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March 31, 2022

Dear Loyola community,

A century ago this morning, Loyola launched the entire American Deep South into the era of instant communication. Our physics department built a radio transmitter and broadcast the first live voice communication from Marquette Hall, at 10:52 a.m. on March 31, 1922. On that momentous occasion, what did they choose to say? Loyola’s President, Fr. Edward Cummings, S.J., asked for donations to the Loyola building fund, followed by a piano performance by another Jesuit.

That day, Loyola faculty and students received a radio license using the call letters WWL, or “World Wide Loyola.” By the 1930s, their broadcasts would reach all the way to Canada and Mexico. Now operating downtown at the Roosevelt Hotel, WWL Radio interviewed the nation’s most exciting characters, from the illustrious Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long to a 16-year-old Judy Garland, budding star of "The Wizard of Oz."

WWL became successful and a great source of support to the university, funding scholarships for generations of young people. In 1957, Loyola launched a WWL television station, one of the strongest CBS affiliates in the nation and a powerhouse of local news coverage. And now you know why Loyola has always had such strength in teaching broadcast journalism.

In 1989, as local radio and television industries began to be disrupted, the Loyola Board decided to sell both stations and invest those funds in our endowment, where they continue to support the university. Our close relationship with local journalism has continued, creating the hands-on learning that makes our School of Communication and Design so exciting.

There are few stories that better summarize Loyola’s creativity and courage.

All my best,

Tania Tetlow
President