Off to Des Moines for a couple of days. Can’t remember the last time I was there. Couple of years ago? But I remember the first time. It was early in 1997 1987 and we (Learfield) were starting a statewide radio network. I was managing our news networks in those days and –with help from Roger Gardner– was tasked with hiring staff. We did most of the interviews in the bar and lobby of the Savery Hotel. I clearly remember meeting Kay Henderson and Todd Kimm, two of the original staff who are still with us.
I was also responsible for signing stations to the network. I couldn’t tell you how many times I criss-crossed Iowa in my little Toyota Corolla, but I hit every town with a stick. And broadcasters were very receptive. I think we had 30 affiliates by the time we went live in July.
Seems like yesterday.
Probably can’t make it happen this trip but I’m gonna sit down with Kay and Todd and record a little oral history of the network. Be fun to remember those that worked in our newsroom; the big stories; the funny stories; the affiliates. It might be too hot to share but we’ll keep it someplace safe until we can.
One of these superstars, Ben Smith, is 
One of the first Learfield networks to have a website was Radio Iowa, our state news network in Iowa. That must have been around 1996 and it was created (using Frontpage) by Dan Arnall and Allen Hammock, a couple college guys we hired to help us figure out “this Internet thing.”
“Just imagine, you’re listening to the radio, Tony Snow has been speaking to you as the spokesman for the leader of the free world, and then a commercial comes on with him trying to sell you a window,” Ms. Henderson said Thursday. “He introduced himself as Tony Snow, talked about the travails of remodeling projects, boasted about the 30-year history of this business and delivered the 800 number of the business, twice.”