CHURCH, Arthur Burdette

CHURCH, SMITH, CASE, BATTISON, MORRIS, PETERS

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/10/2016 at 12:49:58

Biography ~ Arthur Burdette Church
April 21, 1901 ~ September 22, 1978

The son of Charles Fremont and Laura Lorana (Smith) Church and 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 wireless "ham" radio station in Lamoni, Iowa, 9WU. During World War I, Mr. Church enlisted in the U.S. Signal Corps in 1918 and taught radio and morse code, first at Ft. Levenworth, Kansas, and later at Camp Meade, Maryland.

After the war, Mr. Church returned to Lamoni and organized the Central Radio Company and the Central Radio School, which began to operate sttion 9AZJ, later in 1922 becomning WPE, the first broadcasting studio in the Midwest. He 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.

Church instituted such innovations for KMBC including a mobile news unit, a farm department, a music director and librarian, a fully-staffed home economics department and a publicity department. During World War II, Church's Midland Radio Schools taught radio communication skills. Many radio personalities began their careers at KMBC, including John Cameron Swayze, Ted Malone, Walter Cronkite and Caroline Ellis.

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.

Arthur Burdette Church passed away September 22, 1978, Kansas City, Missouri.

NOTE: Cicely Ida (Case) Church was born December 17, 1895, Avarua Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Cicely attendind Kingfisher College in Oklahoma and graduated from Graceland College. She served on the board of Directors of KMBC radio and television in Kansas City. Cicely died July 30, 1994, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Arthur and Cicely were interred at Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

SOURCES: add.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/arch/rgrp/21-07-031.pdf

Colorado Springs Gazette, August, 1994

Transcription and notes by Sharon R. Becker, December of 2015

Decatur Biographies maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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