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Faye Graves
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
2005-10-01 14:59:00
Remembering...
ANSWER: When the late 1950's came along, we were out of World War II. As the economy was gaining ground, music was making a large swing. Wichita, Kansas had four 'Block Programmed' stations, which meant they programmed 'Variety' at different times. Then came the arrival of a station called KWBB, which was owned by the Levand family and managed by Milt Hall. This station was a winner! They had some great talent on the air that really captured the interest of this city. Jim Setters was the News Director. He and his news team really moved across the city and would break in for all the news on the street with their mobile units. They covered the court house, City Hall, and all major business changes. Having 1410 tuned in on your radio was the next best thing to having a police scanner. Street reporters were John Wagner, John Heckman, George Langshaw, Ralph Carpenter and many others. Anything newsworthy: fires, homicides, plane crashes, and what we now call 'Breaking News', which was then a news bulletin, 'Worth Breaking in to Programming'. If this wasn't enough, they had the King of Disc Jockeys in 1951, Lee Nichols. He was in the mid-day slot, which was the premier place for him, and he built the ratings to a new high. Lee had a way of presenting a variety of music including his main feature, Country Music, but also some of the 50's Rock. The music was the same as the tunes that were being played on other stations, but it was Lee's presentation that made the difference. If you were having a bad day and tuned in, Lee would make you feel good; he always had a joke and would tease the other personalities on air with him. Lee Nichols was what I called the Pied Piper of Wichita. One of his major sponsors was the Mart stores. If Lee plugged a special at these stores, people would be lined up outside the store to take advantage of the prices. When you walked into stores across the city, Lee was on the radio. When you got into a car, there was Lee again. He was the only Country Music DJ on the air at that time of day, and his jokes and his personality are legendary. I had the privilege of working with Lee when he was on Mack Sanders' station, KFRM. This station touched eight states; the audience being mainly agriculture, farm homes, tractors and cars. Same thing…Lee dominated the market! He was always a gentleman, dressed western, and always had a laugh that so many remember. He knew all of the major country stars and had them on his program as well as introducing them at their concerts. Many great radio personalities have come and gone, but there will only be one Lee Nichols, who passed away on October 4, 2005. His memory lives on…
 
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