In preparing to celebrate KCOW’s 70th anniversary, we’ve done some looking back to previous milestones in the station’s history.  In 1999, the station marked 50 years on the air with a variety of events and activities.  The KCOW staff served as Grand Marshals of the 1999 Box Butte County Fair parade; commemorative 50th anniversary mugs bearing the “K-Cow” mascot were awarded to listeners; and the station held a big party for listeners with the Dean Bushnell big band at Heartland Aviation.

Our KCOW 70th photo of the week features an article about the station’s 50th from the Hemingford Ledger, including a photo of the staff taken by Hemingford’s own Lyle Fodnes.

In the years since this photo was taken, the KCOW family has said goodbye to Doug Abbott (died 2004), Mike Garwood (2007), John Jones (2016) and Dennis Klinker (2018).  Of the group in the photo, Mike Glesinger, Jason Wentworth and Helen Iossi remain on staff.  The 20 years since KCOW’s 50th anniversary have brought technological advancements, new studios, an FM translator at 92.5 FM and streaming audio.  But the goal is as it was in 1999 when Mike Garwood told the Ledger, “The salvation of the small market is going to be community service.”