IN THE BEGINNING....

A. The "Fifth Estate" Arrives.

In 1946, Judith Waller, an executive of radio station WMAQ in Chicago, wrote a textbook for a college-level introductory course in radio broadcasting. She titled it, "Radio, the Fifth Estate," probably to the amazement of any member of the Fourth Estate who might have bothered to notice. But it was no stretch of reality for her to place radio in such important company.

In the beginning years of regular broadcasting (the early twenties) seemingly magic voice and music came "right through the air" to an amazed and delighted audience. By the thirties now-veteran listeners were able to ease the pain of the depression, especially through programs of music and comedy, and news broadcasts helped to make people aware of the growing possibility of war between the major nations of the world. During World War II radio was the medium to provide entertainment to both the home front and the armed services. And when Edward R. Murrow broadcast from the rooftops of London the audience was transported to the chilling reality of war. No longer was there any question as to the importance of radio broadcasting.

By 1946, there were 1011 radio stations, only 57 of them educational. The early earphones and "cats whiskers" receiving sets had long been discarded in favor of large and fancy pieces of furniture called the "radio console." Ninety percent of American homes had at least one set, and many of them also had sets in the kitchen and bedroom.1 The program and financial structure of radio had long been established. Programs of music, drama, news and information were available at the twist of a dial. Almost all programs were sponsored by businesses eager to advertise their goods or services. Four commercial radio networks originated the bulk of the programming, carried mostly over large, metropolitan network affiliates.

The post-war years were to bring even more amazing development. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assigned hundreds of new channels for AM and FM broadcasting, thereby making it possible for local communities to enjoy local radio programs. Transmitter towers sprouted across the land, as if a modern Johnny Appleseed had planted radio seeds. By 1955 there were 3343 radio stations and 96.4 percent of American homes had sets.

Prior to World War II, television had emerged from the laboratories to begin actual transmission of program material to a very small audience, mostly around New York and Chicago. Effective growth ceased with the war, but it began again in 1946, as fast as steel could be found to build towers and electronic industries could retool to build television broadcasting and receiving equipment. Growth was amazing. The few pre-war TV stations had been developed, for the most part, by existing radio station owners, usually network affiliates. These organizations were the first to build or re-start stations after the war. With the movie industry disdaining to participate in this "crude experiment," it was almost inevitable that the programming and financial structure of the television industry would mirror that of radio. By the end of the forties programming could be originated and beamed coast to coast. By 1955 there were four commercial television networks and 411 stations, including eleven educational. Sixty five percent of American homes had television sets; there were more homes with sets than indoor bathrooms. Once again the public was fascinated by electronic magic--this time of moving images accompanied by sound.

As the moving picture industry belatedly recognized, the entertainment habits of Americans were undergoing fundamental changes. They were deserting the cinema to settle down in front of the new magic box in the living room. The "couch potato" may not have been in the mature stage, but the plant had definitely sprouted. A few cynics had begun to decry the "idiot box" and describe its dangers, but in 1955 few realized that the impact of television would go far beyond mere tastes in the form and content of entertainment and informational material.

B. The Fifth Estate and Education.

1. Early Educational Radio Stations.

A few universities could rightly be called "pioneers" in broadcasting because they started to broadcast regular programs in the early twenties at the same time as non-educational stations. Departments or schools of engineering were the prime movers as professors carried on research in the means of broadcasting. There were also others in an educational institution who saw the possibility of utililizing the medium to reach large numbers of people with programs of cultural and intellectual entertainment -- even formal course work for credit. By 1925 the handful of pioneers had expanded to 200 stations licensed to educational institutions.

And so it was at the University of Kansas. In 1923 the Alumni Association had aired an "alumni radio night." Using the facilities of station WDAF in Kansas City, they transmitted greetings from the Chancellor along with live music. This type of program proved to be highly popular, and the University continued such broadcasts until 1930.2 KU faculty appeared occasionally on WDAF and other area stations. One such program featured Dr. Forrest "Phog" Allen (the popular basketball coach) speaking on the "benefits and evils of competitive athletics." These broadcasts created a great interest on Mt. Oread for greater use of the new medium. However, it took some activity from "up the Kaw" to get KU started in radio broadcasting.

