He graduated from Kansas State University in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. It was there where he met Doris Downing, got married and moved to Williamsburg, Va., where he entered active duty with the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant.
Five years later, Monte Miller and Doris, today his wife, returned to Bellville, Kansas, where he joined his father in a newspaper business that in 1981 grew to a television station. TV station ownership ended in 2000, but broadcasting would prove to be a further endeavor for the Millers.
In 2008, Monte and Doris Miller teamed up with their son, Christopher Miller, and purchased 14 radio stations from Mary Quass-led NRG Media. This created Rocking M Media. By 2015, it was the No. 1 operator of radio stations in Kansas; Monte Miller was bestowed with the Hall of Fame Award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. In October 2016, Christopher Miller participated in a lengthy two-part interview with RBR+TVBR about the family business. At the time, RBR+TVBR wrote, “There’s a great story here, one that other small-market broadcasters may gain insight and learning lessons from.”
Sadly, the biggest takeaway, retrospectively, focuses on how a bitter family feud landed Rocking M Media in a federal bankruptcy court, and how a judge’s pending ruling will likely serve as the final chapter to radio station ownership in the the Sunflower State.
