes Davis. “With the Walkman, people could literally strap a medium on their body and listen. The iPod makes it easy to build your own library, especially from our website, www.wrr101.com. Since classical music aficionados are selective in the first place, it has gone over well.”
What’s next? WRR has just begun broadcasting in an all-digital format that delivers even crisper fidelity. An HD radio receiver transmits each crystal-clear note.
Making overtures to diverse audiences.
A portion of WRR profits are donated to Dallas’ Office of Cultural Affairs to help fund cultural arts. Thus the station promotes everything from Dallas Museum of Art events to latino dance groups. “Great composers were composing at the same time great painters were painting,” Davis muses.
So it’s no surprise that WRR explores fresh ways to involve new audiences in classical music. WRR often lends its presence to community arts events that cater to Asian, Hispanic and other neighborhoods, often donating airtime. “We often celebrate ethnic holidays musically by playing the works of, say, an African American composer.”
Another avenue is the station’s wealth of children’s programs like “Awesome Opera,” a collaborative effort between the Friends of WRR and Young Audiences of Dallas. “From the Top” is an American Idol-style show in which young adults perform classical melodies in hopes of appearing on a nationally-syndicated radio show.
Everything is coming together for WRR, and for Gregory Davis. It’s a station that has always been ahead of its time, while playing music that is timeless. Bravo for Fair Park’s best-orchestrated asset!
