photograph
Catalog Number
2019.1.515Description
Black and white photograph of Randy Vande Water sitting at a table, WHTC microphone in front of him, reading the Holland Evening Sentinal from August 3, 1953.History
The Holland Broadcasting Company's (HBC) Articles of Incorporation were filed on October 1, 1946. Board members at that time included Holland, MI residents Bill Wichers, Nelson Bosman, P.T. Cheff, W.A. Butler, I.H. Marsilje, and Millard C. Westrate. $15,000 was paid in capital to get the HBC started.HBC by-laws were in place by October 12, 1946. An application for a new radio station in Holland, MI was filed with the Federal Communications Commission on October 21, 1946. In the application the HBC requested 1450 kc, 250 watts, unlimited time.
Programs broadcast by HBC during their first years of existence included the following: 7am, Morning Meditation; 7:15, Good Morning Holland; 7:30, news; 7:45, Morning Monitor; 8am, Hope College Chapel; 8:30am, news bulletin; 8:35am, Breakfast Symphony; 9am, Women Today; 9:15am, Poetry and Music; 9:30am, news bulletin; 9:35am, Koffee Kletz; 9:45am, popular music; 10am, Listen Ladies; and, 10:30am, news bulletin.
Before they went on the air in 1948, the HBC was challenged by the Ashbacker Radio Corporation. On 9-27-1946 Ashbacker filed an application with the FCC for a new broadcast station in Holland, MI. The following day Roy Kelley and his KVN Company also filed an application with the FCC for a new station in Holland. By November of 1946 Ashbacker Radio Corporation dismissed its application. Soon after, the FCC ruled in favor of the HBC and dismissed the KVN Company's application.
WHTC began its first AM radio broadcast on July 31, 1948 at 6:00 pm. This was after approximately 3 years of work and preparation by Nelson Bosman and Millard Westrate. These gentleman along with the financial support of I.H. Marsilje, Wilford A. Butler, Willard Wichers & PT Cheff brought the idea to a reality.
The station was and still is found at 1450 AM on the radio dial. The callsign for the station means Holland Tulip City. The voice of WHTC for many years was Juke VanOss (nearly 65 years) and Ed VerSchure.