Darrell E. Wible papers
RG.04.01.33
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit
January 16, 2015
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie, Indiana, 47306
765-285-5078
libarchives@bsu.edu
Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Table of Contents
Summary Information ................................................................................................................................. 3
Biographical Note.......................................................................................................................................... 4
Scope and Contents....................................................................................................................................... 5
Arrangement...................................................................................................................................................5
Administrative Information .........................................................................................................................5
Related Materials ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Controlled Access Headings..........................................................................................................................6
Collection Inventory...................................................................................................................................... 8
Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006............................................................................... 8
Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010............................................................................. 10
Series 3: Darrell E. Wible electronic files, 1996-2010......................................................................... 12
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Summary Information
Repository
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Creator - Author
Wible, Darrell E.
Title
Darrell E. Wible papers
Date
1971-2011
Extent
1.2 Cubic feet 6 Boxes
Language
English
Text [Box]
2
Text [Box]
1
Computer disks / tapes
[Box]
5
Text [Box]
4
Text [Box]
3
Mixed materials [Box]
6
Preferred Citation
Darrell E. Wible papers, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Biographical Note
Darrell E. Wible began his career in broadcasting in 1949, when he got a job at WBIW in Bedford,
Indiana. He was paid $33.90 a week. In 1951, he was hired as the sports director at WBOW in Terre
Haute, Indiana where he broadcast a 15-minute daily sports program opposite Lowell Thomas. Wible
received his Master's degree from Indiana State University in 1952.
Wible began broadcasting from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a weekly column for The Saturday
Spectator newspaper in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1953 and 1954 respectively. In 1955, he originated
qualifications for the 500 Mile Race for the first time in Terre Haute broadcast history, as well as
broadcast his first season of professional baseball in the Three-I League. He moved to WTHI in Terre
Haute where he served as sports director, news director, account executive and director of radio in 1957.
As director of radio, he was responsible for 26 percent increase in gross local sales during his first 12
months and the highest monthly profit in the station's 10-year history. In 1962, Wible's radio fishing
program, The Sportsman's Club, moved to primetime television, marking the beginning of a nearly twenty
year run. In 1964, a year after embarking upon Ohio State University’s doctoral program, Wible became
the trackside announcer for the international MCA telecast of Indianapolis 500, a position he held through
1966.
Darrell E. Wible began his career at ball State University when he became the first faculty member
hired for the Center for Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures. In 1968, Wible received his Ph.D.
from Ohio State University. Wible completed The Indiana Report, an exhaustive research project on
radio-TV studies offered by universities, in 1975. He sent questionnaires to more than 100 Indiana
commerical broadcasters, visited more than 50 Indiana stations, interviewed top to lower management
and shot hundreds of photographs. Broadcasting magazine featured the results and more than 100
universities requested copies. As a result, David Smith was hired to create and supervise an internship
program, becoming Ball State's liaison with Indiana broadcasters. In 1977, he was invited to be trackside
announcer on worldwide Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, continuing through 1980 with
a distinguished staff of Indiana broadcasters. In cooperation with David Letterman, Wible helped create
Letterman Telecommunications Scholarship in 1985. The following year, he wrote and produced The
Burton Story, a 40-minute documentary about WLBC founder Don Burton. The program is in the Indiana
State Museum Hall of Fame display and the National Broadcasters Pioneer Hall of Fame in Washington.
In 1989, Wible established WCRD, student-run carrier-current radio station. He retired as professor
emeritus of telecommunications in 1999.
After his retirement from Ball State University, Wible remained active in the telecommunications
community. In 1997, he produced four-CD jewel case with booklet from play-by-play basketball in Vigo
County, Indiana during the 1950s and 1960s. He completed the manuscripts for two monographs, The
Letterman Gang and Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 in 2003. In September 2003, Wible
was inducted into the Indiana Broadcasters Pioneers Hall of Fame. Both manuscripts were published in
2006. In 2008, Wible was named "Sagamore of the Wabash" by Governor, Mitch Daniels, and is the State
of Indiana's highest honor.
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
During his career as a broadcast professional and university professor, Wible completed 3,000 remote
broadcasts including football, professional and amateur baseball, basketball, harness racing auto racing,
golf, man-on-the-street and on-the-spot news including election coverage and taught 300 classes.
Scope and Contents
This collection includes manuscripts for The Letterman Gang and Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster:
1949-1966 from 2006. There are also personal files from Darell Wible's time at the WCRD.
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006
Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
Literary rights, including copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their legal heirs and
assigns. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special
Collections. The publisher must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Custodial History
This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from Darrell E. Wible on
2008/05/06. Additions to the college were received by Archives and Special Collections on 2013/10/29
and 2014/01/08.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2009/01/05 by Carolyn F. Runyon. Addition processing completed
2014/02/18 by Benjamin Richardson.
