early support for a college radio station at texas tech was expressed in 1949 in the editorial pages of the campus newspaper. such a station was considered a "necessity" for the education of students in the growing field of broadcasting, and as a means of staying competitive against other colleges. the tech radio club, for students interested in experimental and amateur radio, was organized in late 1948 while the tech broadcasting club was organized in late 1949 for students interested in "…announcing, acting, writing or working with sound effects." in the fall of 1949, the speech department adds sports writing and a radio course to its curriculum and installs radio equipment of "broadcast quality" in its studios in the speech building. also that fall, the student body president announces that plans are underway for a campus radio station to be operational by late 1950, and "…will be strictly confined to the campus buildings and dormitories in its sending powers." despite the lack of a campus radio station, students from the broadcasting club and radio classes produce programs that are broadcast on various commercial radio stations in lubbock including kcbd, kfyo and ksel.