The administration of Kansas State College, acting on requests from its engineering faculty, asked for --and received--a legislative appropriation in 1923 which provided funds for the building of a 500 watt radio transmitter. Noting this, the engineering faculty at KU moved at once to ask the Chancellor to make a similar request. Chancellor Lindley was successful, and in April, 1924, the Legislature approved $20,000 for equipment which was to be housed on the second floor of Marvin Hall. The studios were typical of the early period: Heavy monks cloth on all the walls and thick carpeting for sound proofing.

The official dedication of KFKU (the assigned call letters) was December 15, 1924, featuring the Chancellor and the KU band. Even though Kansas State had taken the first action to put a station on the air, the Jayhawks started radio service several days before the Wildcats. Given the competitive nature of the two schools, there must have been a smile or two on Mt. Oread that day. All of the programs on KFKU were live, with broadcasting on Monday and Thursday evenings. KU was one of the first schools to broadcast lectures designed to supplement correspondence courses. There were programs in such areas as educational philosophy and elementary spanish. The regular schedule was supplemented by such special events as KU basketball, faculty recitals and commencement. These came to the studio by a remote line, testifying to the increasing expertise of the engineering faculty.

The early surge of broadcasting activity by educational institutions nationwide began to ebb after 1925. There were increasing problems of financial support and, for those involved, the fun of broadcasting soon turned into work, done for the most part without additional salary compensation. The tight budget situation would not improve significantly. Thus, the annual budget for KFKU in 1925 provided $500 for salaries and $800 for operations, and there was no increase five years later.

Also, the airwaves were jammed with competing signals. For example, by April, 1925, there were twelve stations attempting to broadcast on the same frequency as KFKU. As if that were not enough to discourage educational broadcasters, the programs from non-educational stations were much more entertaining. It had been demonstrated early on that in spite of David Sarnoff's prediction about the extensive use of radio for cultural programming, relatively few people wanted to hear a dry lecture when they could listen to pop music and comedy. Schools tried. As the Program Director at KU said, "KFKU is making an attempt to provide programs which will be entertaining as well as educational.3 That elusive goal was to plague eductional radio -- and, later, television -- for years to come.

The matter of signal interference, such as that experienced by KFKU, was critical. The Federal Radio Commission was created in 1927 with a principal mission to solve the problem. One of its first actions was to require all radio stations to broadcast a minimum number of hours per week and on a regular schedule.4 Many schools could not find the funds to broadcast under such a regulation and they simply shut off their transmitters. Some were directed to explore the possibilities of "shared time" with another station. The FRC first directed KFKU to share time with the Kansas State station, KSAC. This was not greeted favorably by the two schools. How, for example, could one broadcast two sporting events which might occur at the same time -- or two commencements? As it turned out, two commercial stations -- WREN in Lawrence, and WIBW in Topeka -- also needed to share time. The manager of WREN proposed that it share time with KFKU, and the management of WIBW proposed a similar arrangement with KSAC. The FRC approved both arrangements and, in October, 1928, the shared time operations began; the KFKU programs were sent by phone line to be broadcast from the new transmitter of WREN. The agreement made no mention of the allocation of time between the schools and their commercial partners and, in the case of KFKU, this resulted in an ever-decreasing amount of airtime. By the fifties the station was on the air only one hour per day, Monday-Friday.

More radio stations across the country were silenced by the depression. By 1933 there were forty three educational stations on the air, but by 1945 there were only twenty six. KFKU and KSAC were two of the survivors. Somehow, they had managed to keep going. In 1934, the State Legislature made severe cuts in the budgets of both schools, but Chancellor Lindley and the President of Kansas State managed to make money available to keep the stations on the air. KFKU even had some national recognition for the quality of its programs, especially those from the departments of foreign languages, speech and music.5

A revival of interest and activity in educational radio took place after the war. The (now) Federal Communications Commission was eager to support frequency modulation (FM) broadcasting, and new channels were created. Schools responded, and by 1952 there were ninety educational FM stations on the air.

