The Texas State Network is the largest of the 30 state radio networks in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. TSN mainly distributes news and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

business to more than 130 AM and FM radio affiliates across

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

History

The Texas State Network was founded in 1938 by presidential son Elliott Roosevelt, who was loaned money by the oil magnate Sid Richardson to eventually buy a dozen stations (many are still affiliates) that formed the Texas State Network. TSN began transmitting five weeks after its incorporation date, with a broadcast originating from the old Casa Mañana in Fort Worth, and featured such personalities as

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

and Texas

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

James V. Allred James Burr V AllredThe "V" was a name, not an initial. (March 29, 1899 – September 24, 1959) was the 33rd governor of Texas. He later served, twice, as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern Distri ...

, along with a 300-voice choir. The network’s original programming included soap operas such as ''Uncle Jeremiah'' and ''The Adventures of Gary and Jill''. As is the case today, most of TSN's early programming was devoted to news and sports. Nearly 30 network announcers, production personnel and control room operators produced ''Highlights in the World News'' daily. The first baseball broadcasts on TSN were of the

Fort Worth Cats The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Basebal ...

, with announcer Zack Hurt, calling the play-by-play.

Studios

TSN studios have moved around over the years. It began at 1308 Lancaster in Fort Worth. It moved in the mid-1950s to 4801 west Freeway (same as KFJZ AM/TV/later FM). TSN was sold to Metromedia and moved to 8585 Stemmons Freeway in Dallas. Later sites included periods where the network broadcast from facilities on John W. Carpenter Freeway in Dallas and at

Rangers Ballpark Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Tex ...

in Arlington, Texas. In summer 2005, the station moved to a fifth floor office at the southwest corner of Fitzhugh and Central Expressway, in Dallas.

Today

Today, the focus of TSN is news, sports, business, weather, agriculture and talk programming to more than 100 affiliated radio stations in Texas, including the network’s flagship station KRLD which is located at the same facility north of downtown. Seven affiliates that carried TSN's premiere broadcast are still carrying the network’s programming. The tradition of sports broadcasts continues into the present as the network is also known as the Texas Rangers Radio Network, uplinking both home and road broadcasts for the

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

team to affiliates in Texas and in other states.

Services

* TSN News * TSN Agri-Business News

External links

Texas State Network - Official Site
{{Sports networks in the United States American radio networks 1938 establishments in Texas