Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit January 16, 2015 Describing Archives: A Content Standard Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Alexander M. Bracken Library 2000 W. University Avenue Muncie, Indiana, 47306 765-285-5078 libarchives@bsu.edu
Table of Contents Summary Information... 3 Biographical Note... 4 Scope and Contents... 5 Arrangement...5 Administrative Information...5 Related Materials... 6 Controlled Access Headings...6 Collection Inventory... 8 Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006... 8 Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010... 10 Series 3: Darrell E. Wible electronic files, 1996-2010...12 - Page 2 -
Summary Information Repository Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Creator - Author Wible, Darrell E. Title Darrell E. Wible papers Date 1971-2011 Extent 1.2 Cubic feet 6 Boxes Language English Text [Box] 2 Text [Box] 1 Computer disks / tapes [Box] 5 Text [Box] 4 Text [Box] 3 Mixed materials [Box] 6 Preferred Citation Darrell E. Wible papers, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries - Page 3 -
Biographical Note Darrell E. Wible began his career in broadcasting in 1949, when he got a job at WBIW in Bedford, Indiana. He was paid $33.90 a week. In 1951, he was hired as the sports director at WBOW in Terre Haute, Indiana where he broadcast a 15-minute daily sports program opposite Lowell Thomas. Wible received his Master's degree from Indiana State University in 1952. Wible began broadcasting from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a weekly column for The Saturday Spectator newspaper in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1953 and 1954 respectively. In 1955, he originated qualifications for the 500 Mile Race for the first time in Terre Haute broadcast history, as well as broadcast his first season of professional baseball in the Three-I League. He moved to WTHI in Terre Haute where he served as sports director, news director, account executive and director of radio in 1957. As director of radio, he was responsible for 26 percent increase in gross local sales during his first 12 months and the highest monthly profit in the station's 10-year history. In 1962, Wible's radio fishing program, The Sportsman's Club, moved to primetime television, marking the beginning of a nearly twenty year run. In 1964, a year after embarking upon Ohio State University s doctoral program, Wible became the trackside announcer for the international MCA telecast of Indianapolis 500, a position he held through 1966. Darrell E. Wible began his career at ball State University when he became the first faculty member hired for the Center for Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures. In 1968, Wible received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Wible completed The Indiana Report, an exhaustive research project on radio-tv studies offered by universities, in 1975. He sent questionnaires to more than 100 Indiana commerical broadcasters, visited more than 50 Indiana stations, interviewed top to lower management and shot hundreds of photographs. Broadcasting magazine featured the results and more than 100 universities requested copies. As a result, David Smith was hired to create and supervise an internship program, becoming Ball State's liaison with Indiana broadcasters. In 1977, he was invited to be trackside announcer on worldwide Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, continuing through 1980 with a distinguished staff of Indiana broadcasters. In cooperation with David Letterman, Wible helped create Letterman Telecommunications Scholarship in 1985. The following year, he wrote and produced The Burton Story, a 40-minute documentary about WLBC founder Don Burton. The program is in the Indiana State Museum Hall of Fame display and the National Broadcasters Pioneer Hall of Fame in Washington. In 1989, Wible established WCRD, student-run carrier-current radio station. He retired as professor emeritus of telecommunications in 1999. After his retirement from Ball State University, Wible remained active in the telecommunications community. In 1997, he produced four-cd jewel case with booklet from play-by-play basketball in Vigo County, Indiana during the 1950s and 1960s. He completed the manuscripts for two monographs, The Letterman Gang and Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 in 2003. In September 2003, Wible was inducted into the Indiana Broadcasters Pioneers Hall of Fame. Both manuscripts were published in 2006. In 2008, Wible was named "Sagamore of the Wabash" by Governor, Mitch Daniels, and is the State of Indiana's highest honor. - Page 4 -
During his career as a broadcast professional and university professor, Wible completed 3,000 remote broadcasts including football, professional and amateur baseball, basketball, harness racing auto racing, golf, man-on-the-street and on-the-spot news including election coverage and taught 300 classes. Scope and Contents This collection includes manuscripts for The Letterman Gang and Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 from 2006. There are also personal files from Darell Wible's time at the WCRD. Arrangement Arranged in the following series: Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006 Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010 Administrative Information Publication Information Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Conditions Governing Access This collection is open for research. Copyright Notice Literary rights, including copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their legal heirs and assigns. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections. The publisher must also obtain permission of the copyright holder. - Page 5 -
