Behind the Scenes
60 years of great radio in West Plains, Missouri
There will be a huge celebration on June 15th in West Plains, Missouri, when Brownfield affiliate KWPM celebrates its 60th anniversary. Cash and prize give-aways, an open house at the studios, a mayoral ribbon-cutting and ceremony and presentations by numerous local and area dignitaries are all planned.
Derry Brownfield, who is the namesake of our network, and the host of a daily 3-minute commentary on the Brownfield Network, is also the host of his own talk show. Bob Eckman, VP of Operations for Ozark Regional news Talk Radio was a guest on Derry’s talk show a couple of weeks ago and talked about the station’s history and about the upcoming celebration. [Audio: Part 1, Part 2]
KWPM, by the way, stands for "Keep West Plains Moving." Another piece of triva, Porter Wagoner got his start when he and his band performed at KWPM back in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Along with KWPM in West Plains, Ozark Regional News Talk Radio includes stations KALM in Thayer AND KUKU in Willow Springs.
Can you tell me the year that KWPM joined the Cardinals Network?