‘Voices of the Prairie’ documentary series continues

Editor's note: The following story has been updated to correct the dates when parts 3 and 4 of the documentary series will air.

Rocky Dailey, professor in South Dakota State University’s School of Communication and Journalism, will have parts three and four of his documentary series, “Voices of the Prairie: A History of Broadcasting in South Dakota,” shown on South Dakota Public Broadcasting. 

“The Neighbor Lady: Wynn Speece,” will air at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 24. “Live and Local: Bob Faehn and Watertown Radio,” will air at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31.

“Voices of the Prairie” is an ongoing documentary series produced by Dailey that covers the early broadcasting days in South Dakota, highlighting the legendary broadcasters in the state. 

“It has been great getting to know more about the history of broadcasting in our state and talking to those with a passion for the profession,” Dailey said. “There are great stories out there that many have not heard, and that is part of what inspired this project.”

The first part of the series was produced in 2022 featuring Verl Thomson, one of South Dakota’s most influential radio voices. The second part of the series, “The Dean of South Dakota Broadcasting,” featured radio broadcaster Dean Sorenson. 

The Sorenson episode won the best documentary short award at the 2023 South Dakota Film Festival. The first two episodes were seen by over 7,000 viewers when they aired on South Dakota Public Broadcasting last summer. 

Dailey hopes to continue this ongoing documentary project with a new part every year. 

“What comes next really depends on how much content I can get in that time. I have several interviews just waiting to be part of an episode, so I let the content dictate the schedule,” Dailey said.