KSAL (AM)
Encyclopedia
KSAL is a radio station
that broadcasts a news radio
and talk format. Licensed to Salina
, Kansas
, USA, it serves the Salina-Manhattan area. The station is currently owned by MCC Radio, LLC.
spent 3 years as KSAL's Station Manager before moving on to KOMA
in Oklahoma City, as a news reporter.
The station went on the air in June 1937 at studios in the former Salina Journal building at the southwest corner of Seventh and Iron (today it's a parking lot).
It was in that building that local radio legend Ken Jennison started his professional radio career (after 4 years at Kansas State University) in 1949. He began as a copywriter, putting together daily "logbooks" that tracked each day's broadcast from the moment the station went on the air at 6 a.m. to when it signed off with the "Star-Spangled Banner" at midnight (24-hour radio was in the future).
"Everything was written down -- programs, commercials, introductions, music selection -- everything was in that book," Jennison said. "It would be given to the announcer, and he would follow it exactly. If you had a news break at 3 p.m., you had to time it out right."
Live music also was a staple in the early days of radio. A popular program of the 1960s was the Sonny Slater show, which featured musicians playing live at the studio at noon on Saturdays. Live music programs didn't last long on local radio.
"It was difficult to fill up a program with live music all the time," Jennison said.
KSAL switched to news-talk in April 1996. During the mid-80's it was the only radio station in the area that had their own color weather radar that could actually predict when thunderstorms were entering a certain area.
's ratings service.
KSAL-AM is also very involved in local and regional sports. In addition to area high school sports coverage, they are the Kansas State University
sports & Kansas City Royals
baseball affiliate for the Salina area.
Ken Jennison, who celebrates his 83rd birthday in 2010, continues to work at KSAL as their public service director. In 2012, KSAL will celebrate their 75th anniversary of broadcasting to the Salina area. According to Operations Manager Brian Jennings, the station is planning a year-long celebration of the radio station's commitment to the Salina area.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
that broadcasts a news radio
News Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
and talk format. Licensed to Salina
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, USA, it serves the Salina-Manhattan area. The station is currently owned by MCC Radio, LLC.
Early Legends
Salina's most enduring radio station, it was originally called KSJS, the "SJ" standing for Salina Journal, its parent company. Its first owner was R.J. Laubengayer, who not only was president of the Salina Journal and KSAL, but director of Consolidated Printing and Farmers National Bank in Salina. The legendary Paul HarveyPaul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
spent 3 years as KSAL's Station Manager before moving on to KOMA
KOKC (AM)
KOKC is a talk radio station located in Oklahoma City among a cluster of stations in the market owned by Pennsylvania-based Renda Broadcasting. KOKC is an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network.-The early years:...
in Oklahoma City, as a news reporter.
The station went on the air in June 1937 at studios in the former Salina Journal building at the southwest corner of Seventh and Iron (today it's a parking lot).
It was in that building that local radio legend Ken Jennison started his professional radio career (after 4 years at Kansas State University) in 1949. He began as a copywriter, putting together daily "logbooks" that tracked each day's broadcast from the moment the station went on the air at 6 a.m. to when it signed off with the "Star-Spangled Banner" at midnight (24-hour radio was in the future).
"Everything was written down -- programs, commercials, introductions, music selection -- everything was in that book," Jennison said. "It would be given to the announcer, and he would follow it exactly. If you had a news break at 3 p.m., you had to time it out right."
Evolution
In the early 1960s, tape was introduced. Announcements and commercials would be prerecorded on cassette tapes, Jennison said, and that took some of the pressure off disc jockeys.Live music also was a staple in the early days of radio. A popular program of the 1960s was the Sonny Slater show, which featured musicians playing live at the studio at noon on Saturdays. Live music programs didn't last long on local radio.
"It was difficult to fill up a program with live music all the time," Jennison said.
KSAL switched to news-talk in April 1996. During the mid-80's it was the only radio station in the area that had their own color weather radar that could actually predict when thunderstorms were entering a certain area.
Today
Today, KSAL continues to be the area's only 24-hour staffed newsroom. They feature local morning, afternoon and weekend programing. Program Director Rich Alexander has organized a team of meteorologists who provide weather coverage on the station, which continues to be ranked #1 in the Salina metro area by ArbitronArbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
's ratings service.
KSAL-AM is also very involved in local and regional sports. In addition to area high school sports coverage, they are the Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
sports & Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
baseball affiliate for the Salina area.
Ken Jennison, who celebrates his 83rd birthday in 2010, continues to work at KSAL as their public service director. In 2012, KSAL will celebrate their 75th anniversary of broadcasting to the Salina area. According to Operations Manager Brian Jennings, the station is planning a year-long celebration of the radio station's commitment to the Salina area.
Former Hosts
- Jim RoseJim Rose (sports anchor)Jim Rose is a sports anchor who currently works for WLS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Chicago. He joined the station in 1982 from WIXT-TV in Syracuse, New York. He was once married to WLS-TV news anchor Cheryl Burton. -References:...
, Rick Mach, Greg Martin, George Pyle, Dan Robins, Bob Sheldon, Bob Davis, Brian Collins, Tom Mulligan, Paul HarveyPaul HarveyPaul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
, Jeff Comfort, Sonny Slater, Larry Mohlenbrink, J. Steven Smethers, Phil Ross, Jim Robertson, Bruce Steinbrock, Don Bradley.