Wheeling, West Virginia: When Steel Workers Became Radio Stars

The Story

In the depths of the Great Depression, when unemployment in West Virginia topped 25% and families struggled to afford even basic necessities, something remarkable happened in Wheeling. Steel workers—machinists, crane operators, stenographers—became national radio celebrities. Their show, "It's Wheeling Steel," reached millions of Americans coast to coast and proved that working-class people weren't just audiences—they were artists.

The man behind this unlikely experiment was John L. Grimes, advertising director for the Wheeling Steel Corporation. For six years, from 1930 to 1936, Grimes lobbied his bosses with a radical idea: create a radio variety show featuring only company employees and their families as performers. His executives were skeptical. Why would anyone want to listen to factory workers sing and play music? But Grimes saw something they didn't—untapped talent, community pride, and an advertising opportunity that could transform both the company's image and employee morale.

On November 8, 1936, "It's Wheeling Steel" debuted on Wheeling's WWVA radio station. The half-hour program featured light classics, popular songs, and show tunes performed by an orchestra of local musicians and amateur headliner performers—all drawn from Wheeling Steel's extended family of employees. Grimes maintained strict requirements: every performer, every producer, every arranger had to work for Wheeling Steel Corporation or be an immediate family member. Even when professional talent like singer Regina Colbert joined the show, she was first hired as a secretary in the advertising department to meet the requirement.

The program was an instant success with local audiences. The forty-two-piece orchestra, dubbed the Musical Steelmakers, featured employees who balanced grueling factory shifts with weekly rehearsals. Dorothy Ann Crowe, a company stenographer, performed solos that drew thousands of fan letters. The Steel Sisters harmonized for radio audiences between their office duties. These weren't professional entertainers—they were ordinary people with extraordinary talents, finally given a platform to shine.

In January 1939, the Mutual Broadcasting System picked up "It's Wheeling Steel" for national distribution. The show's appeal proved nationwide. By 1939, the program had outgrown its studio space and moved to Wheeling's Capitol Theatre, where audiences of up to 2,400 people could watch the live broadcasts. On June 25, 1939, the Musical Steelmakers performed at the New York World's Fair before more than 26,000 attendees—one of the fair's largest outdoor performances.

In 1941, "It's Wheeling Steel" jumped to NBC's Blue Network and rose to fifth place in national listener ratings. The show that skeptical executives had questioned was now competing with the biggest names in radio. For eight years, from 1936 to 1944, steel workers proved they belonged on America's biggest stages.

When World War II began, the program shifted focus to support the war effort. "Buy a Bomber" broadcasts toured West Virginia cities, challenging communities to purchase enough defense bonds to buy a bomber plane. One broadcast from West Virginia University's field house generated more than $650,000 in bond sales—the largest such fundraiser in Monongalia County. Communities that met their goals had their city names painted on bomber aircraft heading into battle.

The program remained at the height of its popularity when it broadcast its final episode on June 18, 1944. After 326 episodes spanning eight years, declining health forced John L. Grimes to end the show. He'd achieved what he set out to prove: that working-class Americans had talent worth celebrating, that industrial towns weren't cultural voids, and that employees could become their company's greatest ambassadors.

The Legacy

The influence of "It's Wheeling Steel" extended far beyond its final broadcast. Lew Davies, the show's musical arranger, later assisted Lawrence Welk in developing a television variety show that reflected "It's Wheeling Steel's" format and character—family-oriented programming featuring a mix of light classics, popular songs, and wholesome entertainment where regular performers became audience favorites.

The Capitol Theatre, where "It's Wheeling Steel" broadcast from 1939 onward, still stands at 1015 Main Street in Wheeling. After nearly two years of closure, the historic venue was purchased by the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau in April 2009 and reopened that September following an $8 million restoration. Today it seats 2,400 people, hosts the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, and welcomes over 50,000 annual attendees. You can visit it. You can sit in the seats where thousands once gathered to watch their neighbors perform on national radio.

All 326 "It's Wheeling Steel" recordings are housed at the West Virginia and Regional History Center at West Virginia University, preserving the voices of steel workers who became radio stars.

Timeline of Events

• 1930: John L. Grimes begins pitching radio show concept to Wheeling Steel executives
• November 8, 1936: "It's Wheeling Steel" debuts on WWVA radio in Wheeling
• January 1939: Mutual Broadcasting System picks up show for national distribution
• June 25, 1939: Musical Steelmakers perform to 26,000+ people at New York World's Fair
• 1939: Show moves to Capitol Theatre to accommodate larger orchestra and audiences
• 1941: Program jumps to NBC Blue Network, reaches 5th place in national ratings
• 1943: "Buy a Bomber" tours begin across West Virginia cities
• June 18, 1944: Final broadcast airs after 326 episodes
• September 2009: Capitol Theatre reopens after $8 million restoration

Historical Significance

"It's Wheeling Steel" pioneered a broadcasting model that had never been attempted before: an all-employee radio program featuring only company workers and their families as performers, producers, and arrangers. During America's darkest economic period, when unemployment exceeded 25% in West Virginia and industrial workers faced both economic hardship and cultural dismissal, these steel workers proved they could compete with professional entertainers on the biggest stages in America. The program demonstrated that working-class Americans possessed artistic talent worthy of national attention, challenged assumptions about who deserved to be called an "artist," and showed that employee engagement could become powerful corporate advertising. From a local Wheeling broadcast to fifth-place national ratings, from mill floors to the World's Fair, "It's Wheeling Steel" transformed how America saw its working class—not just as audiences, but as performers, not just as laborers, but as artists. That transformation, achieved by ordinary people given an extraordinary opportunity, remains the program's most enduring legacy.

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