WBAA: 100 Years as the Voice of Purdue

by Angie Klink, John Norberg (Foreword)

100 Years as the Voice of Purdue documents the fascinating history of WBAA, Indiana’s first radio station founded at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, on April 4, 1922. Richly illustrated with more than 150 photos, the book chronicles the station’s evolution over the years, while highlighting the staff, students, and volunteers significant to WBAA’s success. WBAA began as a lab experiment conducted by Purdue electrical engineering students in 1910. Later, the station became a vital method for Purdue’s Cooperative Extension Service to broadcast the knowledge of the university, particularly agricultural news, to the people of the state. From the 1960s to 1980s, WBAA aired Purdue basketball and football games, with station manager John DeCamp as the “Voice of the Boilermakers.” In 1971, WBAA became a member station of National Public Radio (NPR), offering popular programming such as All Things Considered and Morning Edition . Listeners tuned into WBAA to hear classical, jazz, and international music, along with in-depth news reporting. Mayors and Purdue presidents aired weekly programs. WBAA gave a voice to arts and community organizations. Read about the invention of the first all-electronic television by pioneering Purdue scientist Roscoe George; WBAA’s long-running School of the Air educational program deemed the “invisible textbook”; and the Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI), an airplane that transmitted videos to schools while flying over six Midwestern states in the 1960s. Famous WBAA alumni include NBC sportscaster Chris Schenkel, comedian Durward Kirby, Today Show newscaster Lew Wood, Indiana State Representative Sheila Klinker, actress Karen Black, and actor George Peppard, among others. From the vacuum tube era to the digital age, this thoroughly researched book brings to light the intriguing backstories of the esteemed one hundred-year history of WBAA.

300 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2022

About the author

Angie Klink writes from the sleeping porch turned office of her circa 1900 home in Lafayette, Indiana. As she looks out onto the heart of the city’s downtown along the Wabash River with the Tippecanoe County Courthouse dome a beacon on the horizon, she writes about lives worth emulating. Her most recent book is "The Deans' Bible: Five Purdue Women and Their Quest for Equality" published by Purdue University Press, March 2014. She also authored "Kirby’s Way, How Kirby and Caroline Risk Built their Company on Kitchen-Table Values," published by Purdue University Press, July 2012,
Angie is honored to bring to life two pioneering Purdue educators who improved the lives of American women in her book "Divided Paths, Common Ground." She authored the popular children’s books "Purdue Pete Finds His Hammer" and "I Found U." Angie is published in "Republican’s Soul," "The Gift of Christmas," "Chicken Soup for the Sisters Soul 2" and "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just for Preteens."
Angie writes advertising copy, essays and profiles. She has won 52 American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards and an honorable mention in the 2007 Erma Bombeck Essay Contest. She has a BA from the Brian Lamb School of Communication, Purdue University.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that my picture is in it is not the only reason I read this book, but it is the reason I have the book in the first place. You see, a friend of mine asked if I had seen the picture, and when I said no, he gave me the book.

My five years at WBAA Radio at Purdue remain a golden memory for me. I was just getting over an unfavorable first job as a junior high school band director, and trying to decide whether to stay in the area (an IU grad in Purdue territory) or move back in with my parents (while they were just beginning to enjoy empty-nesting). I walked into the WBAA offices and asked if they had any jobs for announcers, and received the reply that no, but we have volunteer positions. My mentor, Roger Priest, said in a newspaper clipping that I "took to it like a natural". While I never made it a career, radio will always remain a passionate avocation. I liked it that I never had to worry about what I looked like, as long as my voice was reliable. (Some say I have a face for radio.)

Anyway, this book incredibly thorough and well-researched. I knew that it is the oldest radio station in the state of Indiana, starting in 1922. We celebrated that when I was an announcer there. The station has gone through many phases, punctuated by a number of times during which its funding was threatened for various reasons, and its dropping and rejoining NPR. It was enlightening to read about the many technological advances, particularly the transition from analog to digital, and the addition of two FM stations to the original AM. Those who grew up anywhere near Chicago might be interested to know that WBAA was at one time on the 890 frequency, but in 1941, WLS moved to 890, and WBAA moved to 920 AM, where it still is today. The book covers everything, including its recent partnership with WFYI in Indianapolis.

It was wonderful to read about so many of the people I worked with during my short time there. Besides Roger Priest, I have great memories of working with Dave Bunte, Greg Zawisza, Caryl Matthews, Maurie Mogridge, and Bette Carson Mogridge. I was allowed to announce and/or produce a number of programs, including Symphony Hall (classical music), Spectrum (afternoon musical variety), and Mark Twelve (noontime comedy). It also lists many people who were announcers or engineers at WBAA and went on to become quite well-known, including George Peppard, Durwood Kirby, Chris Schenkel, and Karen Black.

I think that even people who have not lived in this area would be interested in this book, but I'm certain it resonates with those who have lived here.