Where are you, Miguel Fernandez?

Long before "Guantanamo" became a regular item on the evening news, it was home to Miguel Fernandez.

A handsome young man in his early 20s when I first met him in 1964, Miguel’s disarming smile and bright disposition veiled what must surely have been a very interesting past.

He was among a cadre of Cubans who passed through the minefields en route to work each day at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay. And among the hundreds of jobs filled by Cuban citizens on the base during that era – he had one of the best!

At least that was my view of the situation, since he and I worked side by side at the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) outlet known as WGBY-AM-TV. I had requested duty at “Gitmo” and served as Program Manager at the station. We provided both radio and television programming for the thousands of sailors, Marines, civilians, and their families at “Gitmo.” Kinescope films of stateside television shows – usually about a month old – were broadcast to a very appreciative audience. From Jack Benny to Bonanza, with a smattering of more timely public affairs programs like Meet the Press, the television schedule was a fair cross-section of what folks were watching back in the states. Radio was dominated by a variety of music formats – and locally-produced programs were injected into both radio and television schedules.

But there was another “shadow audience” that we served, too – Cuban citizens on the “other side of the fence,” who were curious about the United States and who likely enjoyed some of the programs they heard. Maybe they were trying to learn English, or perhaps just evesdropping on a bit of U.S. culture by tuning in to the Tonight show with Johnny Carson on WGBY Radio. In any event, we acknowledged the Cuban audience and provided them with “Noticias en Espanol.”

Preparing and reading the “News in Spanish” was the job of Miguel Fernandez – and his aging mentor, Alfredo Barea. Barea was a seasoned Spanish-speaking broadcaster who had worked in New York City. He was in his late 50s or early 60s when he arrived at Gitmo.

Miguel and Alfredo used the same news sources for their Spanish newscasts as we did: radioteletype copy from the states. They were AP and UPI reports that were occasionally garbled in transmission. This was before AFRTS and other broadcasters had ready access to satellite communications.

I occasionally broke bread and socialized with both Alfredo Barea and Miguel Fernandez, and I remember them both with great fondness. By now, Barea is certainly deceased – but I often wonder whatever became of his bubbly protégé who found a bit of celebrity (and probably a degree of notoriety outside the Gitmo fence) as a broadcaster. Where are you Miguel Fernandez?

As I ponder Miguel’s whereabouts – I’m also curious about two of my Navy friends who also worked at WGBY during the early to mid-1960s.

Paul Lanham (left) aspired to go to medical school and become a doctor. I don’t remember where he was from, but he was well read and did well in his first (and perhaps last) broadcasting job. His cohort, Hank Harris (right) was also working at his first job in broadcasting – but he sounded like a pro and could likely have made a good career of it, if he wanted. I recall that Hank had ties to Denver. Most memorable: he was born in the Philippines during World War and – as I remember it – his father suffered considerably as a Japanese prisoner of war.

It would be good to see these old friends again…..and rekindle those friendships of nearly a half century ago.

Remembering Jon Poston

We were pleased earlier this month to hook up with a former broadcast colleague from the early 1970s at KMEG-TV in Sioux City, Iowa. Gene Ambroson is the Director of Alumni Relations for Morningside College, which tells me he’s been a media fixture around Sioux City for nearly 40 years.

The occasion of our communication was not a happy one. Our old boss at KMEG-TV, Jon Poston, had passed away some weeks earlier in Cave Creek, Arizona, where he had been living for a good many years. The cause of death was a massive stroke. He was 74 years old.

Jon was a veteran newsman with a background in both radio and television. Some of his early work for WAKY Radio in Louisville, Kentucky, can be heard in this audio archive. You can scroll down there to find audio bites of Jon's 1960 coverage of Richard Nixon's visit to Louisville. Jon later became News Director for KTVH-TV in Wichita.

I first knew of Jon Poston in the 1960s, when he was a News Editor and anchor for KETV/Channel 7 in Omaha. I was working as News Director for KMA Shenandoah, owned by the May Broadcasting Company, which also owned KMTV in Omaha. I didn’t meet Jon until 1971, when he was News Director for KMEG-TV. He hired me to do weather and business reporting for the CBS affiliate.

