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940 AM, Valentine

City of License: Valentine, NE

First Air Date: March 6, 1961

Operating Power: 500 watts

Original Call Letters: KVSH

Format: Full Service

General Manager: Evans Meier

Program Director: Wally Bazyn

Sales Manager: Larry Russell

Chief Engineer: Wesley Jones

Date of FCC Issue: March 5, 1961

Issued To: Valentine Broadcasting Company

Tagged:

Dave Dent Otradovsky Deloris M. Kath Donald E. Jones Evans Meier Harold Sobotka Larry Russell Lorraine Ballard Michael Burge Robert Hall Wally Bazyn Wesley Jones

Through the Years

  • 1961

    KVSH radio began broadcasting from the Marian Hotel, with personnel:  Evans Meier- Manager; Larry Russell-Sales Manager, Wally Bazyn-Program Director, Wesley Jones-Engineer, Harold Sobotka-Announcer/Engineer, Lorraine Ballard-Stenographer, and Robert Hall-Announcer.

    KVSH was branded as “Radio Voice of the Sandhills”

    Station power at sign on was 500 watts, daytime only.  Owner was The Valentine Broadcasting Company, owned by the Huse Publishing Company as part of a four-station group of stations across Nebraska..

  • 1963

    KVSH is authorized to increase signal power to 5,000 watts, but still restricted to daytime authorization.

  • 1969

    February 27, 1969- Fire destroys Marian Hotel.  Four businesses, including KVSH radio are affected.

    March, 1969- station moved to current location at the time on West 3rd Street.

  • 1971

    October, 1971- Valentine Broadcasting Company sold KVSH to Beef Country Company.  Seller is headedby Donald E. Jones and Deloris M. Kath.  Jones has an interest in Jones Big Sky Co., licensee of KCSR AM/KQSK FM in Chadron, NE.

  • 1990

    May 21, 1990- Beef Country Company sold station to Heart City Radio Company, with owner Dave Dent Otradovsky, making the station locally owned for the first time in its 30 year existence.  Sale price- $235,000.

  • 1993

    September, 1993- Fire occurred at the transmitter, only off air for one day as the Collins 5W transmitter was salvageable with only minor repairs.

  • 1999

    Agricultural Service Award recipient for fundraising radiothon after devastating grass fire in the area consumed over 100,000 acres.  Over $250,000 was raised.

  • 2018

    July, 2018-Station owner/manager Dave Dent Otradovsky selected for induction to the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

  • 2022

    May 17, 2022-  Longtime owner/operator of KVSH, Dave Dent Otradovsky  and wife Deborah, 81% ownership is selling the station in a stock sale to Michael and Kimberly Burge (19% previous, 100% after) for $1.00 consideration and $374,625 at closing.

    Michael Burge has worked at the station since 1982.