Radio KGBZ
Posted by: 
68467lib
N 40° 52.109 W 097° 35.516
14T E 618657 N 4525111
KGBZ at York, Nebraska was one of the radio pioneers. It was on the air from 1926 until 1936.
Waymark Code: WM77B8
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 09/13/2009
Views: 2
The historic photo shows personnel including many of the live performers who filled the slots between commercials on KGBZ. Dr. George R. Miller was a veterinarian with a line of livestock remedies. He hit on
radio to advertise his products, and ran a retail shop for the livestock remedies along with automobile supplies (tires, batteries, etc.) in conjunction with the broadcast studio.
Dr. George R. Miller, his wife Gertrude and daughter Patsy Ruth are in the center of this photo on the back of a souvenir hand mirror. It dates to about 1930 as Patsy Ruth was born in 1928, and appears to be about two or three years old in the photo. Gertrude and Patsy Ruth are in light colored dresses; Dr. Miller is to their immediate left.
The one-story buildings behind them (from left to right) are the auto supply shop, the retail store, and the studio building. The two-story building was headquarters. The towers for the transmitting antenna appear behind the buildings, and a car covered with speaker horns is visible in the background on the right.
The image appears yellow and blurred because the photo on the mirror back is covered with celluloid which has yellowed, cracked and chipped over the years. The mirror belongs to George and Gertrude Miller's younger daughter, Jayne Miller Jackson.
The current day photo was taken Sept. 13, 2009. The one-story buildings in the historic photo were all demolished in the early 1980s to clear the site for parking lots. Ken Kunze Realty and an insurance office use the ground floor of 719-721 North Grant, and the second floor is apartments.
Links to web resources:
Sept. 2009: This long description will evolve and gain
hot links" as we develop related waymarks and post local history information elsewhere on the web. The York County Historical Association collection includes clipping files and related materials about KGBZ.