Since the summer of 2020, KMUW has led an effort to collect, digitize and preserve audio and video materials from across Kansas. The goal of the Kansas Public Media Archive Project — dubbed Save the Waves — is to save historic recordings from obsolete formats before deterioration makes preservation impossible.
The software used to transcribe these files is not perfect, and that’s where KMUW needs volunteer help. KMUW is looking for volunteers to help correct grammar, spelling and punctuation on the digital transcriptions. Torin Andersen, KMUW’s digital archivist, will be available to answer any questions and can meet via Zoom to get those interested familiar with the project. Contact archives@kmuw.org to learn more.
These historic television and radio programs are accessible on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website at the Library of Congress.
Largely unseen and unheard since they were first broadcast, the materials digitized through Save the Waves are the first from Kansas added to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting at the Library of Congress. The Kansas collection consists of programs produced by KMUW, High Plains Public Radio, KPR, KPTS, KRPS, KHCC and Vietnamese Public Radio. Andersen collected and organized the material, and he continues to oversee the transcription process of the thousands of items from across the state.