May 1, 1984, is a day in history many may not remember. There were no major world events or major announcements from large companies. However, in the small town of Rexburg, Idaho, on the campus of Ricks College, a major event did happen. The campus radio station went full power, 75,000 watts, on 100.5 FM. Now, 40 years later, BYU-Idaho Radio is celebrating the milestone.
“Yeah, that was a great day for us after a long struggle,” said LaMar Barrus, who worked as the program manager and later the station manager for KRIC.
KRIC programming and employees
KRIC, as it was called at the time, began broadcasting classical music and news programs from organizations like National Public Radio and American Public Radio. The Employees included Station Manager John Haeberle and Barrus. Other people helped provide programming like Kay Wilkins and Alan Bossard.
“KRIC was the first public radio station in Idaho with the facilities located in Idaho,” Barrus said.
By 1989 the station would add Mark Bailey as the news director. Others contributed throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s in various ways. Mel Richardson became known as “the voice of the Vikings” for his play-by-play of Ricks College sports. Dale Hillier became the program director.
The radio station was able to broadcast to eastern Idaho, western Wyoming and southern Montana through a series of translators. KRIC became a major source of news and music for listeners throughout the Snake River Plain with the slogan, “We rock to Bach,” a play on the older slogan of “We rock a block” when Ricks College only had a low wattage station.
Working at Ricks College in the 1980s sometimes came with multiple assignments. While Bailey’s main job was as the news director for KRIC, he also taught a broadcast news writing class. He developed the curriculum and gathered 15 typewriters from around campus so students could work on their assignments in class. In later years, Bailey would hire students to help with news content on the air. He says working with students was an amazing part of his job.
“It was watching the students grow in their writing, listening to their voice and their news delivery, and it improved,” Bailey said. “And they would start out really raw, but by the end of the semester or two semesters, man, they sounded pretty good! And that's what gave me the joy and the thrill and excitement to hear their voice improve and to see some of their writing.”
Radio at Ricks College before 1984
The student voice is a legacy of radio at BYU-Idaho and Ricks College. Students and faculty advisors began experimenting with radio in 1949, even broadcasting live programs from the Hart Gym for KID radio. The following year students were producing daily programs for KRXK in Rexburg and by 1952 students were producing programs for five stations throughout Idaho.
In 1953, the big program students created was “The Viking Saga," which became a popular half-hour radio show on KRXK.
In 1957, Ricks College hired Kay Wilkins, a Ricks College alumnus, as a faculty member and advisor for the radio club. By the end of the decade, the college had a carrier-current radio station with the call letters KRIX. It would eventually broadcast on 650 AM as KVIK and would play a variety of music.
In the 1970s, the college made KVIK an official academic laboratory instead of just an extra-curricular activity. In 1973, the college also started a 10-watt station, KRIC on 90.1 FM. KVIK played rock and roll and KRIC played more middle-of-the-road music.
“But when you had no experience at all and you'd never had a chance to do anything like that in high school, it was a big deal,” said Jerry Miller, a student manager of KVIK in 1974 who would go on to have a career in radio. “And just to be able to put headsets on and talk into a microphone with a reel-to-reel tape rolling, it was awesome.”
By the end of the 1970s, it was clear to students and staff that they needed to grow the radio station. They began exploring the idea of going full power with one of the stations.
Ricks College applied to the Federal Communications Commission for full power status in the early 1980s. But Barrus says the application must have gotten lost. When Ricks College President Bruce Hafen started asking questions, the FCC granted the status and KRIC went full power on May 1, 1984.
Changes to radio at Ricks College
The 1990s brought a change as well. KVIK changed to KWBH, which broadcast on 91.5 FM. The call letters paid homage to advisors Kay Wilkins, Alan Bossard and John Haeberle.
“Dad didn't want to act like it was a big deal. It meant the world to him. It meant the absolute world to him to be acknowledged in that way,” said Jane Haeberle, John’s daughter.
Ernie Riedelbach and Ron Weekes helped to teach and advise the students involved in KWBH. The students were given assignments to create content and man a two-hour shift. As Weekes remembers, they often needed help.
“I'd hear these … knocks on my door and, ‘Brother Weekes, Brother Weekes, we need help. We can't. We can't figure out how to do the patching.’ And that was always the dilemma that a lot of students have. But I had so much fun doing that when I was hired,” Weekes said.
The transition from Ricks College to BYU-Idaho affects the radio stations
Change is a consistent theme in radio and education. On June 21, 2000, Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the time, announced Ricks College would become BYU-Idaho, a four-year university. Around the same time, the school was in the final stages of plans to demolish the Jacob Spori Building, which housed the radio stations, to build a new building. These changes necessitated changes for the radio stations – a new radio building and new call letters.
The new building was constructed across Viking Dr. from the women’s dormitories and was called the Radio and Graphic Services Building. Ricks College President David A. Bednar dedicated the building on Aug. 2, 2001.
“I do not think we have any idea what purposes and programs will come from this facility that we will dedicate today,” he said in his speech before the dedication.
As Ricks College became BYU-Idaho about a week later, the KRIC and KWBH call letters changed to KBYI and KBYR. Then in 2011, KBYI’s frequency changed from 100.5 FM to 94.3 FM.
Over the decades of broadcasting, the legacy of BYU-Idaho Radio is developing skills in students that will last them a lifetime. Dylan Carder, who worked as a student manager for KWBH in 2000, has used the skills he learned in commercial radio and television for over 20 years.
“I think my radio experience, starting with KWBH, I think, has made me a better broadcaster, even as an anchor,” Carder said. “When there are times when you have to adlib or you have to just kind of fill time and having that experience on live radio to just be able to do that, that I got, starting with KWBH has been invaluable.”
Celebrate with us
Tell celebrate this legacy, BYU-Idaho Radio is celebrating with an open house on Friday from noon to 2 p.m. See some of this history, meet some of the people who have contributed to the legacy, take a tour of the building and enjoy some cake.
The building is located next to the Student Health Center on the BYU-Idaho campus.