Ohio University Public Television & Radio to Spotlight 30th Anniversary of Kent State Shooting

Contact: Olivea Oldham, Public Information Coordinator, (740) 593-4944 or oldham@ohio.edu

ATHENS, Ohio (May 2, 2000) -- In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the tragic events at Kent State University, Ohio University Public Radio will broadcast the retrospective documentary "Remembering Kent State, 1970" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 4.

This hour-long radio program, produced by WKSU Radio in Kent, is a newly expanded version of WKSU Reporter/Producer Mark Urycki's award-winning documentary produced in 1990 about the shooting by Ohio National Guardsman on May 4, 1970. The events at Kent State are considered by many to mark a landmark moment in American social history.

"Remembering Kent State, 1970" focuses on the sounds of May 4th. Eyewitness accounts combined with historic audio take the listener directly to the scene where students protesting the American invasion of Cambodia were met with live rounds of ammunition that left four dead and nine wounded. Urycki places the historical sounds of the events leading up to the shootings -- and those that followed -- in chronological order to allow the listener to experience the fear, tension, and tragedy that took place at Kent State and the surrounding communities. The program has no narration. Eyewitnesses tell the story -- a story that each sees from his/her own unique perspective.

For this expanded version of "Remembering Kent State, 1970," the WKSU newsroom was able to locate and obtain audio recordings that were not available a decade ago when the program was first presented. Hours of decaying reel-to-reel tape, some originally aired on WKSU (then a college station), were edited for the additional moments of sound that help to create a fuller picture of the events as they happened on that day. Some of the new tape hasn't been heard in 30 years and much of it has never been broadcast.

In addition, Ohio University Public Television, WOUB/WOUC-TV will air a special intouch episode at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4. Kent State Survivor Dean Kahler will discuss his life before and after the events on May 4, 1970. Kahler was shot during the Kent State Shootings, and has been in a wheelchair since the tragic event in 1970.

The Ohio University Telecommunications Center, a unit of the College of Communication, operates two television stations -- WOUB-TV/Channel 20 in Athens and WOUC-TV/Channel 44 in Cambridge -- and six radio stations -- WOUB-1340 AM, WOUB-91.3 FM, WOUC-89.1 FM, WOUH-91.9 FM, WOUL-89.1 FM and WOUZ-90.1 FM. The Center, a trusted community resource, uses the power of noncommercial television, radio and other media, such as the World Wide Web, to enrich the lives of children and adults in Southeastern Ohio and Western West Virginia through quality programs and educational services that inform, enlighten, inspire and entertain.