RADIO-TV PROGRAM CELEBRATES TRADITION WHILE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE

FROM THE FIRST STUDENTS ENROLLED

in the program to a new trajectory for the future, the Lake Land College Radio-TV program continues to evolve and recognize its alumni and faculty who influenced its success.

For nearly 30 years, Radio-TV alumnus Robert “Doc” Kralman has been a part of the lives of the Effingham community as a cornerstone of the WXEF and KJ Country family radio stations. He was one of the original three students who enrolled in the radio program at Lake Land College and out of that group, was the only one who pursued a career in the field.

After graduating from Lake Land, Kralman started his first job in radio in April of 1971. Fifty years later he celebrated his success in the broadcast industry during a retirement party at the studio. Lake Land College Alumni Association President Rudy Huber and Alumni Engagement & Special Events Coordinator Amanda Tucker attended the event and presented Kralman a certificate honoring his service and distinction as a Lake Land College Alumnus.

“It is a rewarding field to do, and I’m glad I got to do it over the years,” Kralman said. “You have to really learn how to be a part of the community, because if you’re on the air, you eventually become brothers, sisters, aunts or uncles to people you’ll never know feel that way about you. It has just been a fun journey through the whole time.”

After Kralman’s graduation, former WLKL Station Manager and RadioTV Broadcasting Instructor and Division Chair of Humanities Ken Beno’s leadership continued to develop the program.

During his tenure, he created outstanding opportunities to students through the RadioTV Department and WLKL. He also led the development of the college’s leading-edge distance learning program that expanded opportunities for residents to attend classes throughout the district. For these reasons and more, Beno was inducted into the college’s Retiree Wall of Fame in March 2021.

“Lake Land has always been good to me,” Beno said. “It was a tremendous place to work, and I always said that 95% of the time when I woke up in the morning, I enjoyed going to work. I think that really says a lot about the college.”

Beno

Former WLKL Station Manager and RadioTV Broadcasting Instructor and Division Chair of Humanities; 2021 Retiree Wall of Fame Inductee

Both Kralman and Beno recall Lake Land’s commitment to students, which continues to this day. Just as Beno expanded the program and Kralman grew in his profession, the Radio-TV program continues to evolve. Beginning this fall, the Radio-TV program will now be called the Broadcast Communications department and it will fall under a new umbrella of Communication Studies. Also included in this umbrella are the speech courses.

Designed to facilitate students’ pathways to success in this in-demand career field, the new structure aligns with university communication majors and provides an opportunity to expand curriculum to reflect the significant impact communication has on many career fields such as social media, television, radio To learn more about communications opportunities at Lake Land College, visit lakelandcollege.edu/guidedpathways and explore Humanities and Social Science.

View what's changing in Broadcast Communications online at https://blog.lakelandcollege.edu/ blog/post/561392/ communicationschanges