Custodial History This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from Darrell E. Wible on 2008/05/06. Additions to the college were received by Archives and Special Collections on 2013/10/29 and 2014/01/08. Accruals No additions are expected. Processing Information Collection processing completed 2009/01/05 by Carolyn F. Runyon. Addition processing completed 2014/02/18 by Benjamin Richardson. Related Materials Related Materials The WTHI stations and Terre Haute First National Bank present Darl Wible with play-by-play basketball, as broadcast on Terre Haute radio, 1952-1963 [sound recording], available at http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/ catkey/1070454. Deintermixture : an analysis of television allocations as related to St. Louis, Missouri, Springfield, Illinois, and specifically, Terre Haute, Indiana, available at http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/428804. Controlled Access Headings Corporate Name(s) Ball State University. Department of Telecommunications. Genre(s) - Page 6 -
Manuscripts Geographic Name(s) Muncie (Ind.) Personal Name(s) Letterman, David Wible, Darrell E. Subject(s) Broadcasting - Page 7 -
Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006 Collection Inventory Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006 Box Folder The Letterman Gang Manuscript, Compact Disk chapterized pdf's, 2006 1 1 The Letterman Gang manuscript cover and contents, 2006 1 2 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 14-47, 2006 1 3 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 48-71, 2006 1 4 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 72-122, 2006 1 5 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 123-133, 2006 1 6 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 134-167, 2006 1 7 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 168-211, 2006 1 8 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 212-255, 2006 1 9 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 256-311, 2006 1 10 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 312-365, 2006 1 11 - Page 8 -
Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 366-409, 2006 1 12 The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 410-470, 2006 1 13 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript, Compact Disk, 2006 2 1 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 1-45, 2006 2 2 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 46-104, 2006 2 3 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 105-164, 2006 2 4 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 165-225, 2006 2 5 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 226-283, 2006 2 6 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 284-325, 2006 2 7 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 326- End, 2006 2 8 - Page 9 -
Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010 The Letterman Gang master copy (part 1), 2004-2005 3 1 The Letterman Gang master copy (part 2), 2004-2005 3 2 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1946-1966 master copy (part 1), 2005-2006 3 3 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1946-1966 master copy (part 2), 2005-2006 3 4 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1946-1966 Appendix master copy, 2005-2006 3 5 The Letterman Gang publication paperwork, 2004-2005 4 5 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1946-1966 publication paperwork, 2005-2006 4 7 Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010 Box Folder Ball State University Sports Network brochure, 1973 4 1 Ball State University Department of Telecommunications Alpha Epsilon Rho National Broadcasting Society (AERho) Newsletter 4 2 Ball State Radio certificates, 1989-1991 4 3 - Page 10 -
Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010 Correspondence miscellaneous, 1966-2010 4 4 'A Real Life Story About a Gypsy Boy' by William Dowling, undated 4 6 WCRD Cardinal Radio photographs, 1986-1991 4 8 Program Openings transcripts, undated 4 9 David Letterman Scholarship news clippings and news releases, 1985-1988 4 10 Retirement Press Releases, 1991 4 11 Baseball Speeches/ Speech Notes, 2009 4 12 Traffic Safety Correspondence over parking tickets, 1971-1986 4 13 WCRD Cardinal Radio brochure, 1990 4 14 WCRD Cardinal Radio correspondence, reports, photographs, and other records, 1986-1991 4 15 WCRD Cardinal Radio Financial Records, 1991 4 16 WCRD Cardinal Radio Personnel Records, 1990 4 17 WCRD Cardinal Radio Promotional Material, 1988-1991 4 18 Box - Page 11 -
Series 3: Darrell E. Wible electronic files, 1996-2010 Thank You Plaque, 09/27/2008 6 WCRD Faculty Supervisor shirt, undated 6 The Letterman Gang book signing scrapbook, 06/02/2011 6 Box Folder WBIW Bedford radio monogrammed wallet to Darrell Wible, undated 5 13 Muncie Star Press article on the life of Darrell Wible, 2011/04/09 Box Folder The Prairie Farmer newspaper article about WLS radio, 1941/01/11 5 16 Series 3: Darrell E. Wible electronic files, 1996-2010 Box Folder Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster, corrections, 3.5 inch floppy disk, 2005 5 1 The Letterman Gang photo captions 3.5 inch floppy disk, 2007 5 2 The Letterman Gang master index 3.5 inch floppy disk, 2006 5 3 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster and Letterman Gang backup files, zip disk, 2007/02/06 5 4 - Page 12 -
Series 3: Darrell E. Wible electronic files, 1996-2010 The Letterman Gang manuscript, pdf and word files, zip disk, 2007 5 5 The Letterman Gang finished manuscript, zip disk, 2007 5 6 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster manuscript, zip disk, 2004 5 7 The Letterman Gang complete in pdf format, compact disk, 2007 5 8 The Letterman Gang: first section of pictures, compact disk, 2007 5 9 The Letterman Gang: second section of pictures, compact disk 2007 5 10 Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 pdf formant, compact disk, 2005 5 11 Lake Cataract, Indiana vacation film, digital video disk, 1958 5 12 - Page 13 -