Local radio covers high school sports putting a spotlight on young athletes in Lawrence.
| 2018 Q4 | story by writer Derek Johnson | photos by Steven Hertzog
David Lawrence hosts High School Sports Weekly at Hy-Vee Market grill with Nick Schwerdt
In the current season, it’s all about those Friday nights in the crisp, fall air. The leaves changing and talented youngsters in the area displaying their athleticism and camaraderie. Pretty soon, the spotlight will be indoors on the basketball court. Plenty of other sports fill their respected fields and arenas, as well.
Some say local radio can be the heartbeat of a community. Nothing is more intertwined with a local community than high school sports. That’s why Great Plains Media, and specifically KLWN (FM 101.7/AM 1320) and 92.9 The Bull (FM 92.9), are bringing extended local coverage of the high school athletics’ realm.
Every Friday during fall, the radio airwaves are filled with broadcasts of Lawrence Free State High School and Lawrence High School (LHS) football teams in action. Nick Schwerdt and Craig Hershiser carry Free State games on 92.9 The Bull, with the occasional switch to KLWN, while Hank Booth and Matt Llewellyn attend to LHS on KLWN.
Booth has provided 50 years of coverage on the high school football play-by-play front and has seen the importance of its value in Lawrence.
“It provided a spotlight for young men and women in our community,” Booth says. “Many of today’s community leaders and businesspeople still speak to me about being on KLWN in high school. Same thing for their family members.”
The action continues during basketball season, with a game of the week broadcasted for either Free State or Lawrence High on KLWN. Schwerdt and Hershiser continue their presence on the air there. The past two years, Derek Johnson and Hershiser were sent down to Wichita for the Kansas Class 6A State Basketball Tournament, in which the Chesty Lions were the runner-up in 2017, and the Firebirds came in second back in spring 2018.
There’s nothing better for a parent than hearing his or her child’s name on the radio making a big play, and that’s exactly what covering these games can provide. It further links KLWN and Great Plains Media to the community and allows anyone, from fans of the schools to alumni to family members, to feel involved in the action even if they cannot be in attendance.
Beyond just calling the game action, David Lawrence and Johnson look beyond the stat sheet and the box scores in getting to know some of the bright young stars in the community.
Nick Schwerdt and Derek Johnson on air with KLWN’s Rock Chalk Sports with Nick Schwerdt
On Thursday nights, with the occasional Tuesday sprinkled in, KLWN hosts High School Sports Weekly, at Hy-Vee Market Grille. The show varies from either 6 to 7 p.m. or 7 to 8 p.m., depending on other events (the latter is more prevalent at this time of year).
Already for the 2018-2019 edition, the show has welcomed the Lawrence High and Free State football, volleyball, cross-country and gymnastics teams, along with golf for the Firebirds. The reach goes beyond just the two big local schools, with a litany of sports gracing the show, including Veritas Christian, Bishop Seabury, Eudora, Tonganoxie and Baldwin.
The intent of the show is to get to know more about the young adults who are both entertaining and inspiring us with their performances in athletics. It also gives a chance to get underneath the football helmet or baseball hat, and make personal connections with the skilled youth who make up the current and future community.
From feeling inspired to cracking a laugh, High School Sports Weekly is meant to entertain while also showing off what Lawrence and its nearby surrounding areas have to offer. Covering the on-field action has a similar effect in that it entertains and shares the pride parents have in the excellence of their children in athletics.
“A local radio station’s primary responsibilities are entertaining and telling the story about the people who are listening,” Booth adds. “Local high school sports are an important element in education, and education of their children to young adults is a community’s most important responsibility.”
And so, in a town like Lawrence, where high school sports are some of the best in the state of Kansas, KLWN and Great Plains Media continue to be the heartbeat of that portion of the community by capturing the ears of local listeners and beyond.