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Southwest Texas State University News Service radio scripts

 Collection
Identifier: 2020-003

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the efforts of the University News Service at Southwest Texas State University to publicize University events and communicate information concerning the University with the public via local radio broadcasts. Materials include radio scripts written by students and staff employed by the News Service. The scripts describe campus and University-related events as well as local news, traffic, and weather. The scripts were broadcast on a local San Marcos radio station, KCNY AM 1470, via the New Service’s radio studio located in Lueders Hall, an academic building located where the Chemistry Building now stands. Topics covered by the scripts include: university sports, beauty pageants and contests, fraternity and sorority activities, guest speakers and lecturers, and updates concerning campus operations. The radio scripts date from April and May 1969, and from September 1969 to December 1972. Although a number of students contributed to the scripts, the most prevalent writer and broadcaster found within the materials is University News Service Director Pat Murdock. Gordon McCullough, Department of Journalism faculty member and the University’s Sports Information Director, also frequently contributed to authoring scripts.

The majority of the scripts are type written. Some include handwritten notes and edits. Many of the scripts also include a coversheet. The coversheet may provide the topic(s) of the script, the author and/or reader of the radio announcement, and the time and date of the announcement. An attached “media directional sheet” dated October 2, 1972 also lists the mediums and outlets the News Service was providing information to during this time period. Arranged chronologically.

Events of note documented by the scripts include:
• University Designation Announcement – May 1969
• Agricultural Building Destruction by Fire - October 15 – 30, 1969
• Snowball Fight Announcements - January 1970
• Fish Hatchery Historical Marker Designation - March 1970
• Destruction by Flood – May 16 – 31, 1970
• Steelworker’s Union Strike – July 1970
• George W. Bush Visit – October 1970
• Kissing Marathon – October 1970
• Sit In – November 1970
• Snowball Fight Announcements - February 1971
• Lamda Chi House Fire – March 1971
• Mascot Transferred to Zoo – April 1971
• Lamda Chi House Groundbreaking – July 1971
• Lyndon Johnson Dedication at the Alumni House – November 1971
• Snowball Fight Announcements - February 1972
• Education Building Burglary – June 1972
• Old Main Rededication – November 1972
















Dates

  • 1968-1972

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by Texas State University. Educational reproduction is allowed without permission. Authorization to publish must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives.

Archives and Records Request Form

KCNY AM 1470

KCNY AM 1470 was San Marcos’ local 250-watt radio station from 1969 to 1972 when the announcements included in this collection were written and broadcast. Although it was a local station and not owned by Southwest Texas State University (SWTS), students interested in radio and broadcasting were able to participate in running its programming. They announced sporting events, programmed music throughout the day, and hosted shows including a twice a week broadcast called “The Bobcat Talk Show.”

KCNY was not located on the SWTS campus, but students could record announcements for the station on campus at the News Service office in Lueders Hall. (Lueders Hall was replaces during the 1980s by the Chemestry Building.) The station was close to campus, located at 505 Uhland Road, about two miles away.

It is unclear how long KCNY was in service or, more pertinently, how long SWTS was using it to relay announcements to their students and the local community. Based on entries in the Texas Almanac (available online from the University of North Texas’ Portal to Texas History), KCNY was broadcasting from 1949 until at least 1987. A new, higher frequency local station, KUOL AM 1470 and the student-run station at SWTS, KTSW 89.9 FM replaced KCNY by the 1990s.

University News Service

The University News Service at Texas State University was established in the early 1940s to communicate information about the University to the public and to promote the achievements of its faculty, staff, and students. The predecessor to the University News Service, the Department of Public Services, was established in 1939 under Director Patrick Henry (Pat) Norwood. At that time, the University was focused on teacher education and was named Southwest Texas State Teachers College. Although the Department of Public Services was responsible for communicating with the public, it initially directed its attention to the education and employment of teachers. The Department’s Placement Bureau worked to place graduates of the College in teaching positions and its Extension Division offered courses to off-campus students through direct instruction and correspondence courses.

The News Service was formally established as a unit within the Department of Public Services at least by 1943. Beyond representing the College to the public, it was also responsible for producing college publications, including the student-run newspaper, The College Star. Journalism students also assisted the News Service working as reporters and photographers. They helped create press releases for publication in local newspapers and radio broadcasts that occasionally aired on local radio stations. The News Service maintained a long term relationship with the Department of Journalism and its students. In 1961, Bruce Roche, an instructor in the Department of Journalism, was appointed Director of the College News Service. Pat Norwood served as the Director of the Department of Public Services until his promotion to the Director of the Administrator’s Intern Program in 1965. At that time, the Department of Public Services was disbanded and the Office of Placement and Extension Services was created to aid in student education and employment. The College News Service and other general services were placed under the direction of the Vice President for College Affairs (later the Vice President for University Affairs).

The University News Service saw its greatest development under the direction of Patricia (Pat) Murdock. Murdock served as Director of the University News Service from 1970 through 1993. In that time, she grew the department from herself, a shared secretary, and a half-time sports information director to a staff of seven full-time employees. Additionally, it was during her tenure that advisement of The University Star (formerly The College Star) was transferred to the Department of Journalism. Although the News Service continued to employ students, its focus became communicating with the public, creating University publications, and publicizing the University and its events. During this time period, the News Service was also known as the News and Information Service.

Since 1980, the News Service has been organized under the office of the Vice President of University Advancement and its predecessors, the offices of the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Vice President of Student and Institutional Relations. Additionally, although the office has officially gone through at least two name changes since 1994, including the Office of Media Relations and Publications and the Office of Media Relations, the title University News Service continues to be used by the office especially in press releases.

Extent

2.08 Linear Feet (2 record cartons. [Previously housed in UA annex boxes 120, 121, 122.])

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

University News Service radio show scripts for programs broadcasted on San Marcos, Texas local station KCNY AM 1470. The scripts describe campus and University-related events as well as local news, traffic, and weather. Topics covered include: university sports, beauty pageants and contests, fraternity and sorority activities, guest speakers and lecturers, and updates concerning campus operations.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred to the library’s holdings by the University News Service prior to the formal creation of the University Archives in 2006. The materials were formally accessioned in 2017.

Related Materials

Related holdings in the University Archives include collections concerning to the current student-run radio station, KTSW 89.9 FM, the student-run newspaper, The University Star, the student-produced cable television newscast, Bobcat Update, and their historic iterations.

The university yearbook, the Pedagog, may also be helpful to researchers using this collection. Pedagogs relating to this collection (from 1969 to 1972) have been digitized and are available online.

Please contact the University Archivist for additional information on related collections.

Processing Information

Initial processing completed by Kristine Robb, April 2017. Finding aid edited and updated by Kaelyn Morice, October 2017. Adapted for ArchivesSapce by Nicole Critchley, September 2020.

Title
Southwest Texas State University News Service radio scripts
Status
Completed
Author
Kristin Robb and Kaelyn Morice, 2017.
Date
2020 September
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2020 September: Updated for ArchivesSpace by Nicole Critchley

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and Archives Repository

Contact:
Alkek Library Room 580
601 University Drive
San Marcos Texas 78666 USA