Does this sound familiar?

The 1923 issue of the Fraternal Monitor is appropriately alarmed at the threats to the movement from commercial insurance. An article points to another threat, which sounds mighty familiar today.

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Radio adds another agency for entertainment and instruction. In this way it is comparable to the phonograph and the motion picture, and it enlarges life as did the telephone and rural mail delivery.

It therefore detracts from the interest in lodge meetings and is a menace which fraternal societies must study. Outside of the means of acquiring financial stability, lessened interest in the lodge is the greatest problem confronting fraternities in the past twenty years.

With so-called radio bugs staying at home and endeavoring to catch bedtime stories and concerts broadcasted by stations from the Atlantic to the Pacific, even refusing to repair to their beds to catch needful sleep, it is difficult to get people to go to lodge.

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Nothing new under the sun.

One lodge found a partial answer. The Woodmen of the World founded its own radio station, initially called WOAW and later changed to the name of the society, WOW. The station is still a major force, but long since gave up its connection to the Woodmen.

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The other way is for a fraternal society to establish a broadcasting station of its own. The possibilities are remarkable, and of course only a large organization can swing such an enterprise.

The Sovereign Camp Woodmen of the World has seized its opportunity and in February Station WOAW at Omaha was set going. It is on the roof of the great WOW building, is financed and operated by the Society,and is one of the most powerful in the country.

It means that officers of the organization may send messages with almost a personal touch, and we can visualize with what fervor Mr. Fraser will broadcast the news of a dividend or the details of progress on the new WOW sanatorium.

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The above is a bit confusing to modern ears since it uses WOW for the society and WOAW for the station.

The personal touch is easier now with the web, but many people realized during the “virus” monstrosity that a ZOOM meeting simply isn’t comparable to a physical meeting.