This year’s Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony will have a Barton County flavor as the two inductees into this year’s class grew up in central Kansas.

Phil Grossardt and Lance Saylor will be inducted into the Kansas Broadcasting Hall of Fame during the annual convention in Wichita on October 14. Grossardt, a current employee with Eagle Communications in Great Bend, says he is humbled by his induction.

Phil Grossardt Audio

Grossardt is happy that he gets to enter the Hall of Fame will Saylor, who began working at KCKT TV in Great Bend in 1974.

Phil Grossardt Audio

Grossardt, who received the Sonny Slater Award for Service to Station and Community in 2007 from the KAB, currently is an account executive and afternoon drive host on KHOK.

KAB Bio’s

Phil Grossardt

Grossardt began his broadcasting career in 1973 at Barton County Community College and student-operated, KBJC-FM. While at Barton, he worked part-time at KCKT-TV (now KSNC-TV). Grossardt transferred to Kansas State University where he was public service and program director for KSDB-FM, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Radio-TV in 1977. In 1978, he joined the staff of KSAL-AM in Salina as music director and mid-afternoon air personality. In 1979, Grossardt returned to Barton County for a short stint as program director and morning show host at KHOK-FM and was hired by Barton Community College as director of college communications. In 1984, he returned to KSNC-TV as a commercial production voice and in 1999, he left Barton and was hired by Eagle Communications in Great Bend. From 2001 through 2012, Grossardt was station manager of Hull Broadcasting’s KBGL-FM. He re-joined Eagle in 2013 and today is an account executive and afternoon drive host on KHOK. He received the Sonny Slater Award for Service to Station and Community in 2007.

Lance Sayler

After graduating from Kansas State University in 1974, Sayler went to work for KCKT TV in Great Bend, where he worked in sales, production and news. After a stint at Lisec Advertising in Kansas City, he returned to Great Bend in 1977 to sell advertising for KVGB Radio. In 1985, he put KZXL FM on the air in Great Bend. He owned and managed the station until he sold it in 1990. Lance moved to Pittsburg, Kan., becoming Managing Partner in 1991 of KKOW AM/FM and KBZI FM over the next 12 years.

In 2003, he formed a radio group and became Managing Partner of Southeast Kansas broadcasting which owned, KSNP FM Burlington, KKOY AM/FM, Chanute, KWXD/KHST FM Pittsburg, and KEKS FM, Emporia. Following his entrepreneurial spirit in 2007, Sayler started and managed two radio stations in La Crosse until 2011 when he founded Arrowhead Outdoor LLC where he serves as president. Sayler served as KAB Board Chairman in 1999 and in 2007 received the Mike Oatman Award for Sales Excellence