Special Collections
Arthur B. Church KMBC Radio Collection

A broadcasting pioneer, Arthur B. Church owned and operated KMBC radio and television stations in Kansas City, Missouri from the 1920s through the late 1950s. Church was also the creative force behind several syndicated radio shows including The Brush Creek Follies, the Texas Rangers and Phenomenon.

The Collection documents Church's approximately thirty years in radio and television. Included in the collection are photos, published sheet music, scrap books, advertising brochures, contracts, telegrams, station newsletters and broadcast recordings. The collection of recordings is comprised of 16" instantaneous cut and transcription discs as well as the metal parts used to manufacture the transcription discs. Sound recordings from this collection are housed in the Marr Sound Archives on the ground floor of the Miller Nichols Library.

Click Here to Link to the Church Collection Finding Aid

Special Collections is a non-circulating and non-browsing resource center. The Special Collections Reading Room is open to researchers Monday through Friday during the academic year. Public service hours for the current semester are listed at http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/index.html#hours but researchers are encouraged to call ahead for verification of hours due to University intersessions and other events. Special Collections is located on the fourth floor of the Miller Nichols Library at 5100 Rockhill Road in Kansas City, Missouri. All inquiries concerning access to the collections should be addressed to Special Collections Library Information Specialists Teresa Gipson or Kelly McEniry.

For sound recordings from this collection, contact Chuck Haddix, Marr Sound Archives, Miller Nichols Library, University of Missouri-Kansas City. (816-235-2798)