The Kenneth Hugh MacDonald Papers consist of 2 linear feet of material in three boxes, two oversize volumes, and one oversize folder. The papers date from 1939 to 1989, but the bulk of the material falls between 1941-1961 and 1985-1989. The papers consist of five series: Biographical (1939-1989); WSAM Radio, Saginaw (1941-1961); National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and Committees (1985-1989); Photographs (1941-1983); and Personal Scrapbooks (1939-1951).
Kenneth Hugh MacDonald (1921-1989) was a dominant personality in broadcasting in Michigan from his arrival in 1947 to his death in May 1989. Born in Newton, Massachusetts, MacDonald graduated from the Leland Powers School of Theater in Boston in 1942. He enlisted shortly after his graduation and served five years as a U.S. Navy pilot in World War II. In 1947, after brief employ as a magazine advertising manager in Alabama, MacDonald settled in Ann Arbor, where he worked as a sales representative for station WPAG-AM. While in Ann Arbor, he was active in the Ann Arbor Civic Theater, the Republican City Committee, Junior Chamber of Commerce, and Catholic Family Services. He also extended his activities at WPAG to include his own radio show, "FM-Club," beginning in 1948.
In 1962, MacDonald purchased the Saginaw radio station WSAM, formerly owned by Mr. Milton Greenebaum, and eventually built this investment into a family network that is now the largest broadcasting firm based in Michigan. The holdings of the MacDonald Broadcasting Company include: WSAM-AM and WKCQ-FM (Saginaw); WATT-AM and WLZ-FM (Cadillac); WILS-AM and WKKP-FM (Lansing); and WWPZ-AM and WMBN-FM (Petoskey). In addition to his involvement in radio at the local level, MacDonald was also involved at the state and national levels. Long a member of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, he was elected its president in 1974. He also brought his leadership capabilities to the National Association of Broadcasters, serving on its board of directors beginning in 1981, and playing an active part in two of its committees--the Radio Audience Measurement Task Force (RAMTF), and the Committee on Local Radio Audience Measurement (COLRAM)--both of which were formed in 1985.
In addition to his activities in radio, MacDonald was deeply devoted to his family and to his community. He and his wife, Ann, daughter of a Detroit lumber executive, had seven children, three of whom still are managing the company's stations in Saginaw, Cadillac, and Petoskey. MacDonald was a member of St. Stephen's Catholic Church, and he worked with many other service organizations in the Saginaw area, such as the United Way, American Red Cross, Chamber of Commerce, Voluntary Action Center, and Junior Achievement. He organized the first Saginaw River Raft Race (1974), and in 1979, became part owner of the Saginaw Gears hockey team (now Saginaw Hawks). In each of his activities, MacDonald left a distinct and significant mark. His contributions to Michigan broadcasting history are representative of the scope and depth of his dedication to community life.
