August 20, 1979..... A date to remember, at least for me... That was exactly 30 years ago... It was my first day as an employee of KTAB-TV... We didn't actually sign on the air for a month and a half, but it was a brand new tv station in a brand new building... Like any new business, we started with nothing... When I walked into the newsroom that day, there were no desks, only folding chairs, and the phones were on the floor... News Director Larry Fitgerald and I went about the task of putting together a news department... NewsTAB 32... But owner and GM Bill Terry was the spirit of KTAB.... He had given those of us who applied, the unique opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new tv station... That rarely happens... Most tv stations signed on in the 1950's or a little earlier...
Here we were in 1979, putting on the third tv station in the Big Country... A majority of the crew had followed Bill from KRBC where he was station manager... I'm the only one still around KTAB that made the move, although chief engineer Glen McCandless started work on the same day, August 20th...
Larry Fitzgerald taught me about the news business... Bill Terry taught me about the broadcasting business and how to manage and work with people... It was a real family atmosphere... Both of these great leaders and broadcasters are no longer with us...
I was the assignments editor, selecting the stories the reporters were to cover... Of course, they also came up with their own ideas... And Larry as news director guided all of us in what and how to cover the Big Country...
As a new tv station on UHF (Ultra High Frequency) channel 32, we were a strange duck... The other local channels were VHF (Very High Frequency)channels 9 and 12...
It was very similar to the confusion surrounding HD tv in 2009... Many tv sets didn't have a UHF dial, and if they did, nobody knew how to use it because they had never had to...
To promote the station, Bill put together a traveling caravan which took us to almost every community in what would be our viewing area... We had the opportunity to talk with people who would be in our tv audience... We had a booth at the West Texas Fair, handing out free antennas and explaining how to receive channel 32.. Working in our favor to attract viewers, besides good CBS network programming and a well known local news team, was the Dallas Cowboys... In 1979, CBS televised the Cowboys games and people would do almost anything to figure out how to watch the Cowboys... And they did...
We signed on in October, and in the November ratings period, we were the number two station in a three station market... We became the number two station in less than a month... It took a while longer to be rated #1, but we did that in 1984 and '85, and that's where we've been ever since...
Bill Chaney was our first weatherman (he moved from KRBC too).. Bill Bourland was sports director for a year until David Bacon joined us...
Fran Adkins and I co-hosted NoonTAB 32... Natalee Powers joined me at noon when Fran became pregnant... And Fran rejoined us later... I did news and weather at noon, plus the 5 minute cut-ins in the CBS Morning News, along with co-anchoring the news with Larry and the weather on NewsTAB 32 at 6, and assignments... It was a full day...
When I started, the transmission tower was in pieces on the ground... It had not been erected... The control board to select the studio cameras or video tape or commercials had not been delivered... The studio was like a big barn with no lights, no news set, no cameras... The cameras ended up being old ones which had been used and used and used to tape the Grand Ole Opry on WSM in Nashville... It took every engineer we had to coax true color out of those cameras, we often looked green or red... But everyone worked together... All the departments: news, production, engineering, sales... All to help make KTAB The Spirit of the Big Country...
I've rambled enough... But thanks to all of you many loyal viewers who have been so nice to invite me and my co-workers into your homes these many years...
There are many stories to tell, and I will in future postings...
I would like to thank my family, too, for putting up with news calls in the middle of the night, family outings cut short by breaking news or weather, and most of all, the police scanners which are constantly on at my house and in my car..... I Love You...
To Be Continued.....
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
News Takes No Vacation
We are a news gathering organization. We have reporters who work beats, an assignments manager who checks emails, faxes, phones, and photographers, producers, news management and anchors who take calls, get messages and talk to people. And police scanners are constantly chatting away.
That's the way we find out things. But one of our best sources is you. When something happens, we often get phone calls or emails either telling us what happened or asking us to find out. That's the kind of help we really need and value. We can only hear so much on the scanners, or talk to so many people. But with all of you out there acting as our eyes and ears, we can pass along information that the rest of KTAB Country needs to know. We always verify information that we get from non-official sources.
I bring this up because some of our tipsters are really loyal. I got a call today from a woman on vacation in Michigan. She had heard about an incident in the Big Country and called to make sure we knew about it. That was the lead story on NoonTab,and KTAB News at 5, 6 and 10pm.
