CLASS OF 1978
On September 28, 1949, the dreams of Bud Crawford and his wife Georgia were realized when KCNI Radio went on the air. It was a short-lived dream for Mr. Crawford, who passed away in 1954.
With the death of her husband, Georgia became the major stockholder and the only woman manager of a radio or television station in Nebraska, a distinction she held for most of the twenty-two years that she alone operated KCNI.
Mrs. Crawford handled all aspects of the operation except for engineering. Having her third class endorsement, she sometimes found it necessary to operate the board. She was heard Monday through Friday on two of her own programs: “Kitchen Kate” and “Local News and Views”. She wrote commercials and was her own secretary and bookkeeper, not to mention spending twenty-two years as a weather reporter for the Omaha Weather Bureau.
In 1965 she was recognized by American Women in Radio and Television for being the only woman manager in Nebraska broadcasting and for her outstanding service to broadcasting and community service.
On December 8, 1969, KCNI was destroyed by fire. Undaunted, Georgia had the station back on the air in seven and a half days, operating out of a trailer. KCNI was on the air in a new building with new equipment by July 1970.
On September 23, 1972, the first “Concord” program was aired, which was a half-hour program each Saturday morning during the school year, produced and performed by students from the high school. Georgia was very proud of this association with the youth in Broken Bow.
As well as belonging to the National Association of Broadcasters and the Nebraska Broadcasters Association, KCNI received recognition and many awards from civic and national organizations over the years.
Georgia Crawford passed away February 3, 1977, after operating a profitable and community-minded station entirely on her own for twenty-two years. She was considered to be a real pioneer in our business, and a worthy candidate for the 1978 Nebraska Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
