Ian Punnett Obituary, Death – On Friday, December 22, former local broadcaster, novelist, and lecturer Ian Punnett passed away after a brief battle with sickness. He was 63 years old.
As the Chief Operator and Faculty Advisor for the student radio station Wildcat 91.9 FM at Kansas State University, Punnett served in their respective capacities. In 2018, he became a member of the Kansas State University faculty, working in the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication as a visiting professor.
One of Punnett’s coworkers was Steve Smethers, who had previously served as the director of the A.Q. Miller School. At the 2023 Intercollegiate Broadcasting Awards ceremony, which took place in New York City in February, Wildcat 91.9 FM was honored as the Best College/University Radio Station in the nation for schools with more than 10,000 students. This honor was bestowed to the station by Punnett, who served as its leader.
Punnett was a weekend host on Coast to Coast AM, he was heard overnights on News Radio KMAN, and he was the host of a podcast called Vaudeville for the Frightened. All of these activities were in addition to his work at Kansas State universities. The following statement was given by Lisa Lyon, the Executive Producer of Coast to Coast AM, on Friday afternoon.
Students and faculty members who knew the professor flocked to social media to share their experiences of teaching and working with Punnett. Many people conveyed their sorrow, showed their thanks, or simply said, “Rest in peace.” There were others who spoke of Punnett’s concern for his students and his ability to coax the greatest performance out of them.
After a long and successful career, Punnett won a number of trophies. In 2018, he became a member of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University. Prior to that, he was the main operator and faculty adviser for Wildcat 91.9 FM, the student radio station that is affiliated with the university.
As part of his responsibilities in that position, Punnett guided the students of Wildcat 91.9 FM to victory at the 2023 Intercollegiate Broadcasting Awards ceremony, where they were recognized as the finest college or university radio station in the country for schools that had more than 10,000 students. The work that Punnett did on the national radio show “Coast to Coast AM” over the course of the past 24 years was another reason for his notoriety.
He was heard by listeners all over the country in a variety of ways, including hosting responsibilities on a regular basis on the weekends, his own spin-off program called “Coast to Coast LIVE with Ian Punnett,” a podcast called “Vaudeville for the Frightened,” and most recently, hosting duties on a twice-monthly basis. Additionally, Lisa Lyon, the executive producer of Coast to Coast AM, repeated the words of gratitude and grief that were expressed by his students.
