Liberty Broadcasting System

[wncmacs]

I am researching history for a documentary I am making for a town in western North Carolina (Spruce Pine). In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a program known as The Carolina Barn Dance was originated from the Carolina Theatre in Spruce Pine, NC and broadcast over the Liberty Broadcasting network. I have discovered that Gordon McLendon was the founder of LBS and that it was headquartered in Dallas. I know McLendon was a maverick in the broadcasting industry and had a reputation of being a mover and shaker. I also know that the network made a name for itself with its Major League Baseball broadcasts, and that at one time, over 500 stations were on the network.

I'm seeking information on Liberty and I would love to know if archives of its shows might exist. Anyone who could provide any information will be cited as a source in the documentary and will earn my grateful appreciation!

wncmacs

 

[hrhwebmaster]

There is the book Gordon McLendon, The Maverick of Radio, by Ronald Garay, probably the most complete account of McLendon in print. (Neither the Carolina Barn Dance nor Spruce Hill are listed in the index).

I'd suggest you post this on the DFW board and also contact the webmasters of these sites:

http://www.knus99.com/

http://www.dfwradioarchives.com/

There also used to be a history of KLIF, McLendon's flagship, on-line but my link to that doesn't work and I don't know what happened to it.

 

[jd]

There also used to be a history of KLIF, McLendon's flagship, on-line but my link to that doesn't work and I don't know what happened to it.

It's still around, at http://klifhistory.com/klifhistory/index.htm Great photos, air-checks and a wonderful story put together by Steve Eberhart.

 

[BigVoiceGuy]

Steve Eberhardt maintains that klif history site. It's really cool, I've spent many hour there.