News takes no vacation. Its 24/7. A newsperson is on duty all the time. But we can't be everywhere. You don't have to be on call for us 24/7, but when you see something out of the ordinary, keep KTAB in mind. Remember, what happens a minute from now could be "The News That Hasn't Happened Yet."
That's the way we find out things. But one of our best sources is you. When something happens, we often get phone calls or emails either telling us what happened or asking us to find out. That's the kind of help we really need and value. We can only hear so much on the scanners, or talk to so many people. But with all of you out there acting as our eyes and ears, we can pass along information that the rest of KTAB Country needs to know. We always verify information that we get from non-official sources.
I bring this up because some of our tipsters are really loyal. I got a call today from a woman on vacation in Michigan. She had heard about an incident in the Big Country and called to make sure we knew about it. That was the lead story on NoonTab,and KTAB News at 5, 6 and 10pm.
News takes no vacation. Its 24/7. A newsperson is on duty all the time. But we can't be everywhere. You don't have to be on call for us 24/7, but when you see something out of the ordinary, keep KTAB in mind. Remember, what happens a minute from now could be "The News That Hasn't Happened Yet."
Friday, June 26, 2009
This Time It Was Four
Tragedies come in threes.....not this time. David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. That's four. The biggest name in the recent string of deaths of entertainers, of course, is Michael. Carradine did tv and movies. Ed was the sidekick on the Tonight Show and did lots of commercials and Star Search. Farrah Fawcett was extremely popular for her tv shows and toys and dolls and her courageous battle with cancer. Any death is tragic, and these four leave families, friends and fans distraught. When you see or hear someone as often as we did these people, they can become a part of our extended family. Their passing can be emotional. And it points out our own mortality.
Of these four, though, Michael Jackson was the star. A Super Star. I played The Jackson 5 music when I was still a radio disc jockey. And, of course, followed his career from the news desk when he ended up in court.
It took 40 years to build his impression in our minds. Hard to believe that's all we have left (plus a record or cd and a poster).
Of these four, though, Michael Jackson was the star. A Super Star. I played The Jackson 5 music when I was still a radio disc jockey. And, of course, followed his career from the news desk when he ended up in court.
It took 40 years to build his impression in our minds. Hard to believe that's all we have left (plus a record or cd and a poster).
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Heat Hits Hard
Is it a bad sign when there is a loud squeal from under the hood of your car as you accelerate? Yes, it is. But I'm afraid to have it checked out. Will probably be very expensive to fix. Most things on a car are. But, not fixing whatever it is now, will probably cause more damage, making it more costly to repair later. "rock and a hard place"
My daughter's car needs some fixing up too. Changing the oil, the technician pointed out one or two things which might "last awhile" or might "break anytime." So to a repair shop that can do the work. The parking lot at the shop is full. Owner says, "hot weather makes things break", so with temperatures around 100, auto repair stores are seeing more business. Meaning a slower turn around.
But in this economy, many folks are having little things fixed, instead of buying a new car or truck. Although, there are pretty good deals on cars and trucks right now. Dealers are wanting to sell.
By the way, the noise in my car only happens when the air conditioner is on. And the a/c can be really expensive to fix. Just have to drive with the windows down.
My daughter's car needs some fixing up too. Changing the oil, the technician pointed out one or two things which might "last awhile" or might "break anytime." So to a repair shop that can do the work. The parking lot at the shop is full. Owner says, "hot weather makes things break", so with temperatures around 100, auto repair stores are seeing more business. Meaning a slower turn around.
But in this economy, many folks are having little things fixed, instead of buying a new car or truck. Although, there are pretty good deals on cars and trucks right now. Dealers are wanting to sell.
By the way, the noise in my car only happens when the air conditioner is on. And the a/c can be really expensive to fix. Just have to drive with the windows down.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Salute
I know I'm not getting older, but my children are. Kathryn graduated from University of North Texas in mid-May. Tommy from Abilene High School in early June. Rebecca and Sarah graduated from Texas Tech 2 to 3 years ago. Christopher is moving up, so my wife and I have one more high school and maybe two more college commencements in the future. This does not count daughters and sons-in-law post graduate degrees which are not planned for now, but you never know, plus grandchildren, in-laws' children, other relatives and friends.
College and high school graduations are different. At the college level, you know your child who is getting the old sheep skin, and a friend or two. And that's about it. That's almost not worth sitting thru an hour and a half of name reading. But you can't leave. It is not polite. And they all have worked hard to get there, so they deserve your time.
