A party is planned to celebrate the birthday of a man who has been active in Salina for over a half-century. Family and friends are invited this afternoon to help Ken Jennison Celebrate his 91st birthday.

Jennison has worked at KSAL Radio almost the entire time it has been on the air.  The station went on the air in June 1937 at studios in the former Salina Journal building at the southwest corner of Seventh and Iron. It was in that building that Jennison started his professional radio career, in 1949, after 4 years at Kansas State University.

Jennison began as a copywriter, putting together daily “logbooks” that tracked each day’s broadcast from the moment the station went on the air at 6 a.m. to when it signed off with the “Star-Spangled Banner” at midnight.  Around the clock 24-hour radio was in the future.

“Everything was written down – programs, commercials, introductions, music selection – everything was in that book,” Jennison said. “It would be given to the announcer, and he would follow it exactly. If you had a news break at 3 p.m., you had to time it out right.”

Jennison still works at KSAL, where he is the Public Service Director. He lives at Presbyterian Manor with his wife June. A come-and-go birthday celebration is planned at the Manor today from 3pm – 6pm. Refreshments will be served at the event, and Bounce-A-Roos will provide some bouncy fun for the kids.

Anyone who knows Ken Jennison, including family, friends, and the public, are welcome to attend the event.