KKSU was an AM radio station in Manhattan, Kansas, that broadcast from 1924 to 2002. The station was owned by Kansas State University (KSU) and operated by K-State Research and Extension, with studios and transmitter on KSU's campus in Manhattan. At the time it ended operations, it was one-half of one of the last shared-time frequencies in the United States.
For decades KKSU had provided a "K-State Radio Network" service, which mailed programs and features to radio stations across the nation. After KKSU ceased broadcasting, former staff continued to operate the network service, while also starting the construction of a satellite uplink for distribution to member stations. The site was licensed in July 2003, and a couple of months later the daily program Agriculture Today began to be delivered. The K-State Radio Network continues to produce and distribute agricultural news, family and public affairs programming to radio stations and networks across the Midwest.
History
Earlier college operations by 9YV and WTG
Following a limited amount of radio—then commonly known as "wireless telegraphy"—research that started in 1901, the Physics Department obtained a "Technical and Training School" license for station 9YV. The department installed an aerial that stretched from a tower atop Denison Hall to one erected about 100 yards (90 m) northward, and began daily broadcasts of the weather forecasts. These were in the dots-and-dashes of Morse code which were received as far as Wichita, Winfield, and Bennington, Kansas. This was believed to have been the first radio broadcasts in the United States of weather reports on a fixed schedule.
With the entry of the United States into World War I, most civilian stations, including 9YV, were ordered dismantled, although laboratory work and army signal corps training at the college continued. After the end of the war, civilian stations were again permitted, and 9YV was relicensed, and resumed its broadcasts of daily weather broadcasts. In March 1920, multiple Kansas newspapers printed instructions for receiving the daily (except Sunday) weather reports by 9YV on a wavelength of 375 meters (800 kHz), which were sent beginning at 9:55 a.m., then repeated at decreasing speeds of Morse code.
In the fall of 1921 Professor Eric R. Lyon became responsible for 9YV's operations. Effective December 1, 1921, the Department of Commerce, which regulated radio at this time, adopted regulations requiring that stations broadcasting to the general public had to have a Limited Commercial license. Two wavelengths were designated for use by broadcasting stations: 360 meters (833 kHz) for "entertainment" programs, and 485 meters (619 kHz) for "market and weather" reports.
The college applied for a broadcasting station license under the new regulations, which was issued on April 6, 1922 to the Kansas State Agricultural College, for operation on the 485 meter "market and weather" wavelength. The call sign of WTG was randomly assigned from a list of available call letters. (Most later stations west of the Mississippi River received call letters beginning with "K". However, WTG was licensed before the government changed the dividing line between W and K call signs. Prior to the January 1923 establishment of the Mississippi River as the boundary, call letters beginning with "W" were generally assigned to stations east of an irregular line formed by the western state borders from North Dakota south to Texas, with calls beginning with "K" going only to stations in states west of that line.)
WTG was one of the first of several AM stations established by Midwestern land-grant colleges in the early days of broadcasting, among them Iowa State's WOI, South Dakota's WEAJ, Iowa's WHAA, Michigan State's WKAR, and North Dakota's KFJM.
Beginning in 1923 additional frequencies are made available for broadcasting stations , and WTG was reassigned to 1100 kHz in May 1924, before being deleted on December 19, 1925. The next month, the stations's history was described as: "Some years ago the physics department had a radio broadcasting station WTG, which was the pioneer as far as broadcasting was concerned. Prof. J. O. Hamilton used the station for research work, broadcasting principally weather forecasts that were taken by operators who knew the code. Some musical programs were broadcast. When the large radio broadcasting station, KSAC, was fitted up, it was no longer necessary to maintain the station WTG and that license was surrendered. The department will receive a technical license for experimental work instead of the broadcasting license, according to Professor Hamilton."