Larry Steckline -
Larry Steckline is farm director and former owner of the Mid America Ag Network, the Mid America News Network and the Mid America Sports Network, all based in Wichita. He began Mid America Ag Network, Inc. in 1976 and its broadcasts reach listeners across the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado. Born and raised on a farm near WaKeeney, Kansas, Larry’s agricultural roots led him to become manager of the Wichita Livestock Market Foundation in 1965 and in 1967 he began his television broadcasting career as farm director with KTVH and in 1968 he began broadcasting agricultural news on KFRM-AM radio. He has been the agri-business broadcaster at Kansas State television network (NBC affiliate) Channel 3 for more than thirty years appearing daily on television stations in Wichita, Hays, Dodge City, Garden City, Goodland, Great Bend, and Oberlin and has continually broadcast on multiple radio stations since 1968. For decades, Larry has been widely recognized as “the voice of Kansas agriculture.”
In 1974 Larry built KJLS FM radio station in Hays as the first FM station in western Kansas. He proceeded to buy or build seventeen additional stations over the next twenty years. They were KXXXAM and KQLS FM in Colby, KGNO AM and KOLS FM in Dodge City, KBLS in Garden City, KSLS FM and KILS AM in Liberal, LWLS AM in Pratt, KGLS FM in Hutchinson, KLLS FM and KYQQ FM in Wichita, KALS FM in Salina, KBLS FM in Abilene, KEGS FM in Emporia, KFNF FM in Oberlin, WWLS AM in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and KXLS FM in Enid, Oklahoma. He merged in 1996 with Great Empire Broadcasting Company and in 1998 sold to Journal Broadcast Group, a publicly traded company with ownership of radio, television, newspaper and other business interests. In 2005 he bought KITO AM-FM in Vinita, Oklahoma and sold it in 2007. That same year he purchased KSJM radio station in Winfield, Kansas, renaming it KWLS and completely reformatting it from an urban station to country music.
Larry has dedicated his professional life to providing important and timely information to farmers and ranchers. He has received invitations form Presidents Carter, Reagan and Clinton to discuss agricultural issues and has traveled with U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture John Block, Ed Madigan, Clayton Yeutter and Dan Glickman to China, India, Cuba, Japan, Russia and Italy. He has received numerous awards from professional groups recognizing his contribution to agriculture and agri-business.
Larry actively farms 1100 acres of wheat, owns 1500 acres of grassland and works a 150 cow/calf operation with his son, Greg. He owns Island Centre shopping center on Monkey Island, Oklahoma, the Cherokee Queens paddlewheel riverboats and Royal Bay Marina and restaurant in Grove, Oklahoma.
Larry was appointed by the Kansas Governor to the Kansas State Fair Board in 2004 and is still a member. He served as a Member and President of the Board of Directors of Newman University, in Wichita, for six years.
Larry is the proud father of three adult children. Greg Steckline is the owner of Mid America Radio Network and President of Steckline Communications, Anita Cochran is the anchor on KSNW Channel 3 television news at 5, 6, and 10 o’clock, and Shasta Wewe is a jewelry consultant for Cookie Lee. Larry’s three children have given him nine grandchildren. In 2002 he married then Kansas Attorney General Carla Stovall.
