K-State Radio Centennial Minutes

Prominent voices from K-State and the broadcasting industry, such as former National Public Radio Vice President and K-State alum Bill Buzenberg, Voice of the Wildcats Wyatt Thompson, and former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum, help tell the story of K-State radio in these vignettes. Press play and turn up the dial for a journey through the past century of broadcasting, which includes restored audio from the archives of KSAC.

December 1, 1924 Kansas State University President Richard Linton recounts the day that KSAC went on the air in 1924.
Flood of 1951 With flood waters ravaging surrounding communities, KSAC served as a vital beacon of communication.
Agricultural broadcasting The "Farm Hour" brought timely information to ranchers and farmers every day on KSAC. That program would become "Agriculture Today," which is still produced today.
All Things Considered KSAC program director Ralph Titus was one of the five creators of National Public Radio's very first news program, All Things Considered. Not only did Titus help design it, KSAC contributed more audio features to the program than any other in the nation during the first 10 years.
College of the Air Recognizing the power of radio, K-State partnered with Milford radio station KFKB in 1923 to produce "the College of the Air", a weeknight series of courses led by K-State faculty. The success of this led to the creation of K-State's own radio station.
CPB Radio Funding Jack Burke, general manager of KSAC radio and president of the national association of educational broadcasters , championed public radio as part of President Lydon Johnson's 1967 public broadcasting bill. This would help form NPR.
Home Economics "Homemakers Hour" provided university generated information on a variety of topics such as home budget managment, clothing design, foods and nutrion, and family well-being.
K-State Radio Network In 1950, the K-State Radio Network was established. They provided recorded programs across the region and the nation.
Radio Exercise Program One of the first over-the-air personal exercise programs was hosted by K-State physical education proffessor L.P. Washburn on KSAC radio.
K-State Sports Network KSAC radio began broadcasting K-State sports in 1926, eventually leading to the creation of the K-State Sports Network in 1951. This was one of the first college-operated sports networks in the country. Many legendary voices have gone on to call play-by-play for the Wildcats including Dev Nelson, Mitch Holthus, Steve Physioc, Greg Sharpe and Wyatt Thompson.
KSDB- Wildcat 91.9 Student broadcasting was always a key pillar of KSAC/KKSU. That legacy can be seeen today with KSDB-FM, K-State's student radio station. They continue to broadcast from campus and are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year.
The Eisenhower Series In 1971, Ralph Titus produced a 13-part documentary on President Dwight D. Eisenhower that aired over KSAC and NPR. The nationally acclaimed series is archived at Americanarchive.org.
The Landon Lecture Series Kansas State University's pretigious lecture series brought prominent national and international figures to campus. KSAC radio provided live coverage of every lecture to stations across the country. Learn more about the Landon Lecture Series.
The Nichols Hall Fire On Friday, December 13, 1968 a fire destroyed Nichols Gymnasium, and with it the KSAC radio studios. However, the staff was able to respond quickly and get back on the air without missing a beat.
The Two Towers The 140-feet tall KSAC towers on the K-State campus represented the best broadcasting technology of the time when they were erected in 1924. The two towers still remain today and in 1983 they were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Weather Broadcasts K-State scientists were at the forefront of weather broadcasting in the age of wireless communication. Way back in 1912, the K-State physics department began providing weather reports through a transformer in morse code. This was the very first regularly scheduled weather broadcast west of the Mississippi.