[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 29, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING 61 YEARS OF BROADCASTING AT WKRM IN COLUMBIA, TN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LINCOLN DAVIS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 29, 2008

  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, on November 25th, 
1946, at 7:00 p.m., Robert McKay, Jr. put WKRM on the air from the 
Bethell Hotel in Columbia, Tennessee for the very first time. Over 
sixty years later, Robert continues to provide quality broadcasting to 
the people of Columbia.
  Robert's service to Columbia, to Tennessee and to our country goes 
beyond his work at WKRM. A veteran of World War II, Robert served our 
military in the Philippines from 1942 until the War's end. When he 
returned, Robert took it upon himself to found the area's first local 
radio station with its own News Director.
  Since its founding, WKRM has continually provided Maury County with 
outstanding news coverage, bringing the news to Columbia and its 
surrounding areas and, beginning in 1947, covering the annual Mule Day 
celebration live from the front porch of WKRM's station.
  From their inaugural broadcast at the Bethell Hotel, Robert's 
tenacity has made WKRM the success that it is today. Even a devastating 
fire in 1950 that destroyed all but the station's antenna only kept 
WKRM off the air for thirteen days before Robert was again bringing 
news to Columbia. Robert's firm resolve has grown WKRM into two 
stations that he continues to operate today. At eighty-seven year's 
old, Robert is still working hard for Tennessee, and I join my 
colleagues today in commending him for his work, his life and his 
service.

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