Gene Countryman is a native Kansan and long time booster of the state.  For more than twenty years he hosted “Countryman’s Kansas,” a Saturday morning radio program, on KNSS, devoted to promoting the many events and attractions of his home state.

A former advertising creative executive he developed a number of award winning promotional campaigns for his home state including “Kansas Secrets” & “Linger Longer” - both recognized as the outstanding travel promotions in the nation by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) & National Council of State Travel Directors.  He also developed the award winning “Ah-Kansas” radio & television campaign.  Gene’s expertise in marketing, coupled with his interest in tourism, resulted in him being invited to serve as a delegate to the first White House Conference on Tourism and to serve two terms on the “Tourism Works 2000 - 2001” Committee of The Travel Industry Association of America. 

In addition to his work in the field of Tourism Gene has also received numerous other advertising and marketing awards.  "Green, Green Grass of Home," a film which he wrote and produced In 1972, was recognized as the outstanding film of the year by the Public Relations Society of America.

His broadcasting experience began while in high school as farm director and DJ on his home town El Dorado, Kansas radio station KBTO.  While attending Wichita State University he worked as a photojournalist for KAKE-TV (ABC affiliate in Wichita) & news reporter for KAKE radio.  Later he served as a U.S. Army psychological warfare radio broadcaster attached to the 7th Special Forces in Ft Bragg, NC.  In civilian life he created, produced and co-hosted the live prime-time telecasts of the National Finals Rodeo. It was in this capacity that he provided the first prime-time television exposure for an aspiring young Oklahoma girl singer named Reba McEntire. 

His marketing career included an international assignment in Europe for a multinational corporation supervising the organizations marketing communications activities from Iceland to Israel.  His travels have made him appreciate his home state even more and led him to select the song "back in your own backyard" as the theme for his weekly broadcasts of ‘Countryman’s Kansas,’ a program he hosted from January 1989 until May 2010.

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