KPHN
radio station in El Dorado, Kansas
KPHN (1360 AM) is a religious-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to El Dorado, Kansas, serving the Wichita metropolitan area. The station is owned by the Catholic Radio Network, Inc.; the KPHN broadcast license is held by Kansas City Catholic Network, Inc.
History
Early years
O. A. Tedrick received the construction permit for a new 500-watt, daytime-only radio station in El Dorado on April 1, 1953. The station signed on seven months later on November 16, 1953, from studios and a transmitter east of the city limits on US 54. Two years after launching, Tedrick transferred the station to the El Dorado Broadcasting Company, which featured additional investors, including other members of the Tedrick family.
After the June 10, 1958, tornado in which 13 people died, KBTO became the center of storm warning operations in the event of severe weather, activating a network of ham radio operators and spotters throughout the area. The station also attracted attention during the trial of Francis Gary Powers when it provided its listeners not only with international reports of the case but also with what Radio Moscow was saying on air, transcribed and recorded for 11 to 12 hours a day and summarized in a 25-minute evening program.
The early 1970s were a period of major changes for the station. A 1970 storm ripped the roof off of its transmitter building. The next year, it was sold to the Neosho County Broadcasting Company, owner of KKOY in Chanute, and the call letters were changed to KOYY on November 29.
The public source identifies “KPHN” as radio station in El Dorado, Kansas. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around KPHN, radio and station.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “KPHN”, the useful work is to connect “radio station in El Dorado, Kansas” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6324938. Authority coordinates are 37.813, -96.812. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1360, 1953, 1958 and 1970.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “KPHN”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow KPHN primary sources, KPHN archive and KPHN research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “KPHN”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “KPHN” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.