Manhattan Broadcasting Company has announced that Richard Wartell, President and General Manager, will retire effective November 12. Corey Dean Reeves, currently Operations Director, will assume the role of General Manager as of November 13.
Wartell joined MBC as President and GM in 1990 leading the operations of KMAN and K-ROCK. Under his leadership Manhattan Broadcasting has expanded on three separate occasions, first acquiring B104.7 in 1996, then signing on the new Z96.3 frequency in 2001. Most recently, KMAN has added FM coverage signing on both 93.3 and 93.7 FM.
Wartell started his broadcast career after graduating from Kansas State University in 1970 as a Regional Manager for the National Association of Broadcasters in Washington, D.C. At the time, Wartell was the youngest Regional Manager in NAB history. In 1977 he moved to Los Angeles to join Mutual Broadcasting as West Coast Manager. Wartell came back to Kansas in 1980 when he purchased KSOK in Arkansas City and put KWKS on the air in Winfield. Rich was inducted into the Kansas Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and is a recipient of the KAB Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor the state of Kansas awards for exemplary service to the community, state, and broadcast industry. Rich is a past chairman of
the KAB and served three years on the KAB Board of Directors.
Wartell was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM, and first came to Kansas after being drafted into the U.S. Army and reporting to Fort Riley. He served in Vietnam first as a medic and later in special operations as a team leader of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1967, he returned to Kansas to attend Kansas State University.
Reeves joined Manhattan Broadcasting as a part-time air talent in 1998, assuming the role of KMKF Program Director in 2000. He was previously the host of the K-Rock Morning Show and is still currently heard as a co-host of the syndicated “Powercat Gameday” pregame show for KState Football. Reeves is currently the Director of Operations for MBC, overseeing the
programming for all six MBC signals. He will be just the fourth General Manager in the 66 year history of Manhattan Broadcasting.
Reeves is originally from Winfield and is a graduate of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at KSU. His family currently resides in Wamego where he is the incoming President of the Wamego Area Chamber of Commerce as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Columbian Theater and the OZ Museum.
Manhattan Broadcasting Company, Inc, has served Manhattan and the surrounding area since July of 1949. MBC operates six area radio signals , News Radio KMAN at 1350 AM and 93.3 and 93.7 FM, Real Rock 101.5 K-ROCK, Hot Country B104.7, and The Hit Music Station Z96.3.