At the University of Kansas, the AM shared-time agreement of KFKU and WREN had continued even though the commercial station was now located in Topeka. It was not a happy arrangement. There had been one attempt to change things: In 1944 Harold Ingham, the Director of Extension, had sent an application to the FCC requesting an FM channel. It was denied in 1946. The Commission said there was no evidence that the Regents would approve funding or that the Legislature would give final approval.6 Given the later changes in FM frequencies and standards (which would have made most of the equipment obsolete) it probably was a good thing that it had been denied.

In January of 1949, KFKU was moved into a building directly behind Marvin Hall. Because of the experimental nature of the construction of the building's outer walls, it was called "The Mud Hut." Despite this unflattering nickname the hut was -- and is -- good space, right in the center of the campus. It was suitable space for a more professional operation, even though on occasion there were some strange smells wafting from the other part of the building which was occupied by part of the Department of Chemistry.7 The fulltime staff consisted of Mildred Seaman as Program Director and Writer, and R.P Stringham was the Engineer. The radio operation was budgeted under the Extension Division, which in 1947 had hired a new Director -- Frank Stockton. Stockton was very supportive of the radio operation, for he believed that radio -- and also television -- could be extremely valuable in providing an educational outreach for the university.

But not much could be done on KFKU with just one hour of broadcast time a day. Repeated requests to WREN for additional air time were refused by the manager, citing a significant drop in audience numbers whenever KFKU was on the air. So, why not apply for one of the new FM channels since the Commission now seemed to be more favorably inclined to educational use of that spectrum? There is no clear reason to be given for the fact that in this period of FM expansion the University made no attempt to apply for a channel.

The decision as to what to do came from a surprising source. In the late forties, Fred Harris and associates had put a commercial FM station on the air at Hutchinson, Kansas. From the beginning it was plagued by rising costs and a lack of significant audience, thereby resulting in a lack of advertising income. Harris also recognized that there was much more public interest in television than FM radio -- not a good omen for the future. A solution occured to Harris. He offered the transmitter and associated broadcasting equipment to KU. This would have positive tax consequences for Harris while it provided the University with the means to reach a potentially larger audience with more program material than ever before.

The gift was accepted by Chancellor Malott with the hope it would be a lever to pry funds from Topeka for a tower and an operations budget. The strategy succeeded. A tower was erected in 1950, but it collapsed almost immediately. There were charges of sabatoge, never proved. Finally, another tower was erected and KANU-FM went on the air September 15, 1952. The Chancellor had hired R. Edwin Browne in 1951 to be the "Director of Radio." He was to be responsible for the operation of both KFKU (it's signal still existed over WREN) and KANU-FM and also for the development of plans for the acquisition of a television station. As the new station went on the air the staff consisted of Browne, William Hughes, Announcer; Glenn Price, Continuity Director; Mildred Seaman (from KFKU), Program Director; R.P. Stringham (from KFKU), Studio Engineer; and Rod Davis, Transmitter Engineer. There were sufficient staff and operating funds to maintain a broadcast schedule from 1:45pm to 10:00pm Sunday through Friday.8

2. Early Educational Television Stations.

Following World War II there was growing interest among educators in the possibilities of educational television. Some universities were interested -- as they had been before with radio -- in the use of television for direct instruction; others envisioned a wonderful medium of information and cultural entertainment. But the obstacles were formidable. First, the FCC seemed to have no clear direction as to the division and assignment of the spectrum to be devoted to television. Second, the costs of equipment, operations and program production were going to be significantly higher than for radio. By 1948, only five universities were known to be experimenting with television, and none were actually broadcasting.9

It was no foregone conclusion that educational television (ETV) would have any spectrum space. The demand for channel assignments from all sources exceeded the supply. There was heavy lobbying of the FCC by commercial interests eager to begin broadcasting . Education had its own lobby, in the form of the Joint Committee on Educational Television, and it received invaluable support from Commissioner Frieda Hennock. Recognizing the gravity of the various problems related to the development of television the FCC, in 1948, placed a freeze on all new license applications. For the next four years the Commission studied the problems and, in 1952, issued its "6th Report and Order." Among other things, the Order provided 242 channels for education and other non-commercial television broadcasting.10 One of them -- channel 11 -- was assigned to Lawrence; Channel 7 was assigned to Manhattan. Should the respective universities want to apply for the channels, they were now available.

