Chiropractic is the Heart of iHeartRadio
I bet you didn’t know that iHeartRadio (with over 188 million registered users) was once WOC (World of Chiropractic) Radio, owned by B.J. Palmer.
Here’s a timeline tracing the history from iHeartRadio back to WOC Radio and its owner, Palmer Communications. I’ve also included a few details about Ronald Reagan’s involvement.
2014: Clear Channel Communications rebrands to iHeartMedia, reflecting its focus on the iHeartRadio digital platform, which had been launched in 2008. This marks the modern era of the company that owns WOC Radio today.
2000: Clear Channel Communications acquires WOC (AM) and its FM sister station (now WLLR-FM) from Signal Hill Communications, ending the Palmer family’s ownership connection to the stations.
1996: Vickie Anne Palmer sells WOC and its FM sister station to Clear Channel Communications. From 1989 to 1996, she had full control of the stations under Signal Hill Communications after her then-husband, J. Douglas Miller, stepped away to pursue a career in motion pictures.
1986: WOC and its FM sister station are purchased from Palmer Communications, Inc. by Vickie Anne Palmer and J. Douglas Miller, marking a transition within the Palmer family’s legacy.
1934: WOC becomes a separate entity again when the Palmer School of Chiropractic purchases station KICK in Carter Lake, Iowa, moves it to Davenport, and renames it WOC. This ends the WOC-WHO dual operation.
1932: Ronald Reagan begins his broadcasting career at WOC as a sportscaster, announcing football games and recreating play-by-play coverage. This is his first job in radio, lasting until 1937 when he moves to WHO in Des Moines (also owned by the Palmer family at the time) before transitioning to an acting career.
1930-1932: The Central Broadcasting Company, chaired by B.J. Palmer, consolidates WOC and WHO (Des Moines) into a dual operation, WOC-WHO, using a single 50,000-watt transmitter in Mitchellville, Iowa. Reagan’s initial work at WOC occurs during this period.
1929: B.J. Palmer forms the Central Broadcasting Company, acquiring WHO and pairing it with WOC, both under Palmer family ownership through Palmer Communications.
1922: Col. B.J. Palmer purchases WOC from the Karlowa Radio Corporation. On May 9, 1922, the station is relicensed to the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, beginning nearly 75 years of Palmer family involvement. WOC, standing for “World of Chiropractic,” becomes one of the earliest radio stations in the U.S.
1922 (February 18): WOC is first licensed to the Karlowa Radio Corporation in Rock Island, Illinois, before its sale to Palmer later that year.
Ronald Reagan worked at WOC Radio starting in 1932 as a sportscaster, marking the beginning of his broadcasting career. He was hired at age 21 after graduating from Eureka College, initially covering Iowa Hawkeyes football games for $10 per game plus bus fare. He later transitioned to WHO in Des Moines, also under Palmer ownership, where he continued until 1937 before moving to Hollywood. Reagan returned to WOC in 1988 to dedicate their new studios on East Kimberly Road, reflecting his nostalgic connection to the station.