Happy 50th Birthday, KMUW!

By Joseph Kleinsasser

The name is the same, but nearly everything else has changed since KMUW began broadcasting 50 years ago April 26.

Thanks to the vision of professors F.L. Whan and Leslie Blake, KMUW began broadcasting as a 10-watt non-commercial FM radio station, the first non-commercial FM station in Kansas and the second FM station in the state.

The 10-watt transmitter was staffed for a only a few hours a day, a few days a week and the university paid all the bills.

Today KMUW 89.1 FM, the public radio station at WSU, offers around-the-clock programming, and the transmitter power has increased to 100,000 watts.

KMUW began serving the community from Jardine Hall as part of the speech department of the Municipal University of Wichita. It later moved to the Communications Building on 17th Street.

Not wanting to duplicate programming of other radio stations, KMUW initially headed into a schedule of live band concerts, plays, lectures and games. In March 1950 weekly broadcasting was up to 40 hours per week.

In fall 1961, a new antenna was installed on a 60-foot tower at the Communications Building, allowing an increase in power to 250 watts. Prior to that, the transmitter was located at Wilner Auditorium and the station needed remote equipment to read power output levels.

KMUW increased its power to 10,000 watts in October 1970 and received a $15,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $25,000 from WSU with Student Government Association approval.

The station carried its first National Public Radio broadcast on May 1, 1971. However, NPR at that time didn’t have “Morning Edition,” “Car Talk,” and some of the other programming now available. Tapes for most of the programs were mailed to the various stations.

The Wichita Audio Reader, a service for the blind and print handicapped, was started in 1975. The service continues to operate under the name Wichita Radio Reading Service.

A significant change occurred in September 1987 when KMUW increased its power to 100,000 watts and raised its antenna height on the KWCH-TV antenna to 134 meters.

KMUW further expanded its program offerings in 1994 by joining Public Radio International.

The price tag for programming has grown considerably during the last 20 years. Programming costs, already in six figures, may reach $200,000 in the not-too-distant future.

One of the biggest changes during KMUW’s 50-year history is how the station is funded, according to general manager Mark McCain.

Today, in addition to Wichita State, KMUW receives funding from its listeners, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, underwriters and grants.

Even as federal funding has decreased, KMUW listeners have increased their support. “Starting in the early 1970s KMUW asked listeners for money, and they gave the station a couple thousand dollars,” says McCain.

“Today, the financial support from listeners and underwriters from businesses and corporations adds up to almost half of our budget, and we go into our fund drives asking for more than $100,000. It’s just incredible that we can generate almost $350,000 a year from this community. I think that shows how important KMUW is to Wichita State and to the greater Wichita community.”

Equipment also has changed dramatically during the last 14 years. Recording has moved from reel-to-reel and cassette audio recorders to digital audio tape recorders, computer hard drive and minidisc recorders, to future computer-based recording and playback without tape.

The arrival of digital technology for television will likely have an impact on radio, according to McCain. “We’re not sure what technical standard will be applied to radio in terms of digital broadcasting, but it’s coming for us, too. It will probably allow us to expand beyond the single signal we currently offer as our main service, perhaps with additional audio and data programming.”

It’s impossible to know what the future holds, but McCain predicts it will be an exciting time with a lot of changes. “We have to adapt to listener needs, especially with our growing reliance on listener support. But, we think that in-depth news and information and significant cultural programming will continue to be the main reasons people listen to KMUW.”

Mark McCain, general manager of KMUW 89.1 FM, adjusts some of the station’s equipment, which has advanced significantly in the station’s 50-year history.