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| Broadcast area | SouthwestMissouri |
| Frequency | 560kHz |
| Branding | 93.3 & AM 560 KWTO |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk radio |
| Network | Fox News Radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | December 25, 1933; 91 years ago (1933-12-25) |
Call sign meaning | "Keep Watching The Ozarks" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 35900 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 36°56′40.2″N93°13′17.7″W / 36.944500°N 93.221583°W /36.944500; -93.221583 |
| Translator | 93.3 K227AO (Springfield) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | 933kwto |
KWTO (560kHz) is acommercialAM radio station inSpringfield, Missouri. It is owned by Zimmer Midwest Communications and airs atalkradio format. The studios and offices are on East Chestnut Expressway in Springfield.
KWTO is powered at 5,000 watts by day and 4,000 watts at night. It uses adirectional antenna with a five-tower array. Thetransmitter is off Tower Lane inOzark, Missouri, nearU.S. Route 65.[2] The signal reaches parts ofMissouri,Arkansas,Kansas andOklahoma. It provides at least secondary coverage as far north asKansas City, as far west asTulsa and as far south asFort Smith. Programming is also heard on 250 wattFM translator 93.3K227AO.
Weekday mornings begin withWake Up Missouri hosted by Randy Tobler, Stephanie Bell and John Marsh. Afternoondrive time is hosted by Elijah Haahr. The rest of the weekday schedule is made up ofnationally syndicatedconservative talk programs:The Erick Erickson Show,The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,The Gary Nolan Show,Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla,The Jesse Kelly Show,Coast to Coast AM withGeorge Noory andThis Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal.
Weekends feature shows on money, health, law enforcement, guns, home repair and religion, as well as repeats of weekday shows. Weekend programs includeThe Chris Plante Show,Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb andSunday Nights with Bill Cunningham. World and national news is provided byFox News Radio.
KWTO was founded by local businessmanLester E. Cox and began broadcasting on December 25, 1933. Cox applied for and got thecall sign KWTO, which stands for "Keep Watching TheOzarks". The studios were at 600 St. Louis Street in Springfield.[3] Cox also applied for several other licenses includingKCMO inKansas City. At the time theFederal Radio Commission prohibited playing recorded music on the air, so the station had its own live bands.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, KWTO's staff musicians includedSlim Wilson and the Tall Timber Trio,Chet Atkins,The Carter Family,Wynn Stewart,Les Paul, The Haden Family and The Goodwill Family. KWTO'SKorn's-A-Krackin', a weekly "hillbilly variety" program, was carried nationally by theMutual Broadcasting System. During the late 1940s and 1950s, the station played a key role in launching the careers of stars such asPorter Wagoner andThe Browns. In 1954, the station began airing a country music andbluegrass show,Ozark Jubilee. Because KWTO was anetwork affiliate ofABC Radio, the Jubillee became anABC-TV and radio network show. In 1959, KWTO broke with its live music tradition and began playingcountry music records. For the next 30 years, it was known as "56 Country".
By the 1980s, country music listeners were shifting to the FM band for to hear their songs. On October 22, 1990, KWTO ended its long-standing country format and became the region's first full-timenews-talk station. It carried popular national hosts includingRush Limbaugh,Jim Bohannon (who once worked at the station), andJoe Pags.
With his 2008 albumRambling Boy,Charlie Haden acknowledged KWTO's country roots by featuring the station's transmission tower on the album's cover. On December 10, 2008, Rep.Roy Blunt recognized the station's 75th anniversary with remarks from the floor of United States House of Representatives.
On July 24, 2020, Meyer Communications announced it was selling its radio stations (KWTO,KWTO-FM,KTXR,KBFL, andKBFL-FM) to Zimmer Midwest Communications.[4] The new owners kept the news-talk format in place.
The station was formerly an affiliate ofCBS Radio News. On January 5, 2024, Zimmer Midwest Communications announced that KWTO would become an affiliate ofFox News Radio beginning on January 8, 2024.