ABOUT THE ARCHIVES

The Archives of Iowa Broadcasting is a work in progress located at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. It began as a response to the fact that, as important as radio and television have become our lives, no comprehensive effort had been made to collect and preserve their historical development in Iowa. Much of that history already has been lost to the trash bin and death of the early practitioners. Wartburg, which has a strong Communication Arts program, stepped into that void by agreeing to assume responsibility for starting to collect and preserve this important part of Iowa’s history. It did so with encouragement and support from the Iowa Broadcasters Association.

The specifics of the task were begun by Grant Price, professor emeritus, who joined the Communication Arts faculty in 1990 when he retired from a 40-year career in radio and television news, all of it practiced in Iowa. Reasoning that the actual experience of the men and women who created and developed the electronic media in Iowa is the most perishable part of this vanishing history, Price has given oral histories a high priority in the efforts undertaken thus far.

The first oral history interview was done in 1994, with William B. Quarton of Cedar Rapids, who was the chief executive officer of the WMT stations and the first president of the Iowa Broadcasters Association. The oral histories, recorded on videotape, now total more than 80 with many more remaining to be done. Although the primary focus has been on capturing the first person experience of Iowa’s broadcast pioneers, there has been a parallel effort to collect the artifacts associated with this history. We have been able to assemble a sizable number of records, documents, photos and tapes which represent the development of broadcasting in Iowa. However, it is slow work, impeded by the fact that many already have been lost or lie forgotten in some dusty storeroom or transmitter building. The greatest challenge is to develop an awareness that--where they still exist--it is urgent that these materials be saved and placed in a setting where they can be preserved, cared for on a long-term basis, catalogued and made accessible for current and future generations.

That is the central vision of the broadcasting archives. When Wartburg College designed a new library, which was opened in the fall of 1999, it assigned more than two thousand square feet for archival use. That is where the broadcasting history collection is housed and managed. The college archives are also housed in the space. In addition to climate-controlled storage, the space includes display and study areas and is equipped with a bank of equipment capable of reproducing most audio and video formats.

As we work toward a formal archival management system, we are now accepting materials that tell the story of radio and television in Iowa. That includes the vital role they have played in the lives of Iowans beginning with those early 1920’s radio stations which opened the whole new world of electronic communication which has brought us into the information age. We are accepting documents, records, program guides, promotional materials, photographs, recordings, audiotape, videotape, film, anniversary programs, and the like. Although it is not our primary emphasis, we also are assembling a representative hardware collection--microphones, cameras, recorders, studio and transmitter equipment, early radio and TV receivers. For information on donations, contact the collection administrator, Prof. Jeff Stein, at (319) 352-8534, or by e-mail to jeff.stein@wartburg.edu.

MISSION STATEMENT: The purpose of the Archives of Iowa Broadcasting is to establish and maintain a permanent collection of materials relating to the history, development and contribution of radio and television in Iowa, to be housed at Wartburg College. The electronic information era which was born and developed in the 20th century and is being carried forward in the 21st century rests on a foundation of radio and television experience. A significant part of that early experience took place in the state of Iowa. It is important that this history be preserved and made accessible for current and future study. The Archives of Iowa Broadcasting are dedicated to that objective.