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Archives 287
NWPR (Northwest Public Radio)
Audio Recordings, 1973-1999

ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING INFORMATION

The audio recordings of Northwest Public Radio (NWPR) were given by that department to the University Archives on February 19th, 2010 as UA2010-01. They were processed by University Archivist Mark O'English in February and March of 2010. During processing, a small number of nationally produced recordings were discarded, as were a number of musical program digital audio tapes (DATs).

EXTENT/QUANTITY INFORMATION

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

Radio services at Washington State University date to 1922, when station KFAE began in December, 1922; that subsequently became KWSC and then KWSU in 1969 (after Washington State College had become Washington State University ten years earlier in 1959). In about 1950, it instituted a "tape network," locally produced programs which were distributed on recording tape to commercial and non-commercial broadcasters in the state. When the National Public Radio network began in 1971, KWSU was one of the initial members. Through the 1980s, translator stations were established throughout parts of the Washington, and in adjacent Idaho and Oregon, and a network of stations based out of WSU and soon including Tri-Cities (KFAE), University of Idaho (KUID) and others began to form. This network of stations took the name Northwest Public Radio. Programming for these radio stations has long been a mix of local programming and programming acquired from the various public broadcasting networks and program distribution services.

For a fuller history of Washington State University radio, please see Burt Harrison's 1993 Washington State On The Air.

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION & ARRANGEMENT

The audio recordings from Northwest Public Radio include not only finished radio programs, but also interviews taken for radio productions, short broadcast news items, and 'work' pieces that represent shows or presentations still in progress. A significant number of items are also recordings of WSU events, notably Murrow Symposia, Borah Symposia, convocations, and commencements.

The collection is organized into six series based on material types. Series 1 consists of 7" reel-to-reel tapes, series 3 is 10" tapes, and series 4 is 5" tapes. Series 2 is a small set of mini-disks, and Series 5 and Series 6 respectively are comprised of cassette tapes and digital audio tapes. Within each series, items are generally organized chronologically, with undated items at the end of each series, alphabetically by subject or responsible party. The exceptions to this is Series 1, which has two subseries of distinct programs, Northwest Perspectives (Subseries 1) and Talking Politics (Subseries 2) and then has a Subseries 3 organized as above. Similarly, Series 6 has an unofficial subseries consisting of Classic Northwest programs, given its own numbering.

ACCESS

This collection is open and available for research use. Copyright restrictions apply.

PREFERRED CITATION

The suggested citation for the collection is:

[Item Description]
NWPR Audio Recordings, 1973-1999 (UA 287)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Washington State University Libraries
Pullman, WA