The Texas State Network is the largest of the 30
state radio networks in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. TSN mainly distributes news and
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
business to more than 130
AM and
FM radio affiliates across
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
.
History
The Texas State Network was founded in 1938 by presidential son
Elliott Roosevelt, who was loaned money by the oil magnate
Sid Richardson to eventually buy a dozen stations (many are still affiliates) that formed the Texas State Network.
TSN began transmitting five weeks after its incorporation date, with a broadcast originating from the old
Casa Mañana in
Fort Worth, and featured such personalities as
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
and Texas
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
James V. Allred
James Burr V AllredThe "V" was a name, not an initial. (March 29, 1899 – September 24, 1959) was the 33rd governor of Texas. He later served, twice, as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern Distri ...
, along with a 300-voice choir.
The network’s original programming included soap operas such as ''Uncle Jeremiah'' and ''The Adventures of Gary and Jill''. As is the case today, most of TSN's early programming was devoted to news and sports. Nearly 30 network announcers, production personnel and control room operators produced ''Highlights in the World News'' daily.
The first baseball broadcasts on TSN were of the
Fort Worth Cats
The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Basebal ...
, with announcer Zack Hurt, calling the play-by-play.
Studios
TSN studios have moved around over the years. It began at 1308 Lancaster in
Fort Worth. It moved in the mid-1950s to 4801 west Freeway (same as KFJZ AM/TV/later FM). TSN was sold to Metromedia and moved to 8585 Stemmons Freeway in Dallas. Later sites included periods where the network broadcast from facilities on
John W. Carpenter Freeway in Dallas and at
Rangers Ballpark
Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Tex ...
in
Arlington, Texas. In summer 2005, the station moved to a fifth floor office at the southwest corner of Fitzhugh and
Central Expressway, in Dallas.
Today
Today, the focus of TSN is news, sports, business, weather, agriculture and talk programming to more than 100 affiliated radio stations in Texas, including the network’s flagship station
KRLD which is located at the same facility north of downtown. Seven affiliates that carried TSN's premiere broadcast are still carrying the network’s programming.
The tradition of sports broadcasts continues into the present as the network is also known as the
Texas Rangers Radio Network, uplinking both home and road broadcasts for the
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
team to affiliates in Texas and in other states.
Services
* TSN News
* TSN Agri-Business News
External links
Texas State Network - Official Site
{{Sports networks in the United States
American radio networks
1938 establishments in Texas