 | Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452. |
Nostalgia
2004-06-01 09:38:00
Radio in the 40’s
: What was Wichita media like in the 40’s?
ANSWER: Radio was all there was in the 40's in Wichita. Television had its infancy in the major cities but Wichita was only into radio. First there was KFBI, which actually started in Abilene. (This information was given to me by one of KFBI's first employees, Paul Harvey.) The station then moved to Wichita and the call letters stood for the Kansas Farmers and Bankers Insurance Company. The station was located for many years in the building with the same name, located at First and Market Streets. Then came KFH, which was the abbreviation for Kansas' Finest Hotel, the Lassen. Next in line was KANS (Kansas), and then came KAKE located in the downtown Derby building by the bridge on West Douglas. Then the Levand family who owned the Wichita Beacon placed KWBB on the air. These of course, were all AM stations and completed all five buttons on your car radio. Most of the radio airtime was spent on network programming. The only local programming was mainly news and farm information. Some of the personalities were farm directors, Bruce Behymer of KFH, whose program started with the ringing of a cowbell and ended with "That's all from Bee for now". Lester Weatherwax at KFBI, and big news names were George Gow with KFH and Graham Fletcher of KAKE who also served as General Manager of that station. Music shows were programmed live and everyone attended as part of the studio audience at one time or another. The Ark Valley Boys at KFH, Corkys Coral Gang at KANS, KFBI Ranch Boys and Raymond Shelley at the Miller Theatre Organ on KANS. Stations had their own music directors; Vern Nydegger at KFBI, Jimmy Carpenter at KFH, and Raymond Shelley at KANS. There was nothing as good as the family gathered around the big tall console radio at night with popcorn, a cold soda enjoying The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, Inner Sanctum, Lum and Abner, Fibber McGee and Molley, Jack Benny, The Hit Parade and all the rest. I hope this brings back some great memories. Next month we will discuss some of the local personalities.
