The idea for KSUT began with leaders and members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe who were looking for new ways to share tribal news, announcements, and cultural programming with the community.
Before KSUT was conceptualized, two tribal members, Eddie Box Sr. and Essie Kent, shared tribal news on radio station KIUP in Durango. The station was located where Walmart currently stands. Box Sr. and Kent read announcements on air in the Ute language.
Today, tribal elder Eddie Box Jr. reflects on his father’s work on KIUP in Durango.
“I used to go with my father to KIUP. He would get on the air and do his announcing in Ute. He shared with them birthdays, announcements, and anything that would be of interest to our tribal people,” said Box Jr.
Eddie Box Sr. was instrumental in the creation of KSUT. Eddie Box Jr. says the idea for the station first came about in 1974 during a conversation between late Chairman Leonard C. Burch and Eddie Box Sr. They imagined an institution that would provide programming to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
“Approximately 100 feet from [KSUT’s current studio] was where that station started, and that's where what they call the Pino Nuche Barraza, which was a motel, restaurant, courier shop, and a small gymnasium and multiple buildings that were just north of the complex here. They had some rooms that were set aside for the community to use to have your birthday parties or meetings. So that's where the first 10-watt station here started,” said Box Jr.
KSUT’s first broadcast on June 14, 1976, was from a small room that was a shared community space on the tribal campus.
“The tribe got one of those rooms,” said Box Jr. “It was on the north end. On the east side, we had a 10-by-14 room, and that's where KSUT was situated with all their equipment. So we were all crammed in there, and had the station antenna right outside the wall there.”
KSUT came to life as a communications service for tribal members. Its first signal reached Ignacio and some of the Pine River Valley, providing only a few miles of listening range.
“A lot of powwow music was played. A lot of different songs from different tribes are played, and also our news,” said Box Jr.
At that time, the station was one of only eight tribal radio stations operating in the United States.
The original Board of Directors for KSUT included Leonard Burch, Eddie Box Sr., Chris Baker, Thelma Kuebler, Erwin Taylor, and John Baker. Lillian Seibel was one of the first station managers.
“We were a tribal radio. We came from the ideas and the thoughts of elders of the Southern Ute tribe that wanted to give information to tribal members so they can understand and know what is happening in their government,” said Box Jr.
Williamette “Pebs” DeKay was a volunteer DJ at KSUT when it started.
“When the station was in the community center, very cramped conditions. I started there as a teenager, doing a rock show. Loved it. I had a lot of fans,” said DeKay.
DeKay went on to serve for many years as Tribal Radio’s station manager, but she remembers her early days as a volunteer.
“I just kind of walked in and asked if they needed help, which is what I usually do when I'm interested in something. They said, ‘Okay, sure, come on in, we'll put you on air. You can play, in essence, whatever you want to do,’” said DeKay.
Jerry Zink was a KSUT board member in the 1980s. Growing up in Durango, he was a fan of listening to the radio, though he wasn’t always able to tune in to KSUT when it first started.
“The 10-watt KSUT signal started. I did start picking up information from certain names… ‘Hey, there's this 10-watt station, and if you're in the right place at the right time, you can, you can get it, and it's interesting,’” said Zink.
KSUT increased its signal strength in 1979 to serve neighboring communities, and Jerry Zink was able to hear KSUT in Durango.
“In 1981, I really start tuning in and working on getting a better reception at my house, and getting my vehicles tuned in so I could listen to it, ” said Zink.
On the next episode of KSUT’s 50th anniversary series, we look at the station’s growth in the 1980s. New transmitters expanded the signal, bringing KSUT to listeners across the Four Corners for the first time. More tribal members and DJs joined the station, and KSUT became an NPR affiliate.
