WNAD, the University of Oklahoma's radio station, was founded in September 1921 and was a member of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters. In 1936, it was producing about 45 programs per week, 95% of which were educational and 5% of which were entertainment. Its program types were 50% music, 33% speaking, 10% dramatics, and 7% miscellaneous. That year, it also added academic courses taught by university professors and engineering lectures given by university students to its radio lineup. It was also one of the largest non-commercial stations in the U.S. at the time. In 1939, it reported that radio dramas were a major piece of its overall operations. In 1941, WNAD applied for an additional frequency so that it could broadcast all day instead of sharing its time with other stations. By 1947, WNAD had an estimated 500,000 listeners and launched the Oklahoma School of the Air to formalize its educational programs.
From the combined records of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB), held by the University of Maryland and the Wisconsin Historical Society, and compiled as part of the Unlocking the Airwaves project (unlockingtheairwaves.org).