In those years, KMEG-TV was a spunky upstart in the Sioux City market. Buried in the basement of a coffee company building out on Floyd Boulevard, Channel 14 was owned by Medallion Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Fetzer Broadcasting. Bob Donovan was the General Manager. We had a staff that was considerably smaller than cross-town rival KCAU-TV/Channel 9. The venerable KTIV/Channel 4 was no longer a viable news competitor in the market. The legendary Don Stone was near the end of his career.

Thanks to Gene Ambroson for sharing this photograph, circa 1972. Surrounding Jon Poston in the center (clockwise from the left): Gene Ambroson, reporter; Larry Finley, cinematographer; George Linblade, cinematographer; Bruce Lewis, reporter; Jolene Stevens, reporter; Larry Miller, weatherman/business reporter; and Paul Marshall, sports.

Our underdog status was in many ways an advantage for KMEG. Jon was a competitive kind of guy who enjoyed “beating” the big boys across town, and we would often celebrate our successes with a late-night brew at “Frank’s,” a neighborhood restaurant/tavern on the north side of town. Come to think of it, we frequented Frank’s rather often – victory celebration or not.

I remember Jon hosting his staff and their families at Christmas time. He was very gracious, always unflappable, and every bit a professional.

Some years later, another KMEG veteran – Jack Parris – told me that Jon had left broadcasting and had moved to Arizona, where he was a consumer advocate in the telecom industry. He served as Executive Director of Arizona Competition in Telephone Service (ACTS) and volunteered many hours for AARP. Jack Parris, too, had relocated to Arizona and was working as GM for the public broadcasting station in Tucson. Jack and I would often cross paths at public broadcasting meetings and conspire to get the three of us together on the golf links in Arizona. It never happened.

Jon is survived by his wife, Sharon, four children and six grandchildren.

Good radio is still alive and well

Good friend and retired public broadcaster “Biker Bill” Campbell was moved to e-mail us the other day about a radio station he found in Minnesota while motoring from California to Chicago. Not just any station, but a real radio station – with live local announcers and some great music from the 1940s and ‘50s. It’s KNXR, 97.5 FM in Rochester, Minnesota. Bill said he enjoyed the station until the he lost the signal when I-90 dropped off the plains to the Mississippi River.

There was a time when getting excited about good radio stations was almost a non-event. Back when local stations strived to provide local services. These days, that’s an exceptional station! Of course, we old retired broadcasters like to think that we’re more discerning (wink).

Another such station – and one I’ve been intending to write about – is “Studio 1430,” KEZW in Denver.

For the past few years as we’ve made frequent treks to Denver from our Black Hills home, I’ve always looked forward to tuning the car radio to AM 1430 when we reach the Denver metro area. For quite some time, I thought it was “my little secret,” until I returned to Spearfish and learned that ham radio friend Bob Weaver had been listening to Studio 1430 on-line for quite some time. I must confess that KEZW Studio 1430 has been a bit of a surprise, since it is not a locally-owned station (few are, these days!) It's just one of more than 100 stations owned by media giant Entercom, which made an unsuccessful bid a few years ago to buy up ABC O & O stations. Nonetheless, they seem to be doing it right with this Denver outlet.

While at our son's home in Wheat Ridge, the radio remains on 1430. Great music selections, local weather, good local news, traffic reports, gardening shows, restaurant conversations – all typical fare of good local stations like Studio 1430, where Rick Crandall’s Breakfast Club is one of my favorites. Almost like Breakfast with the Boys on KCSR in Chadron back in the ‘50s. Truth of the matter is, it’s likely better, simply because of the excellent resources they dedicate towards making the station top notch.

It’s like being transported back to an era when radio was……good! Perhaps you have a favorite, too?

"Beef Empire" memories

It was fun visiting this week (3/24/09) with two friends from the early days of KCSR in Chadron, Nebraska.

