station became an FM outlet on April 2, 1951, broadcasting with 10 watts at 88.1 MHz, thanks to a transmitter donated by Senator Arthur Capper. Wendall Wilson was the first K-State student to broadcast on KSDB. The Nichols fire On Friday 13 December 1968, Nichols Gymnasium was burned by arsonists. The fire "completely wiped out" KSDB, along with the Music Department and Physical Education. The only piece of music to survive the fire was the Wabash Cannonball, which became one of K-State's main fight songs. The KSDB disc jockey on the air reportedly said "Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are leaving the air early." For KSDB, the loss was tremendous. The December 16 Kansas State Collegian quoted then-station manager Kenneth Mroziniski as saying, "We lost a brand new Gage transmitter, Gage board console, New Producer console, two new turntables and two tape recorders." Virginia Howe was head of radio and television at the time. "A writer for the radio version of The Lone Ranger, she lost a near lifetime of documents and records." Lowell Jack was station manager at KMAN-AM and came to KSDB's rescue. Later that year KSDB moved into the fifth floor of Farrell Library (now Hale Library). The space was provided by Professor Richard Farley, administrator of the library. The 1971 Royal Purple yearbook indicates KSDB was using $70,000 worth of new equipment purchased since April, 1970. The quiet atmosphere of the library was in stark contrast to the bustling radio station. In addition, low ceilings hampered the ability of the television workshop to provide adequate lighting for scenes. KSDB continued to exist in this location until students heard of the planned expansion of the auditorium (to be renamed McCain Auditorium) and lobbied for space. In 1976, KSDB moved into the third floor of McCain Auditorium. In 1988 the KMAN-AM/KMKF-FM (Manhattan Broadcasting Company) studios on Casement Road caught fire. Representatives from KSDB offered studio space, and KMKF-FM was back on the air in only 12 hours. KMAN-AM took longer to get back on the air. According to Lowell Jack, "They made the offer before firemen had the fire under control." Manhattan Broadcasting employees were using some KSDB equipment that had been donated after the Nichols Fire. Recent past In 1987, KSDB upgraded to a 1,400 watt transmitter which is still in use today. KAKE-TV in Wichita donated a tower for the transmitter. KSDB purchased automation