Kankakee Valley Broadcasting’s Last Original Owner Dies at 95

The last of the original owners of Kankakee Valley Broadcasting has passed away. LeRoy Gudeman died at his Knox home Wednesday at the age of 95. He was part of the group that launched WKVI-FM in 1969 and continued to serve on Kankakee Valley Broadcasting’s board of directors until 2018. Along the way, he also saw the start of WKVI AM in 1970 and WYMR in 2015.

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Facebook Helps Reunite Knox Man with Nurse Who Saved His Life

A 92-year-old Knox man was reunited Monday with the nurse who saved his life. It was Memorial Day when Leroy Gudeman, his wife, and two friends were having dinner at Applebee’s in Valparaiso, and he began choking on a piece of steak. He was able to indicate that he was not okay, and a member of the group began the Heimlich maneuver. Gudeman says that’s about all he remembers until he woke up in the hospital two days later.

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WKVI Welcomes New Morning Show Host

grossman-in-the-morningKankakee Valley Broadcasting is pleased to welcome a new morning show host to K99.3 WKVI-FM. Ray Grossman will be on the air each weekday morning from 5 until 9 a.m. Central and will continue to play the Valley’s best mix of music along with the local programming listeners expect from WKVI. Continue reading

Don’t Miss the Bus to the Tulip Festival

News Contributor, Ed Hasnerl
Ed Hasnerl

Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Travel Coordinator Ed Hasnerl has a few available slots for his upcoming trip to Holland, Mich. Enjoy the beauty of the annual Tulip Festival May 4-7. It’s just one of the adventures Ed has planned.

“Several people have talked to me about going to the Henry Ford Museum and eating dinner in an auto baron’s home – Edsel Ford, Edsel and Eleanor Ford’s home. It’s a wonderful home full of antiques and art, besides having dinner there,” Hasnerl said. Continue reading

LeRoy Gudeman Retires from Law Practice after 57 Years

LeRoy Gudeman
LeRoy Gudeman

After having a long, successful law practice in Starke County, LeRoy Gudeman has decided to retire.

Gudeman worked by himself out of the same building across the street from the Starke County Courthouse in downtown Knox since moving to the area in 1957. He has been a part of the community in many activities and has been on the Kankakee Valley Broadcasting board of directors that oversees operations at WKVI for many years.

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