There certainly was interest in doing so. The University of Kansas was already involved in the use of closed-circuit television at the medical center in Kansas City. Such work had begun in September, 1949. In November of 1951, a color television system -- utilizing the CBS color wheel system -- was installed in the operating amphitheater, giving medical students a close-up view of operating procedures.11 Also in the fall of 1951, Chancellor Murphy had appointed a "University Planning Committee" to make recommendations regarding an educational television station for the University.12 The Committee worked quickly, and on December 2, 1951, it recommended that the University get legal and engineering counsel and then file a construction permit (CP) as soon as possible. Nothing could be done until 1952, after the FCC had made the channel assignments. But then it was necessary to move quickly, if for no other reason than the fact that commercial television interests in Kansas City already had petitioned the Commission to move the VHF channel 11 to Kansas City in exchange for the much inferior UHF channel 6.13

The Regents did respond with funds to finance the engineering and legal work necessary in the preparation of the CP request. And on Feb. 26, 1953, the Chancellor announced that "higher education will be in reach of 95 per cent of all Kansans within the next four to six years."14 The CP request was in the form of an imaginative and persuasive document written by R. Edwin Browne. He titled it, "Moses Would Have Understood."15 It was in the mail by the end of May and it would languish in the files of the Commission for over seven years.

Money --or the lack of it -- was, of course, the reason most educational institutions, including KU and K-State, found it difficult to put a signal on the air even after the FCC had provided channel allocations. By 1955 there were 422 stations on the air, but only eleven of them were non-commercial. The first one was KUHT at the University of Houston, to be followed by stations in Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. The educators and legislators in one state -- Alabama -- recognized that television could be used to help erase the high level of illiteracy among both children and adults, and they established the first state network of educational stations.16

3. Early Academic Courses in Broadcasting.

As has been noted, schools and departments of engineering were involved in the beginning of radio broadcasting. It seems likely that courses were organized so that students could participate in the experiments and other activities connected with radio. In like fashion, schools of education probably created coursework to produce an expert in the utilization of the media for educational purposes. It is not the purpose of this study to document such activity, but at least one study shows that a number of doctoral dissertations were written in the thirties on various aspects of educational radio broadcasting.17

During the thirties some departments of speech found a new and interesting way to teach the fundamentals of public speaking. They would offer a course in Radio Speaking to give the student more exciting ways of practicing articulation, pitch, and emphasis. And the student could listen to the well-modulated voices of network announcers for examples and inspiration. Schools or departments of journalism also saw the need to offer courses in Radio News Writing and Radio Continuity Writing.

Such courses were in evidence at the University of Kansas. In 1937, the Department of Speech and Drama at KU offered Radio Speaking for two hours credit, taught by Professor Rolla Nuckles. In 1939, the Department added a course which involved actual Practice of Broadcasting at station KFKU.18 These courses went untaught during the war, but by 1950 the Department had revived them and added some new ones: Introduction to Radio, Radio Acting, and Radio Production were taught by an advanced student, Gene Courtney. Radio Dramatic Script Writing was taught by the head of the Department, Allen Crafton.

In 1950 the newly created William Allen White School of Journalism began specific coursework in radio by offering Radio News and Special Events. The early speech course was really "public address with a microphone." But there could be no mistake about the intent of the new courses and other which would follow: These were professionally oriented, designed to provide information and skills for the student interested in a broadcasting career. The Department of Speech and Drama seemed to be staking out the "academic turf" of performance, production and dramatic writing; Journalism was claiming the areas of newswriting, continuity writing and advertising.

C. Pre-1955 Attempts for a Cooperative Program at KU.

Both the School of Journalism and Speech and Drama had a legitimate interest in providing course work -- and perhaps even a major sequence -- in the area of radio broadcasting. Would there be one or two programs? In the absence of any definitive answer, each one continued to plan for the future.

Each program would need funds for instruction, equipment and space for closed-circuit broadcasting labs. There was little money available. A few items of inexpensive equipment could be purchased -- microphones, record turntables and tape recorders. No funds were available for television equipment. A regular classroom would have to serve as both classroom and lab. The speech courses were taught by Professors Crafton, Don Dixon and advanced student Gene Courtney; Professors Emil Telfel, Calder Pickett and Jimmy Dykes taught the journalism courses. (There would be no new faculty until 1955.)

