The Texas State Network is the largest of the 30 state radio networks in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. TSN mainly distributes news and agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 business to more than 130 AM

AM broadcasting

AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...

 and FM

FM broadcasting

FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...

 radio affiliates across Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

.

History

The Texas State Network was founded by the Roosevelt Family

Roosevelt family

In heraldry, canting arms are a visual or pictorial play on a surname, and were and still are a popular practice. It would be common to find roses, then, in arms of many Roosevelt families, even unrelated ones...

 in 1938 with a dozen stations (many are still affiliates) and has since served the entire state of Texas.

TSN began five weeks after its incorporation date with a broadcast originating from the old Casa Manana in Fort Worth, and featured personalities like Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

 and Texas Governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 James Allred, along with a 300-voice choir.

The network’s original programming included soap operas such as Uncle Jeremiah and The Adventures of Gary and Jill. As is the case today, most of TSN's early programming was devoted to news and sports. Nearly 30 network announcers, production personnel and control room operators produced Highlights in the World News daily.

The first baseball broadcasts on TSN were of the Fort Worth Cats

Fort Worth Cats

The Fort Worth Cats are a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2002 season the Cats...

, with announcer Zack Hurt, calling the play-by-play.

Studios

TSN studios have moved around over the years. It began at 1308 Lancaster in Fort Worth. It moved in the mid-1950s to 4801 west Freeway (same as KFJZ AM/TV/later FM). TSN was sold to Metromedia and moved to 8585 Stemmons Freeway in Dallas. Later sites included periods where the network broadcast from facilities on John W. Carpenter Freeway in Dallas and at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas

Arlington, Texas

Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...

. In summer 2005, the station moved to a fifth floor office at the southwest corner of Fitzhugh and Central Expressway

Central Expressway (Dallas)

Central Expressway is a north–south highway in Dallas, Texas and surrounding areas.- North Central Expressway :The best-known section is the North Central Expressway, a name for a freeway section of U.S. Highway 75 between downtown Dallas and McKinney, Texas...

, in Dallas.

Today

Today, the focus of TSN is news, sports, business, weather, agriculture and talk programming to more than 100 affiliated radio stations in Texas, including the network’s flagship station KRLD which is located at the same facility north of downtown. Seven affiliates that carried TSN's premier broadcast are still carrying the network’s programming.

The tradition of sports broadcasts continues into the present as the network is also known as the Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers (baseball)

The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

 Radio Network, uplinking both home and road broadcasts for the Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

team to affiliates in Texas and in other states.

External links

• Texas State Network - Official Site