Tad first started his radio career in Garden City at KIUL as a high school sophomore in 1948, working after school and at night for free. During his time at KIUL, his main duties were cleaning the floors and playing records. While he was a student at Fort Hays State University in 1951, Tad worked at KAYS radio station in Hays and upon graduation at KLOE in Goodland. Tad found his eventual home with the team at KKAN-KQMA in Phillipsburg in 1972.

Given his decades of experience in broadcasting, Tad knows the business well and takes great joy in teaching others. Gerard Wellbrock, the sports director of KAYS radio in Hays and the voice of the Fort Hays State University Tigers said this about Tad: “He was a good mentor, I learned so much from him. The work ethic, how to deal with people, the relations you build with athletic directors and coaches. It’s hard not to like Tad. And you learned a lot about work, and life, just by being around him.”

In gyms across north-central Kansas, the KKAN-KQMA banner can be seen at high school basketball games, wrestling tournaments, and State championships. In fact, it is because of Tad’s dedication that the radio station is so often present. Families who can’t make the game in person, often because they are working long hours on the farm, especially appreciate local radio hosts being there because they can still catch the details of the game.

In rural America, entire communities revolve around how the high school sports team is doing. It is a common topic of conversation while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store or while dining at a neighborhood restaurant.

By no means is Tad a one-trick pony, though. Cherished equal to his sports reporting are his updates from the field during wheat harvest season, in which Tad will drive straight up to a farmer in his combine and record an interview from the cab. This is in addition to the full slate of city council and school board meetings, county fairs, and annual parades.

For years, Tad’s knowledge and sunny disposition has greeted folks tuning in to local radio. One former peer of Tad’s said this about the significant impact he has made: “KKAN-KQMA Radio has played an integral role in the lives of people in the Phillipsburg area, and Tad has always been a driving force behind that station’s programming and its scope of community service.” His professionalism was recognized by his peers when Tad was inducted into the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2010. Inductees to the hall of fame are selected based upon their contributions to the broadcasting profession, their broadcast career, and their recognition and awards received, and Tad is an extremely deserving recipient.

Today I want to express my gratitude to Tad Felts for helping to strengthen the close bonds of rural communities through his years of faithful service. I want to congratulate him on a job well done for the past nearly six decades. Tad’s been a tremendous friend to me over the years, and his work has served as a bedrock for many of the communities I grew up in and care deeply about.