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In April of 1948 Susanville’s first commercial radio station took to the airwaves. 1948 was a year of rapid growth in Susanville. The post war economy was beginning to move forward and Susanville was moving along with it. In that year boy scouts built the William Pratt museum next to Roop’s Fort and the Monticola Club was constructed on Lassen Street. In the month of April plans got underway for expansion of the airport, a new gym at Lassen High and a new grade school (McKinley School) on Fifth Street. A new grandstand and fence were built for the Memorial ballpark, and the fairgrounds replaced their old wooden grandstands with the cement and steel structure that is still used today. At the grocery store Grade ‘A’ T-bone steak was 69 cents per pound. |
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The owners of the “Home Appliance Store”, James McKahan and Nolan Hallowell formed the idea for a radio station early in 1947 and started the process of getting the required permits from the FCC. James McKahan (who was nothing short of a genius) had designed radar installations during World War II. Studios and a tower were constructed at the corner of Chestnut and Weatherlow streets, at the time on the northern outskirts of town. The station’s hours of operation were Monday through Saturday 7am to 10pm. On Sundays the station broadcast from 8am to 8pm. In those early days each night’s broadcast was ended by playing the transcribed program “Portals of Prayer”. These programs were introduced as “A moment of this day set aside for daily devotion”.
Thank goodness that at the 60th anniversary we had both Carla Mckahan and Kay Hallowell
to tell us about their fathers, for it is just those two people who made sure that we have the radio station we do today. |
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The original staff of the station included chief engineer and long time morning announcer Hal Houston (pictured left), station manager William Murphy, commercial manager Ed Burwell and the announcers were Jay Stewart and Bill Clayton. The KSUE receptionist was Milie Grundy. Alumni from the first twenty years include Jerry Moffat who began working the station in early 1955 and Bob Carroll who moved to Susanville from Southern California in 1956 and would go on to work in both radio and television in Reno Nevada. Rich Honea and Mike Smith both found themselves as announcers during the sixties. |
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