From 1962 to 1966, I attended Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas. During those years, I was an announcer/engineer at KTJO-FM, a 10-watt FM station operating at 88.1 mHz.
In 1974, I was a social studies/speech teacher at Cunningham High School in Cunningham, Kansas. I was finishing up my masters degree studies at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Oklahoma and knew that I'd have more time on my hands. I happen to speak with Tim Hawks, an announcer at KWNS in Pratt, Kansas. He was doing a remote broadcast from the Ford dealer in downtown Pratt. I mentioned my radio experience in college and he asked me to visit the station since they were looking for part-time help with radio experience. The main control board at KWNS was identical to the one we used at KTJO and the help they needed was on the Sunday morning shift. This was quite compatible with my schedule, so for a few years, I was the announcer/engineer at KWNS on Sunday mornings. I'd arrive at 6:00 a.m. to warm up the transmitters and prepare the news & weather. I'd sign on at 7:00 a.m. and would work until 2:30 p.m. when another announcer would relieve me.
In 1977, I was looking for full-time radio work in news. Since that position was full at KWNS, the owner mentioned to me that he heard that KVGB in Great Bend, Kansas was looking for a newsman. I was interviewed and hired at KVGB and began there on January 20, 1977 and worked there until May 18, 1980. In 1979, I had become a father and needed to make more money than I could make in small-town radio --- no matter how much I enjoyed the job itself.