One way to provide a more realistic broadcasting experience would be for the student to be exposed to the broadcasting operations already in place on the campus. Certainly the administration was on record as favoring some kind of cooperation between the areas. Chancellor Malott had established a "Radio Council" several years prior to the appearance of KANU. There were seventeen members, drawn from various academic and administrative departments.19 Other than the general charge to "assist in the general planning for the future.....(and to) ...provide efficient operation," there seems to be no record of specific instructions to the Council. In 1949 the Director of Extension, Frank Stockton, seemed to imply cooperation between the station and academic departments when he said that KFKU, "would become a center of interest for various departments on the hill -- especially Speech and Journalism."20

There was little cooperation, despite these nudges from the administration. Reasons for this are not hard to imagine. First, very few students could be used when the station was on the air only one hour a day. Given the educational content of the program and the less-than-professional facilities, few students were interested.

New hope for a cooperative effort between the stations and academic areas was aroused when KANU-FM began operations in 1952. There would be professional studios and many more hours of broadcasting. Surely now the students could be accomodated. But the request by the academic departments for an intern arrangement was denied by the Director, R. Edwin Browne.

Browne had a lofty vision for KANU. He believed it would become one of the outstanding educational radio stations in the country. He was greatly influenced by the example of WHA in Madison, Wisconsin -- a pioneer educational station with facilities and staff which were the envy of many commercial managers. He believed that to give students air time, or to allow them to participate in KANU program production, would inevitably downgrade the professional quality of the broadcast. Of course, students were welcome as part-time announcers -- provided they had the talent, experience, cultured voice and knowledge of foreign languages and serious music which would be necessary in order to pass the audition.21 In short, the typical broadcast student was not going to be able to "get on the air" at KANU anymore than would have been possible at a large commercial station. The door was shut, and it would not open much more than a crack for the next twenty years.

Perhaps in response to this problem, as well as to provide a forum for discussion of all issues (the record is not clear), Chancellor Murphy appointed a new "Interdisciplinary Committee" in 1952, "for the purpose of developing radio training." It consisted of Dean Marvin and Emil Telfel of Journalism, Allen Crafton and Don Dixon of Speech, and R. Edwin Browne. Included was a recommendation that the Committee investigate the possibility of training by way of a "wired-wireless" station.

Wired wireless had first appeared on a campus on the east coast. Small transmitters, from 7-10 watts, were plugged into the power lines of a university building, usually a dormitory. The transmitter used the power line as a carrier of the radio signal, hence the more formal term, "carrier current" station. A dial position, such as 630, would be used; any radio in the building tuned to 630 would be able to pick up the program. As long as there was no significant "spill"of the signal -- some could radiate 600 yards or more from the building -- the FCC had no official interest, and no license was required to "broadcast."

The Interdiscipline Committee decided to proceed with such a station and KDGU began to broadcast September, 1953. Transmitters were located at North College and Corbin. In 1954, Battenfeld and Templin were added, and more installations were planned for the future.22 A simple control room was installed in a Flint Hall classroom. Responsibility for the station had been assigned to the School of Journalism, and Don Dixon, of Speech, was placed in charge of daily operations (the first evidence of cooperation between the two programs.) For the next twenty years the carrier current station would be the closest thing on campus to a more professional radio experience for the majority of broadcast majors.

In his 1952 directive, the Chancellor had pointed out the need for a cooperative effort between Journalism and Speech, but the Interdiscipline Committee was more successful in proceeding with KDGU than with solving any other problems relating to the academic programs in radio. By late December of 1952, Dean Marvin wrote of several concerns. In a memo to central administration he noted that, "after several sessions it became obvious that we could not blend the many viewpoints... (and the end result was) one set of ideas stacked on another." He wondered how courses would be listed, and what area would have ultimate jurisdiction. And who else would teach? R. Edwin Brown was asked to teach a course each semester, but he insisted that "he would not teach and that he not be required to teach."23

By January, 1953, the Dean wrote, "I am...concerned about the danger of the University of Kansas turning out two or more groups of radio graduates. (We) should make up our mind once and for all that we shall have one sequence." And, again referring to the relationship with Browne and KANU, perhaps with some frustration, he went on to say that "another reason for one sequence in radio...is that we already have a radio situation that is very confused and we don't need to confuse it anymore."24

At about this time, Professor Don Dixon of Speech and Drama also was writing to Dean Smith. He pointed out that since six of the eight courses offered in radio carried a Speech label it was logical to continue a "joint effort, co-administered."25 In other words, Speech should be involved.