While taking refuge in Denver from a massive snowstorm across the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Minnesota, we took a side trip to Fort Collins. That’s home now for both Jack Miller and Don Grant, broadcast veterans who at one time worked – as did I – for the “Beef Empire Stations” owned by the Huse Publishing Company, publisher of the Norfolk (Nebr) Daily News.

That’s Don Grant (left) with Jack Miller in Jack’s Fort Collins driveway.

Jack Miller was named Manager of KCSR in August 1959, when the station was bought by the Norfolk group. A native of Norfolk and a Navy veteran who served aboard ship during the Korean War, Jack cut his broadcast teeth announcing and selling for WJAG beginning in 1956. Don, who hailed from LeMars, Iowa, was an Army veteran and attended the University of South Dakota after he left the service. He also worked at WJAG and did a stint at the Chadron station.

The “Beef Empire Stations” included flagship station WJAG in Norfolk, KVSH in Valentine, and KCSR in Chadron. The group later expanded to include KCOL in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1971, Jack took the helm of KCOL, bringing along several of the KCSR staff – including Don Grant (Sales), John DeHaes (News), and Wil Huett (Programming).

Jack’s leadership at KCOL continued well into the 1980s before the station was sold. He twice served on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Broadcasters Association and was named “Broadcaster of the Year” in 1981. Not surprisingly, KCOL was strong on local service during those years, and instituted local editorials – not something lots of local broadcasters were always willing to undertake. Appropriately, Jack was named to the Colorado Broadcasters “Hall of Fame” in 2007.

Seeing Don Grant was a real bonus. Since we had worked together for only about a year (and I was a part-timer still going to school), I’m surprised he remembered me at all. Jack waxed eloquent about Don’s superb sales skills – of which I have no doubt. Don remains as I remembered him from 50 years ago – a warm and personable guy. Beyond our common friends and co-workers at KCSR, it was a further surprise when he revealed that he had spent time in Vermillion, South Dakota. We also lived in Vermillion and worked on the USD campus, albeit some 30 years after Don had been there. Still, we both remembered “Monk” Johnson and Martin Busch, both well-known broadcasters across South Dakota in those years. Don and I also spent time working in the Sioux City market.

I believe Don Grant said that another veteran broadcaster, Kent Slocum, was from his hometown of LeMars. I remember Kent from his years at KOTA in Rapid City. Wonder where he is these days?

After many years at KCOL, Don later returned for an encore at WJAG in Norfolk.

During our morning discussion, which was continued over lunch at Red Lobster, we tossed out names of one-time colleagues, and occasionally we all three would remember someone – or a memorable incident that would bring a chuckle. Like the case of the “sleeping announcer.”

But that’s another story……for another time.

Chasing power

Seems we all chase success in our careers…..until it catches us.

It’s easy to get caught up with success and sometimes do some really stupid things – some of them even illegal.

An old Oklahoma boss of mine used to tell his managers: “It’s not IF someone will come looking to catch you screwing up……it’s WHEN they come. So be prepared.” The not-so-subliminal message was: walk the straight and narrow.

The fear of retribution – while still ignored by a few – has taken on increased importance in an age when faith, integrity, and ethics seem to be in short supply. And while it is perhaps not the most desirable tool to help keep over-achievers from running afoul of their responsibilities, it may be the most effective.

Still, folks succumb.

I opened a Wall Street Journal this week to see a photograph of a lady with whom I’ve worked in the past; someone for whom I had great respect and some admiration. Alas, she had basked in the glow of Washington success too long and made some serious mistakes.

Ann Marie Copland was a long-time legislative aide and executive assistant to U.S. Senator Thad Cochran for nearly 30 years. Last week (3/10) she pleaded guilty to violating federal conflict-of-interest laws by accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts in exchange for helping clients of the infamous Jack Abramoff. She reportedly had received more than $25,000 in food and entertainment tickets between 2002 through 2004. Her actions are disturbing and disappointing to say the least. That’s not the Ann Copland I thought I knew through most of the 1990s.

