I Missed It

I meant to write this on October 6th. That was the date in 1979 that KTAB-TV first signed on the air. But here it is now.
As I've mentioned, Bill Terry was the moving force behind KTAB. While manager at KRBC-TV, he hoped to be a part owner, but the family owned business declined to make that offer. So, Bill started his own TV station. It took less time and less money than most new operations. And he made money and ratings from almost the beginning. He was a real broadcasting whiz.
And he surrounded himself with good employees. So with his brains and our brawn, we had a winner. That first Saturday (October 6, 1979)we signed on with CBS children's programming, sports in the afternoon, followed by prime time programming.
And at 10pm, NewsTAB32. Larry Fitzgerald anchored, Bill Chaney did the weather and I did sports. Those are the positions we had been filling at KRBC-TV until mid-August, so the newscast looked very familiar to the viewers. I moved in to news and weather after that first night, with Bill Bourland doing sports. That was our on air line up for the next 2 years. David Bacon became sports director around Christmas of 1981.
In those early days we had a limited, but talented news staff, including Skip Watson senior reporter, with Frank Chavez and Jeannie Miller reporters, and Bobby Farquhar photographer. That was it.
We increased the size of the staff over the years, with as many as 8 reporters, 3 photographers and anchors for morning, noon, evening, night and weekend broadcasts.
But that size staff, just as the ratings, took time to build.
I will leave names off the list, so please send them along if you have one I don't.
Ron Rosseau, Monte Brock, Ned Austin, Fran Adkins, Frank Healer, Janis Cochran, Joel Fox, Kevin Palivec, Loren Halifax, Diane Dotson, Jennifer Douglas, Byron Webre, Buzz Lopez, Dan Edwards, Randy Turner, Bill Saunders, Jeannie Blaylock, Rusty Rhodes, Bill Carter, Elaine Martin, Paul Serrel, Artie Ojeda, Paul Osman, Brad Burns, Julie Adams, Lisa Aquafredda, and the list goes on. I'll do some research before I do this again. There are many I haven't mentioned, including the more recent and current team members. If you're one I missed, it must be the 30 years taking a toll on me. Forgive me, and let me hear from you.