Once again the Chancellor made a decision: "There will be one professional curriculum for training in radio (and) this will be in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Public Information." Even so, he continued, any student could take coursework in radio in other academic departments so long as they "can get in and do not exceed the number of professional hours allowed to count for a degree. In addition, Professor Dixon was given a joint appointment in Journalism and Speech and Drama.26

And so the major would be in Journalism, but Speech and Drama was free to continue offering courses. This certainly didn't solve all problems, but it became a foundation for a more cooperative working relationship until the spring of 1955 when Professor Dixon--the only fulltime person in radio -- resigned to accept an appointment at the University of Alabama, where real strides were being made in educational television.

His departure made it necessary for the I-Committee to discuss his replacement. It also seemed to be a propitious time to discuss the total effort in radio and television, for there were some troublesome questions. For example, how long could this cooperative effort among ambitious programs continue? Would it flounder over differences in curriculum philosophy, manpower and facilities? How should the prospective television station relate to the academic programs? Would it be necessary (as it had been in radio) to provide a television lab for training completely separate from the station? How would future budgets be proposed, and how would funds be allocated? What priorities, if any, were there in regard to broadcasting versus the academic programs? Should the I-Committee have more power and a specific place in the University structure? And of immediate concern -- should Dixon be replaced in kind, or should a search be made for someone different, perhaps a person to coordinate a total broadcasting program?

There is no known record of committee discussions, but it must be assumed that some recommendations were made to the Chancellor. What is known is that in a memorandum to George Smith, Dean of the University, Chancellor Murphy charted the course to be taken by all who had a stake in radio and television at KU. A new committee was to be created and a search made for a person who would "become the chairman of an inter-disciplinary committee of the University on which all facets of radio and television will be represented, including the Department of Speech and Drama and the School of Journalism, the University radio station, the wired wireless program, and any television effort that might develop in the future." And further, "all resources of the University either directly or indirectly related to radio and television must be considered parts of a total pedagogic pool..."27

From the date of the memo (June 23rd) one might assume that the search for a new associate professor would now begin. Actually, it had been completed. All that needed to be done before a specific offer could be made to the desired candidate was for the Chancellor to formalize the general philosophy and direct certain changes to be made. The memo was the blueprint for the new chairman to follow in building the radio-television program.

The new chairman was this writer. In the spring of 1955, I was completing five years as chairman of the Department of Speech at the University of Omaha. (The department consisted of the divisions of Public Address, Theatre, Speech Education and Radio-Television.) Dr. William Conboy telephoned in early June. Representing the search committee, he asked if I were interested in a position which he described as one which would involve the direction of both the academic program and the university broadcasting stations. Dr. Conboy seemed to know a great deal about my work at Omaha, including my introduction of a curriculum in broadcasting and the supervision and production of many educational television programs over commercial stations, some of which had attracted national attention.28 The possibilities at Kansas were exciting, and I indicated my strong interest. Dr. Conboy then asked if I could fly down for an interview as soon as possible, and would I please mail an updated resume to him as soon as possible.29

The visit was made about the middle of June. A great deal of time was spent with the Dean of the University, George Smith, and the Dean of Journalism, Burton Marvin. They seemed to be familiar with my administrative style and my relationships to the broadcasters of Omaha, no doubt the result of many phone calls. We discussed the problems and possibilities of radio-television at KU. I expressed strong support for the committee concept, and indicated my belief that a good committee and administrator could indeed guide a major university program in all broadcasting activities. As to academic cooperation, I told them of my graduate school experience at Northwestern, where two fine schools (Speech and Journalism) could not seem to work together, even though the real world of commercial broadcasting required constant interaction of the sales, news and creative-performance departments. At the end of the visit Dean Smith did not commit himself, but I flew home with the feeling that the position was mine.

