Ad Astra Radio is excited to share that we have hit a very significant milestone. Today, on Oct.1, 2026, the company is celebrating its 40th Anniversary since KSKU first signed on the air.
According to the company’s founder Cliff Shank, there was a big hole in the market for Hutchinson, where KSKU had been. The Rock 40/Top40 station had rebranded to a country format KZSN “Kissin’ Country 102.1” in February of 1986 and moved to Wichita.
Cliff worked at KSKU in Hutchinson when it was under the ownership of Jack Sampson. Cliff worked for Sampson for about six years. Then KSKU was sold to a man named Jerry Ashley, who moved it to Wichita.
A radio station in Lyons (KLOQ) was up for sale, and Cliff and his wife Vicki Shank were able to put together a group of investors to buy it.
“It had been off the air for over six months,” Cliff explained. “It took a while to rebuild the transmitter and the antenna and get it to where we could actually broadcast again. We also had to wait for FCC approval, and so we finally got that, and we were able to sign on the air.”
Cliff, Vicki, and Mike Hill were all a part of those who were involved in getting the station back on the air. At the time, they were broadcasting from the schoolhouse midway between Lyons and Sterling.
“It was a big, big day for us to get it back on the air,” Cliff said. “I remember the first song that we played. It was a remake of Chicago’s ‘25 or 6 to 4’, which was a big hit. They came out with a new version of it, so that was the first song we played, and we said that we were going to be a new version of KSKU.”
The call letters KLOQ stood for the Kansas Land Of Quivira. According to Cliff, the letters were changed to KSKU “to fill the hole that was created by 102.1 moving to Wichita.”
After purchasing KLOQ, and shortly after they went on the air in October, the company moved to 106 North Main in Hutchinson.
“We broadcast from that building for 25 years,” Cliff said.
The name Ad Astra Per Aspera Broadcasting was inspired by Kansas’ state motto, “‘To the Stars through Difficulties”. Cliff shared that he has always been a proud Kansan.
“I always felt like that is a good description of an entrepreneurial company,” Cliff said. “You’re always going to have difficulties, and to make it 40 years, that is something that I’m very proud of.”
On Sept. 2, 2011, a devastating fire destroyed the station’s building on Main Street. About a week later, a new building was found at 10 E 5th Avenue. That is where the station is currently headquartered.
“We knew it was going to be a perfect building for us,” Cliff said. “We had insurance, and the insurance basically covered the cost of the new building and moving over there.”
Cliff said that the company was off the air for 26 days after the fire. “It was a long 26 days,” he added. “Vicki and I worked as a team, and she worked for us for many years, helping us get our feet on the ground and going from there.”
After about ten years, Vicki went back to doing what she loved, which was being a school teacher.
Chris Shank was about five years old when Cliff and Vicki bought the company.
“I had always been interested in coming back to the radio stations,” Chris said. “I started at the stations with stamping envelopes as a kid, to being the janitor, eventually becoming a DJ in high school and then doing some play by play too when I was a student at Hutch CC.”
When the fire burnt the studios to the ground in September of 2011, Chris and his wife Jessica were teaching and coaching out at Hill City.
“I decided that I’d come back after that school year,” Chris said. “I came back full-time in the summer of 2012. Our longtime Sales Manager, Mike Hill was nearing retirement, so it was a good time to come back.”
Chris officially took over as owner and CEO of Ad Astra Radio in August of 2021.
According to Cliff, Ad Astra has always operated as a family business and tried to treat its employees as family members.
“There’s a lot of big radio companies that are corporate operations,” Cliff added. “We’ve always tried to be more of a family-run business.”
In Chris’ opinion, family-run businesses have a different feel than corporations.
“The people are what make a business succeed or fail. Dad has always said, ‘The radio stations are the people that walk in and out of the doors every day.’ We’re definitely not perfect, but we genuinely wake up each day and try to take care of our people. We also try to be the same way with our customers. We’re here to help them and I hope that they know each day we’re trying to do our best to help them grow and succeed as well.”
A lot has changed in the radio industry in the last 40 years.
“The one thing that is constant in radio is change,” Cliff stated. “It’s been changing and evolving since it started over 100 years ago. That’s how we’ve survived and prospered. We’ve been willing to change and move with the times.”
Cliff shared how proud he is of the accomplishments of both Chris and Jessica.
“They’re the epitome of a family company,” Cliff said.
He also capitalized on the company’s growth of radio stations over the years, now branching out into the digital billboard business.
“I’m very proud of the company that we built, and very proud of Chris and Jessica for continuing it and I look forward to the next 40 years,” Cliff said. “I probably won’t be around, but I look forward to it anyway. I’m always optimistic.”
The 40-year-milestone personally means a lot to Chris.
“For most folks, your career is a major part of your identity. When a family has a business, it’s a part of the entire family’s identity,” Chris said. “Growing up, I saw how much blood, sweat and tears Mom and Dad and the staff put into Ad Astra. I’m thankful for the opportunity to keep trying to set up the company to be around for another 40 years.”
According to Chris, teamwork is the core value that has made Ad Astra successful in reaching its 40th year in business.
“No one person could accomplish all that we do day in and day out,” Chris said. “We have a team of people that are here to help each other and make our stations the best they can be. We’re blessed with a group of people that are passionate about serving our customers, listeners and towns and working together to make it happen.”
Chris expressed his gratitude to all of the past and present staff that have worked to build the company and continue to help it grow.
“We really do have a great group of people that look out for one another, our customers and our listeners,” he said.
Chris also thanked the customers, adding, ” Our company wouldn’t be here 40 years later without all of the folks that have chosen to work with us over the years.”
He also thanked the listeners.
“We wouldn’t be here today without all of the folks that turn on their radios in their cars, trucks, shops, stores, offices, homes etc., every day. Listening to your local radio stations helps connect us all.”
And last, but certainly, not least, Chris wanted to thank his wife, Jessica.
“We started dating when I was just a high school kid working at Ad Astra so she’s been around the company the past 23 years,” Chris said. “She’s the ultimate sounding board and I’m grateful for her being as committed as I am to trying to make Ad Astra succeed. We wouldn’t be here without our staff, customers and listeners.”
From that first song on one station Ad Astra Radio has grown into the largest family owned and third largest radio company based in Kansas. We entertain, inform and interact with nearly 43,000 different listeners a week across Kansas on our network of 11 local stations and 16 Radio signals.
