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Arthur B. Church papers

 Collection
Identifier: RS 21/7/31

Scope and Content

This collection contains biographical and personal correspondence, correspondence of various business ventures and corporations, and records from KMBC radio, KMBC/KFRM radio, KFRM radio, and KMBC TV. The radio and television station records include documents relating to the stations’ equipment, correspondence, publicity materials, and photographs and scripts from various programs such as KMBC radio programs “Big Brother Club;” “Bonnie King”, aka, “Midland Minstrels and Bonnie King”” and “Tune Chasers and Bonnie King;” “Brush Creek Follies;” “Happy Hollow;” “Phenomenon, Electrifying History;” and “Texas Rangers.”

Dates

  • Creation: 1885-1980, undated

Language of Materials

English

Access Restrictions

Open for research.This collection is stored offsite and can take up to seven business days to retrieve. Please email archives@iastate.edu to request material and schedule your visit.

Use/Re-use Restrictions

Consult Special Collections and University Archives

Biography/Profile

Born in Lamoni, Iowa on August 5, 1896, Arthur Burdette Church received his A.A. (1920) from Graceland College (Lamoni, Iowa), attended Iowa State College (University), and the Dodge Radio and telegraph Institute in Valpariso, Indiana. In 1914, he established his first experimental radio station in Lamoni, Iowa, 9WU. During World War I, Mr. Church taught radio first at Ft. Levenworth, Kansas, and later at Camp Meade, Maryland.



After the war, Mr. Church returned to Lamoni and operated 9ZH until 1920 when Dr. Fredrick M. Smith asked Mr. Church to come to Independence, Missouri to establish a radio station for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (AXJ). He also established the Central Radio Company in Kansas City in 1920 and began to establish the radio station WPE, after two years, this became station KFIX, and two years later, in 1924, became KLDS. In 1928, because of Federal Radio Commission requirements, this station became KMBC and was purchased by Midland Broadcasting Company, founded by Mr. Church in 1927.



Mr. Church was also a television and FM radio pioneer, beginning with experimental station W9XAL TV in 1933, which later became KXBY and finally KMBC-TV, he also operated an UHF station, KA2XAQ. In 1941 he had established an experimental station W9XER, an FM station that was to become KMBC FM in 1944. He sold KMBC in 1954 and retired in June of that year.



On June 2, 1918, Arthur married Cicely Ida Case in Lamoni, Iowa, They had three children, Margaret Fay Cicely Church Battison, Virginia Alice Church Morris Peters, and Arthur “Arky” Burdette Church Jr. Churc passed away September 22, 1978.

Extent

89.7 Linear Feet (69 records center cartons)

Arrangement

This collection is in its original order.

Physical Location

This collection is stored offsite and can take up to seven business days to retrieve. Please email archives@iastate.edu to request material and schedule your visit.

Processing Information

Released on 2018-11-01.

Title
RS 21/7/31. Arthur B. Church papers, 1885-1980, undated
Date
July 1, 2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
403 Parks Library
701 Morrill Road
Iowa State University
Ames Iowa 50011-2102 United States
(515) 294-6672