High school commencement is different. Not just that it took 13 years to get there. It includes a lot of youngsters our children grew up with. Some back to kindergarten, which doesn't seem all that long ago. So even in a class of 500 or so, there are quite a few names even I recognize. Memories of the years gone by.
But a bright future for all the grads, even tho things are a little rocky right now. I'm very proud of what my children have accomplished so far and will do in the future. But that's just a dad talking.
College and high school graduations are different. At the college level, you know your child who is getting the old sheep skin, and a friend or two. And that's about it. That's almost not worth sitting thru an hour and a half of name reading. But you can't leave. It is not polite. And they all have worked hard to get there, so they deserve your time.
High school commencement is different. Not just that it took 13 years to get there. It includes a lot of youngsters our children grew up with. Some back to kindergarten, which doesn't seem all that long ago. So even in a class of 500 or so, there are quite a few names even I recognize. Memories of the years gone by.
But a bright future for all the grads, even tho things are a little rocky right now. I'm very proud of what my children have accomplished so far and will do in the future. But that's just a dad talking.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Goodbye Channel 32
I was at our transmitter site the other evening. It's about 15 miles outside of Abilene, and not a place I am required to go very often. In fact, the most recent visit was my third in the last 30 years. The first two were just before KTAB signed on the air in October of 1979.
The first found the Channel 32 antenna on the ground. The 75 foot antenna weighing thousands of pounds would later be lifted to the top of the 500 foot tower where it is bolted in place..free standing up there. No wires to hold it in place. It has seen a lot of lightning, strong wind and ice in those years.
The second time I was at "the mountain", was the morning KTAB signed on the air for the first time...October 6, 1979. I had just recorded the sign-on for the station. (A very last minute deal when I asked, "Has anyone recorded the sign-on?" No one had). In those days, before 24 hour broadcasting, we would use the sign-on as the official welcome. "Good Morning. KTAB-TV in Abilene, Texas, now begins another broadcast day..." followed by the National Anthem. At night, the sign-off. "This concludes another broadcast day..." followed by the National Anthem. Both included some legal requirements which the FCC mandated we (and all radio and tv stations) include. The sun was just rising over the eastern horizon, when the transmitter officially started broadcasting the KTAB-TV signal on analog Channel 32. Back in '79 we didn't think twice about an "analog" signal, that's all there was.
My return to the mountain 30 years later was because there isn't just analog, there is also digital. And the government was ordering us and all telecasters to stop our traditional analog transmission and go digital. (The feds sold off the analog frequencies to cell phone companies so there could be more cellular phone traffic than there is now. Some tv's won't turn off the analogs until June 12th.)
On May 12th, KTAB turned off its analog transmitter for the last time. Chief Engineer Glen McCandless had the honor. Glen and I are the only two remaining original KTAB employees still on the payroll. We both joined KTAB-TV on August 20, 1979. It was appropriate I think that Glen and I were there to turn off the transmitter, since we were both there 30 years ago when it was turned on. We did live reports from the transmitter site on May 12th during the 5 and 6pm newscasts. Photographer Danielle Reeves did a great job with the camera, showing what was going on.
Glen turned off the transmitter at 6:15pm while we were doing a live shot.
So, on October 6, 1979, my voice was the first heard on KTAB..."Good Morning...." And on May 12, 2009, my voice was the last heard on KTAB analog... "Goodbye Channel 32"....
The first found the Channel 32 antenna on the ground. The 75 foot antenna weighing thousands of pounds would later be lifted to the top of the 500 foot tower where it is bolted in place..free standing up there. No wires to hold it in place. It has seen a lot of lightning, strong wind and ice in those years.
The second time I was at "the mountain", was the morning KTAB signed on the air for the first time...October 6, 1979. I had just recorded the sign-on for the station. (A very last minute deal when I asked, "Has anyone recorded the sign-on?" No one had). In those days, before 24 hour broadcasting, we would use the sign-on as the official welcome. "Good Morning. KTAB-TV in Abilene, Texas, now begins another broadcast day..." followed by the National Anthem. At night, the sign-off. "This concludes another broadcast day..." followed by the National Anthem. Both included some legal requirements which the FCC mandated we (and all radio and tv stations) include. The sun was just rising over the eastern horizon, when the transmitter officially started broadcasting the KTAB-TV signal on analog Channel 32. Back in '79 we didn't think twice about an "analog" signal, that's all there was.
