Black Hills State University documents Diamond’s career in broadcasting.

BHSU PROFESSOR EMERITUS CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN BROADCASTING

Dr. David Diamond, a long-time professor at Black Hills State University, recently celebrated his 50th year in broadcasting.

A South Dakota native, Diamond taught at BHSU for more than 10 years following an amazing radio career that included a well-known radio show in Los Angeles and experience working with numerous big names in the music world including Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and the The Doors. During the 60s and 70s, his radio show “The Diamond Mine” was one of the most popular radio shows in Hollywood, Burbank, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Throughout his radio career, Diamond’s voice reached many markets including Omaha, Neb.; Knoxville, Tenn.; St. Louis, Denver and Cincinnati.

Diamond was a popular BHSU professor who inspired students by embellishing his lectures with real life experiences about his career. He found great satisfaction in mentoring students in the classroom and is proud of the many students who have gone on to successful careers in radio, television, public relations and advertising.

Diamond also created a scholarship at BHSU to honor outstanding students who demonstrate exemplary talents in the University’s media programs while pursuing a degree. Through his scholarship, he will continue to inspire and support mass communications students.

Diamond, whose work history includes a number of high profile broadcasting positions and a multitude of award-winning publications, announced that his new poetry is scheduled for publication this year in theSouth Dakota Magazine.

Diamond started his career at the University of Southern Mississippi’s college radio station. After his graduation from South Mississippi, his career took him to Lincoln, Neb., Knoxville, and he was then hired by the Balaban Stations as program director of WIL in St. Louis. After a successful stint in St. Louis, Diamond was hired by Mullins/ABC Broadcasting in Denver. His radio and television show was highly rated and attracted the attention of RKO Broadcasting and Motion Picture Company in Los Angeles.

Diamond worked for RKO’s KFRC in San Francisco and KHJ in Los Angeles. Diamond also worked at WSAI in Cincinnati and finished his career with a six-year run at KFI in Los Angeles. KFI’s 50,000-watt signal covered the entire western United States.

After 25 years in broadcasting, Diamond left Los Angeles and became manager of KBVU at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. He also taught creative writing at BVU. He moved on to Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, where he was chairman of the communication department. While at Morningside, Diamond built a new communication department, including a new television station.

Diamond also has a successful writing career. His short stories and poems have been published in respected journals and magazines in the United States, Canada, and France. Diamond won the Midwest Fiction Prize, the Mark Twain Fiction Award, and the Kansas State Poetry Contest in the ‘80s-‘90s. His non-fiction has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Rocky Mountain News, and the Des Moines Register. His book “Street Scenes,” was adapted to the stage and had a successful run at the Embassy Backstage Theater in Los Angeles.

As Link Pennington, Diamond is the author of “Slade Western Series.” As Claudia Davison, he also authored the “Unholy Ghost” series for Lynx Books in New York City. Diamond is also the author of a book of poetry entitled “Storm Lake Suite”, and a chapbook, “Fired in the Badlands,” which was the winner of the Michigan State Fiction Prize.