MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
As BW Radio celebrates its 90th anniversary, a familiar voice from the past returned to reflect on a storied broadcasting career that began right here in Hutchinson.
Gary Bender, a former sports director at BW Radio in 1964 and a nationally renowned sportscaster, took time to revisit the humble beginnings of a career that would eventually span decades and reach national television networks like CBS and ABC.
Bender, now retired and living in Arizona, was born in Norton, Kansas, and raised in Ulysses. The son of a coach at what was then Dodge City Junior College, Bender went on to play football at Wichita State University. An injury, however, ended his playing days and shifted his focus to broadcasting.
“It really started for me at the University of Kansas,” Bender said. “I was in graduate school, unsure of what to do, when my mentor Tom Hedrick — the voice of the Jayhawks — told me, ‘You’ve got to go for it.’ That changed everything.”
With Hedrick’s help, Bender secured his first job in Hutchinson at BW Radio. But the road to that opportunity wasn’t easy.
“I was broke, living in my aunt’s basement in Kansas City, and finishing my thesis,” Bender recalled. “Tom called and said there might be an opening in Hutchinson. I borrowed $30 from my aunt and drove down, only to be told by Fred Conger, the station owner, ‘I don’t need a sportscaster.’”
Fortunately for Bender, Conger changed his mind after learning that Bender’s wife was a teacher — and that he was also the president of the local school board.
“Just like that, I was hired,” Bender said. “It was a break I desperately needed.”
From there, Bender’s path included a stint as the voice of the Hutchinson Salt Hawks and the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons. Just a few years later, he was calling games for the University of Kansas.
In a twist of fate, Bender got the KU job after returning from basic training during the Vietnam War. A call from WIBW in Topeka led to an audition where he was ultimately hired, despite the station manager jokingly telling him otherwise at first.
“I thought I’d lost it, but then he said, ‘Nah, I’m just kidding. You’re hired,’” Bender said with a laugh. “That was a huge breakthrough for me.”
From there, Bender moved to Madison, Wisconsin, becoming the sports director for the Wisconsin Television Network and the voice of the Green Bay Packers. That opportunity eventually opened the door to national broadcasting roles with CBS, ABC and NBC, where he would cover the NFL, NCAA basketball, the Olympics and more.
“I never orchestrated any of it,” Bender said. “It just kind of happened — one door opened another.”
Today, Bender's legacy continues through his son Trey, who also works in sports broadcasting, and his granddaughter, who has entered the world of acting.
As KW Radio marks nine decades of broadcasting, Bender’s journey serves as a testament to the station’s long-standing tradition of launching successful media careers.