I was not disappointed. In late June I was offered the position of Associate Professor of Journalism and Speech (a "joint appointment" -- .6 Journalism and .4 Speech in the budget line) and Chairman of the Radio and Television Committee. I accepted with pleasure and a good measure of excitement. The work would begin August 15th -- enough time before classes to do some planning in regard to the philosophy and structure of the academic and broadcast programs in radio-television. The basic decisions as to the proper path had been taken by the Chancellor and the Deans. Now it was time to move ahead.

1 Kittross, pp. 511ff. All data in this chapter as to the number of stations, set percentages, etc., may be found in the appendix of this edition.

2 Kinnane, p. 1. Unless otherwise noted, all of the information about radio at the University of Kansas prior to 1946 comes from this master's thesis.

3 University Daily Kansan, Oct.19, 1927.

4 There was no special budget for KFKU; consequently the on-air hours were few and variable.

5 In one history, however, the output of KFKU was described as "low in wattage and program quality. Griffin, p. 456.

6 Keeler, p. 14.

7 Kinnane, p. 70.

8 Keeler, pp. 26ff.

9 Kittross, p. 268.

10 Kittross, p. 301.

11 Taft, p. This pioneer use of television was supervised by Dr. David Ruhe.

12 Letter, Chancellor Murphy to Dean Burton Marvin, dtd Sept. 5, 1951. R Edwin Browne was the chairman and other committee members were Donald Wilson, Kenneth Anderson, Dr. Paul Schafer, Dr. Glen Shepherd and Dean Marvin.

13 Reference to this may be found in the KU application, "Moses Would Have Understood."

14 University news release, Feb. 26, 1953. The plan was for two transmitters to go on the air from Lawrence and Manhattan, with total coverage of the state to come in later phases. The cost was estimated (total for the two) at $800,000 construction and $400,000 per year for operations.

15 "Moses Would Have Understood," In the matter of docket 8736. May, 1953.

16 Kittross, p. 333.

17 Sparks. For example, T.F. Tyler, "An Appraisal of Radio Broadcasting in the Land-Grant Colleges and State Universities." Columbia , 1932. Or, W. Bird, "An Analysis of the Aims and Practices of the Principal Sponsors of Education By Radio in the United States." Iowa Univ., 1938. The Bibliography lists twenty eight dissertations.

18 Kinnane, p. 72. Citing the U of Kansas Catalog of 1937-41. The School of Journalism was created and named after the late publisher in June, 1944. Classes as a School were not offered until 1948, coincident with the hiring of Burton W. Marvin as Dean. The School was moved to new quarters in the remodeled Fowler Shops, now Flint Hall, in 1952. See the University Daily Kansan, June 9, 1944; Feb. 22, 1952.

19 They were Ethan Allen, Rollin Baker, R. Brewster, J. Burzle, Allen Crafton, Maude Ellsworth, Hildon Gibson, J. Jones, Paul Malone, Burton Marvin, John Maxon, John Nelson, George Smith, D. Swarthout, Esther Twente, Donald Wilson and Tom Yoe. Kinnane, p. 71.

20 Kinnane, p. 71.

21 Keeler, p. 57.

22 Kinnane, p. 97.

23 Marvin, "Statement to the Budget Committee," Dec. 18, 1952.

24 Marvin, Memo to Dean Smith, Jan. 10, 1953.

25 Dixon, Letter to Dean Smith, Jan. 15, 1953.

26 Murphy, Memo to Dean Smith et. al., not dated.

27 Murphy, Memo to Dean Smith, June 23, 1955. For a complete text of this document, see the Appendix.

28 The University was a pioneer in offering college courses for credit via television. I served as the producer-director of all of the programs and had appeared in a number of programs as host. Broadcast students were involved in all phases of production. Many others interned on the Omaha radio and television stations.

29 It should be noted, especially by those who are too young to remember hiring procedures before "affirmative action," that there was great flexibility in the hiring process. It was common to contact people, interview them and even make an offer in a very short space of time.