HUBER HEIGHTS — It started with a telephone pole and some office space at a self-storage unit.

But 20 years later, 97.3 FM WSWO-LP in nearby Huber Heights has its own studios, a real tower, and thousands of listeners everywhere.

The all-volunteer staff will celebrate the last two decades and look ahead to the future during a party for the listeners from 2-6 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Yellow Cab Tavern in downtown Dayton.

“We had really humble beginnings,” said board member Tony Peters, the program director for the last 10 years.

Since signing on in September 2004, WSWO has carved out quite a niche for itself. The not-for-profit has real DJs — not the fully automated stuff you hear on the FM dial now — and has a catalog of songs from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and early 80s from select musicians.

“We’re a non-commercial radio station but we play music that used to be on the commercial FM dial,” Peters said.

Oh yeah, as a low power station (hence the LP), it’s only licensed for 100 watts.

“There are some light bulbs in the room you’re sitting in right now that have more wattage,” Peters joked. In comparison, the classic rock station in Dayton is 28,000 watts.

“It’s amazing that even with 100 watts we do pretty well,” Peters added. A strategically placed tower in Huber Heights allows the station to be picked up in not only Huber Heights but also Vandalia, Riverside, Fairborn, Kettering, Dayton, and Harrison Township. And having a plethora of on-air personalities who add their own, uh, spin to the music keeps the listeners tuned in.

“We still have a lot of listeners that love what we do,” Peters said. “They’re very vocal about what we do. They tell us that they love us. I’ve had listeners that will email us or call us and they will say things like, ‘I don’t know what I would do without your radio station.’ When people make a comment like that, you realize that you are making a difference in people’s lives. It keeps us going. We’re all music fans at heart. We know that we’re doing something different.”

At any given time, WSWO is also playing something different.

With a large collection of tunes — more than 7,000 — the same song won’t be heard twice for weeks.

“One of the things that really hurt is to turn on the FM dial and to hear the same songs over and over and over,” Peters said. “As an 80s guy … to me it’s like, ‘“Livin’ on a Prayer” Again? “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey again?’ Our station is designed where you’ll hear some familiar songs but then we sprinkle in some obscure stuff. The spice that keeps you listening.”

About 11 years ago, WSWO began streaming at daytonoldies.org. It also has an app and can be heard on various other music streaming apps and Alexa devices as well.

“We have listeners all over the world, which is kind of crazy too,” Peters said.

WSWO doesn’t just play music. On Sundays the station devotes time to houses of worship. It also broadcasts Wayne High School football and basketball. And at the bottom of every hour a community calendar is read. Non-profits get their info on for free while others can have their message read for a donation. It’s not a commercial. It’s information. For example, a DJ can’t read a message that says “Visit Jimmie’s Ladder 11.” But they can say “Jimmie’s Ladder 11 is located at 936 Brown Street.”

It sounds more like NPR or PBS but those donations keep the station going.

“We say on the air, every little bit helps,” Peters said. “To just rely on donations from listeners and donations from local businesses. It’s pretty amazing to be around for 20 years and still financially sound. We have a small budget.”

The board has to pay rent, royalties on the songs played, internet and phone, power, etc.

“It’s a shoestring budget, but we do it for the listeners,” Peters said.

That’s the DJ’s collective modus operandi as well. They don’t get paid. It’s a labor of love. Most have full-time jobs.

“We (work at) the station on the extra time that everybody has,” Peters said. “You really find out people’s worth when they will do something for free and do it for a long time. We get to run a bonafide radio station in 2024 that’s not owned by a big corporation.”

The station is run by the Southwestern Ohio Public Radio board members, who also happen to be among the station’s DJs. The president is Shelly G. Hulce. Vice president and chief engineer is Zack Riepenhoff, the business manager is David Bernard, and the volunteer lead is Gary Quinn.

Reach Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.