My return to the mountain 30 years later was because there isn't just analog, there is also digital. And the government was ordering us and all telecasters to stop our traditional analog transmission and go digital. (The feds sold off the analog frequencies to cell phone companies so there could be more cellular phone traffic than there is now. Some tv's won't turn off the analogs until June 12th.)
On May 12th, KTAB turned off its analog transmitter for the last time. Chief Engineer Glen McCandless had the honor. Glen and I are the only two remaining original KTAB employees still on the payroll. We both joined KTAB-TV on August 20, 1979. It was appropriate I think that Glen and I were there to turn off the transmitter, since we were both there 30 years ago when it was turned on. We did live reports from the transmitter site on May 12th during the 5 and 6pm newscasts. Photographer Danielle Reeves did a great job with the camera, showing what was going on.
Glen turned off the transmitter at 6:15pm while we were doing a live shot.
So, on October 6, 1979, my voice was the first heard on KTAB..."Good Morning...." And on May 12, 2009, my voice was the last heard on KTAB analog... "Goodbye Channel 32"....
Friday, May 1, 2009
H1N1
How are you feeling? Wash your hands lately? Think we're talking and doing too much about H1N1? We now have confirmed "probable" cases of swine flu. 6 children from Merkel. All the cases were mild and the children have recovered. Merkel and Trent schools will be closed until May 11th. The "probable" samples now go to CDC in Atlanta where a third test will confirm swine flu (or not).
Congressman Randy Neugebauer says altho it may seem overkill, the government has to plan for the worst and have everything in place in case the flu really does spread like wildfire. It would be tough to play catch-up. So, he thinks, better to be cautious.
Dr. Zane Travis of the Health District has had more air time than me, as we cover the swine flu. He still encourages not to panic. Even if you get it, its pretty much like any other flu. Not good, but most will survive.
Lots of school activities... concerts, end of year banquets, field trips, sporting events... all cancelled at some Big Country school districts. Merkel and Trent closed until May 11th. Can't remember anything like this, especially when not much has happened. Again, erring on the side of caution.
Our newscasts this Friday (5-1) were extremely interesting. Dan needed time to cover storms in the viewing area. News needed time to cover the flu. And David wanted time for sports. And we start and stop on time (most of the time). So, as they say in Hollywood, a lot of what we wanted to say "ended up on the cutting room floor." Altho, we tried not to cut any of the important information.
Producer Mark, reporters Victor and Megan and Manny, live truck operators Danielle and Andrew, director Russell, production crew all had a real workout. Shooting, writing and editing more stories than usual, chasing storms and setting up live shots, producing newscasts with ever changing content, putting a newscast on the air which was more "seat of the pants" than normal. This is another one of those days that confirms as correct, the decision to get into broadcasting. It is easy to walk away from an informative and entertaining half hour as we did at 6:30 and 10:40, and know we gave our best effort and provided the viewers with information they needed. Thanks all. Team work.....
Congressman Randy Neugebauer says altho it may seem overkill, the government has to plan for the worst and have everything in place in case the flu really does spread like wildfire. It would be tough to play catch-up. So, he thinks, better to be cautious.
Dr. Zane Travis of the Health District has had more air time than me, as we cover the swine flu. He still encourages not to panic. Even if you get it, its pretty much like any other flu. Not good, but most will survive.
Lots of school activities... concerts, end of year banquets, field trips, sporting events... all cancelled at some Big Country school districts. Merkel and Trent closed until May 11th. Can't remember anything like this, especially when not much has happened. Again, erring on the side of caution.
Our newscasts this Friday (5-1) were extremely interesting. Dan needed time to cover storms in the viewing area. News needed time to cover the flu. And David wanted time for sports. And we start and stop on time (most of the time). So, as they say in Hollywood, a lot of what we wanted to say "ended up on the cutting room floor." Altho, we tried not to cut any of the important information.
Producer Mark, reporters Victor and Megan and Manny, live truck operators Danielle and Andrew, director Russell, production crew all had a real workout. Shooting, writing and editing more stories than usual, chasing storms and setting up live shots, producing newscasts with ever changing content, putting a newscast on the air which was more "seat of the pants" than normal. This is another one of those days that confirms as correct, the decision to get into broadcasting. It is easy to walk away from an informative and entertaining half hour as we did at 6:30 and 10:40, and know we gave our best effort and provided the viewers with information they needed. Thanks all. Team work.....
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