Retired WNAX-radio newsman Jerry Oster reflects on his half-century career on the air in South Dakota
It was one year ago that I retired from WNAX Radio after 46 and a half years, and wrapped up a radio career of 49 years.
It all started in the spring of 1974. I was in the library at USD-Springfield, (before it was turned into pen state!) reading newspapers — they were on those long wooden poles. In my hometown paper, the Aberdeen American News, there was a job opening at KSDN Radio for a night announcer. I was working part-time then at the campus radio station, KSTI-FM, a 10-watt blowtorch!
So I sent what had to be an awful cover letter along with an also awful demo tape, on reel-to-reel tape. A few days later, one of the guys on my dorm floor yelled that I had a call on the phone at the end of the hall. It was the general manager of KSDN, Stan Olson, asking me when I could start.
It was late April and I told him that school didn’t wrap up until the end of May. Anyway, they held the job for me and I started on June 1, 1974. I worked 6 p.m. to midnight six nights a week and was chief engineer. Both big-time learning experiences.
Later I went to KABR Radio, then KKAA Radio, both in Aberdeen, then got a call from a former co-worker now at WNAX in Yankton. So in September 1976, I packed a small U-Haul trailer and came to Yankton. I started as news editor working alongside legendary News Director Bob Hill and I also helped out Chief Engineer Bob Ray.
I also met my wife Cheryl who was working at WNAX when I got there. We just went past 46 years together, with four sons and now eight grandkids!
I was lucky to have been able to cover lots of good stories and people over the years. The interviews ranged from kids in elementary school to actor Jimmy Stewart.
I also had the opportunity to do color on SDSU football games for 30 years with Norm and Chris Hilson and Steve Imming. I also had great support from our Manager Bill Holst and ownership Saga Communications.
I never had a mandate about covering any story except “be local,” which I was happy to do. I enjoyed my time in radio (as shown above in an image from Oster’s Facebook page) and hopefully as Coach John Stiegelmeier would say, made some small difference over the years.
And thanks to all that listened over the years. That made it all worth it!
Jerry Oster of Yankton is an Aberdeen native, a graduate of Aberdeen Central High School, Lake Area Technical College and the University of South Dakota at Springfield. He is a South Dakota radio legend.
