On March 24, 1961, 1270 on the AM dial in Sioux Falls, S.D.was a rock station. The next day, listeners in the Sioux Falls area who tuned in to the same 1270 heard the inaugural broadcast day of KNWC, a station opened by Northwestern College to bring Christian radio to the “Sioux Empire.”

Herb Roszhart ’59 was present at the rebirth of 1270 AM as the announcer who signed on the station. He recalls the dingy, dirty Quonset hut the first staff walked into to prepare for sign-on.In addition to fixing the leaky roof and adding plumbing, Roszhart recalls the thrill of reading listeners’ letters telling of spiritual blessings received and the growth in their Christian lives.

To celebrate 50 years, KNWC hosted a concert on Feb.17 featuring Chris Tomlin and Pastor Louie Giglio. Among the 3,000+ attendees were President Alan Cureton and his wife, Gayle, and Sr.Vice President for Media Paul Virts and his wife, Viola. Former KNWC staff members also joined the celebration, including Roszhart and Harv Hendrickson, first station manager.