Related Materials
Related Materials
The WTHI stations and Terre Haute First National Bank present Darl Wible with play-by-play basketball,
as broadcast on Terre Haute radio, 1952-1963 [sound recording], available at http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/
catkey/1070454.
Deintermixture : an analysis of television allocations as related to St. Louis, Missouri, Springfield,
Illinois, and specifically, Terre Haute, Indiana, available at http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/428804.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
• Ball State University. Department of Telecommunications.
Genre(s)
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
• Manuscripts
Geographic Name(s)
• Muncie (Ind.)
Personal Name(s)
• Letterman, David
• Wible, Darrell E.
Subject(s)
• Broadcasting
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006
Collection Inventory
Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006
The Letterman Gang Manuscript, Compact Disk chapterized pdf's, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript cover and contents, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 14-47, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 48-71, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 72-122, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 123-133, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 134-167, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 168-211, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 212-255, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 256-311, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 312-365, 2006
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Box
Folder
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
4
1
5
1
6
1
7
1
8
1
9
1
10
1
11
Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Series 1: Darrell E. Wible manuscripts, 2004-2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 366-409, 2006
The Letterman Gang manuscript pages 410-470, 2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript, Compact
1
12
1
13
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
4
2
5
2
6
2
7
2
8
Disk, 2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 1-45,
2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 46-104,
2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages
105-164, 2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages
165-225, 2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages
226-283, 2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages
284-325, 2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 Manuscript pages 326End, 2006
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010
The Letterman Gang master copy (part 1), 2004-2005
The Letterman Gang master copy (part 2), 2004-2005
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1946-1966 master copy (part 1),
3
1
3
2
3
3
3
4
3
5
4
5
4
7
Box
Folder
4
1
4
2
4
3
2005-2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1946-1966 master copy (part 2),
2005-2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1946-1966 Appendix master copy,
2005-2006
The Letterman Gang publication paperwork, 2004-2005
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1946-1966 publication paperwork,
2005-2006
Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010
Ball State University Sports Network brochure, 1973
Ball State University Department of Telecommunications Alpha Epsilon
Rho National Broadcasting Society (AERho) Newsletter
Ball State Radio certificates, 1989-1991
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Series 2: Darrell E. Wible subject files, 1996-2010
Correspondence miscellaneous, 1966-2010
'A Real Life Story About a Gypsy Boy' by William Dowling, undated
WCRD Cardinal Radio photographs, 1986-1991
Program Openings transcripts, undated
David Letterman Scholarship news clippings and news releases,
4
4
4
6
4
8
4
9
4
10
4
11
4
12
4
13
4
14
4
15
4
16
4
17
4
18
1985-1988
Retirement Press Releases, 1991
Baseball Speeches/ Speech Notes, 2009
Traffic Safety Correspondence over parking tickets, 1971-1986
WCRD Cardinal Radio brochure, 1990
WCRD Cardinal Radio correspondence, reports, photographs, and other
records, 1986-1991
WCRD Cardinal Radio Financial Records, 1991
WCRD Cardinal Radio Personnel Records, 1990
WCRD Cardinal Radio Promotional Material, 1988-1991
Box
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Series 3: Darrell E. Wible electronic files, 1996-2010
6
Thank You Plaque, 09/27/2008
6
WCRD Faculty Supervisor shirt, undated
6
The Letterman Gang book signing scrapbook, 06/02/2011
WBIW Bedford radio monogrammed wallet to Darrell Wible, undated
Box
Folder
5
13
Box
Folder
5
16
Box
Folder
5
1
5
2
5
3
5
4
Muncie Star Press article on the life of Darrell Wible, 2011/04/09
The Prairie Farmer newspaper article about WLS radio, 1941/01/11
Series 3: Darrell E. Wible electronic files, 1996-2010
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster, corrections, 3.5 inch floppy disk,
2005
The Letterman Gang photo captions 3.5 inch floppy disk, 2007
The Letterman Gang master index 3.5 inch floppy disk, 2006
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster and Letterman Gang backup files, zip
disk, 2007/02/06
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Darrell E. Wible papers RG.04.01.33
Series 3: Darrell E. Wible electronic files, 1996-2010
The Letterman Gang manuscript, pdf and word files, zip disk, 2007
The Letterman Gang finished manuscript, zip disk, 2007
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster manuscript, zip disk, 2004
The Letterman Gang complete in pdf format, compact disk, 2007
The Letterman Gang: first section of pictures, compact disk, 2007
The Letterman Gang: second section of pictures, compact disk 2007
Memoirs of an Indiana Broadcaster: 1949-1966 pdf formant, compact disk,
5
5
5
6
5
7
5
8
5
9
5
10
5
11
5
12
2005
Lake Cataract, Indiana vacation film, digital video disk, 1958
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