Radio Too Important to be Out Of
by Glenda Shepard
Hello, I'm Glenda Shepard from Yucca Corners Farm in Stanton County KS.
HPPR's 2026 Spring Radio Readers Book Club theme is Route 66: 100 Years on the Mother Road.
In1926 Route 66 opened in Chicago and traveled to Santa Monica CA. During the Great Depression, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath made Route 66 famous. The Joads traveled Route 66 as they left Oklahoma for California. In 1986 Route 66 was decommissioned and Interstate 40 evolved from Route 66.
The last Spring Read Route 66 book Never Met a Man I Didn't Like: The Life and Writings of Will Rogers by Joseph H. Carter, called up Will Rogers. Born in Oklahoma’s Indian Territory in 1879, Will Rogers grew up in the Cherokee Nation, literally riding his pony on reservation. Route 66 now Interstate 40 zips right through Will Roger's birthplace and final resting place.
Growing up here in Southwest KS, I remember Will Rogers had a stellar reputation among my parents’ and grandparents’ generations. My ancestors had stayed put during the Dust Bowl years, so I'm sure they listened to Will Rogers on the radio.
During my childhood, my grandparents did not have a television, but they did have a console radio sitting in a prominent place in the house. When I was about 10, my parents did get a TV with a fuzzy gray screen and better audio than video. Given the poor quality, TV was in addition to the radio. In other words, radio was primary, TV was secondary.
In his 1930's weekly radio programs, Will Rogers bolstered the American public with Sunday shows of pull yourself up by the bootstraps stories that acted as a tonic to listeners living through the Great Depression. Will Rogers knew he was reaching out to people when they needed it most. On page 87 of Never Met a Man I Didn't Like, Will Rogers said, “Radio is too big of a thing to be out of.”
Almost 100 years ago Will Rogers stated the importance of radio before public radio existed. He knew radio was essential in 1936. We listeners of public radio know it's even more essential in 2026. While Will Rogers used the radio to entertain people, today's public radio goes beyond entertainment.
I and many other HPPR members rely on public radio for unbiased and accurate reporting. Knowing what to expect of the weather on the High Plains is crucial, too. The Trump administration and a spineless Congress failed the listeners by defunding public radio on July 25, 2025. Now keeping public radio alive is up to us listeners.
Just as Will Rogers used radio to bolster Americans through the Great Depression, HPPR members have to keep public radio alive, at least until we find a president as smart as Will Rogers.
I'm Glenda Shepard of Yucca Corners Farm in Stanton County KS. Thanks for listening to my Radio Readers BookByte.
