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KVNU audio recordings, 1943-1959

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Cache Valley Broadcasting Company (Logan, Utah)
Title
KVNU audio recordings
Dates
1943-1959 (inclusive)
Quantity
4 boxes, (2 linear feet)
Collection Number
UUS_MEDIA COLL 8
Summary
This collection contains 100 grooved discs of KVNU commercials, political announcements, and local radio programs relating to Cache Valley and Utah.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

KVNU began in 1938 as Cache Valley's first radio station. Before KVNU, in 1935, Utah had three radio stations: KSL and KDYL in Salt Lake City and KLO in Ogden. KSL was the only radio station that could adequately transmit to Cache Valley; other stations could only transmit intermittent signals. The Great Western Broadcasting Company, Munn Q. Cannon, and The Cache Valley Broadcasting Service Company all submitted requests to create a radio station in Cache Valley, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rejected each one because they did not fulfill legal or financial requirements. The Cache Valley Broadcasting Service Company submitted a second proposal that satisfied the FCC requirements and created KVNU, which branded itself as "The Voice of Northern Utah." Before KVNU began transmitting, Herschel Bullen, and his son, Reed Bullen purchased it. Reed Bullen became the station's first general manager. After six months of preparation, KVNU began broadcasting on November 20, 1938.

At first, KVNU was limited in what it could broadcast. The station could not afford to subscribe to a network and could not simply broadcast phonograph records because the FCC prohibited the broadcasting of phonographic records. Instead, the station subscribed to the Standard Radio Music Service, a Hollywood recording company that only allowed the station to play songs from motion pictures. For the bulk of its program schedule, KVNU filled the time with local talent. Many local musicians and singers volunteered to produce music for the station, many of whom were involved with Utah State Agricultural College. The station also had timeslots allocated for newscasts. In the beginning, the station received newscasts through Morse Code. The station would translate the code, rewrite it in a radio broadcast format, and then present it.

During World War II, most of the KVNU staff left. As a result, the station moved from its location above the Logan Capitol Theater to the transmitter site then north end of Logan's Main Street. This made it so that Reed Bullen could operate the station by himself, writing the scripts and commercials. He was also the station's announcer, bookkeeper, and janitor in addition to being the manager. Starting in 1941, the station began allocating a time slot for Utah State Agricultural College, which the university would use to provide news of campus life as well as produce departmental special programs. These programs included classical music broadcasts, homemaking tips, and agricultural news.

KVNU remains in operation as of 2019, operating as a news and talk radio station.

(For a detailed history of KVNU's early history, see James Kay Randall's "Early History of KVNU Radio and Its early Involvement with Radio Broadcasting from Utah State University" in the Bullen Family Papers (USU COLL MSS 378, Series II, Box 9, Fd. 7)

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Content Description

This collection contains 100 grooved discs dating from 1943 to 1959, the bulk of which are directly related to Cache Valley. Most of the audio recordings are local business commercials played on KVNU. Some of the notable commercials include S.E. Needham Jewelers and Blue Bird Candy Ice Cream and Candy commercials. There are also some audio recordings of KVNU radio shows such as the "Music with Our Neighbors" and "Meet Your Doctor" series. This collection also includes grooved discs containing local campaign advertisements and endorsements, Logan High School and Utah State Agricultural College football games, and a USAC opera performance. In many instances, the contributors to the shows and commercials were local Cache Valley residents.

Additionally, some of the sound recordings relate to wildlife and land management, including some Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Campaign vinyl records. These records contain commentary and songs about the dangers of wildfires. Although these records do not relate directly to Cache Valley, they pertain more broadly to the American West, and were almost certainly broadcast by KVNU.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the KVNU audio recordings must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: KVNU audio recordings USU_MEDIA COLL 8, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_MEDIA COLL 8, USUSCA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by sound disc size

Processing Note

Processed in June of 2019

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to USU Special Collections and Archives by Reed Bullen Jr. in 2018.

Related Materials

Bullen Family Papers, 1893-1992USU COLL MSS 378

Bullen Family Photographs, 1860-1970 USU_P0018

J. Arbon Christensen radio transcripts,1960-1979 USU COLL MSS 231

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Radio broadcasting--Utah--Logan.
  • Radio stations--Utah--Logan.

Corporate Names

  • Cache Valley Broadcasting Company (Logan, Utah)
  • KVNU (Radio station : Logan, Utah)

Finding aid/Register created by Alyson Griggs and Clint Pumphrey
2019

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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