I worked with Ann often during the eight years I was with the Mississippi Educational Television (ETV) network. Thad’s dad was a one-time chairman of our ETV Board of Directors, and his mother had been a schoolteacher. It gave Senator Cochran reason to take increased interest in public broadcasting, and he has been a strong supporter of Mississippi ETV and public broadcasting. My principal liaison with Senator Cochran’s office was Ann Copland.

Highly regarded throughout most of the public broadcasting community, Ann was given the “Champion of Public Broadcasting” award by the Association of Public Television Stations(APTS). And I was not entirely surprised when she returned to Mississippi to become Deputy Director of the public broadcasting network last year, a post from which she has since resigned.

It’s sad when you see a talented and capable person stumble and fall victim to the ways of Washington…..to fall victim to abusing power.

Paul Harvey (1918-2009)

Having spent a decade in Oklahoma managing public broadcasting stations and teaching, I had the good fortune of meeting several Oklahomans who’ve left a big footprint in the media business.

From Jim Hartz and Betty Boyd to Harry Heath and Bob Allen. Of course, there are many other media folk, including the Gaylord family, who’ve left their mark on the Oklahoma plains and hills.

None, however, enjoyed the recognition, popularity, and notoriety of the late Tulsa native Paul Harvey Aurandt. Known to millions across America and the world simply as Paul Harvey, his daily broadcasts on ABC began 1951 and continued into the 21st century, although he’d stepped aside from the daily chores in 2008. Harvey died February 28th in Phoenix, Arizona. He was 90 years old.

I never considered Paul Harvey a newsman. There was a time I even had a certain disdain for his daily newscasts on ABC Radio. I felt he was a good actor (having done some film work) with a great radio delivery.

After my first couple of decades in broadcasting, including teaching broadcast journalism at Oklahoma State University, I began to at least appreciate the fact that Paul Harvey labeled his broadcast as “News and Comment.” If only we could persuade many new-generation newscasters to do the same.

By the 1990s, I was more comfortable with Paul Harvey as I gained an appreciation for his adherence to what I suppose we today call “traditional values.” Marriages that last. People who work hard. Respect for our elders. Admiration for those who sacrifice their lives for others. What once seemed a bit hokey to me began to make more sense.

Like his musical contemporary from the Dakotas – Lawrence Welk – Harvey was a target of some condescending ridicule for “down home” mannerisms. Both Welk and Harvey, however, parlayed their talents into highly successful careers that have touched millions of lives.

Read an excellent piece about the life of Paul Harvey in this Time story. Below is a short WGN-Chicago tribute to Paul Harvey.

Remembering Freeman Hover

Long-time friend and mentor Freeman Hover passed last Monday (2/9/09) away in Tucson, Arizona. He was 79. A Memorial Mass will be held at noon on Monday, March 1, 2009, at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona. That's the day Freeman would have turned 80 years old.

A warm and personable man, he was both a broadcaster and educator, professions that he pursued with great enthusiasm and commitment.

We first met "Free" in 1957, not long after he started his radio career at KCSR in Chadron, Nebraska, just a year or so before I began working at the same station. A native of Plymouth, Michigan, Freeman Hover earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Denver in 1951. By the mid-1950s, he was pursuing his first broadcast job at KCSR in Chadron.

As was true for most radio folk in small market stations, Freeman Hover did it all. He was News Director at KCSR, but he had a wide range of interests in broadcasting -- one of them was "Top 40" music. He hosted "Club 949" (the station's Post Office box number) and "Top 40 Time." He became well known throughout the region, but decided to pursue opportunities elsewhere when the station was sold in 1959 to Huse Publishing out of Norfolk, Nebraska.

After a short stint in North Dakota, Hover headed toward the desert southwest and a job with the Doubleday station in Phoenix. Having earned a Master's degree from the University of Colorado, he turned his attention to education and became a classroom teacher. He eventually settled in Tucson. By all accounts, he was a top flight teacher, and he eventually won a spot in the Arizona Journalism Hall of Fame.

We have fond memories of visiting Freeman in Tucson in the late 1980s and again in the 1990s while attending public broadcasting meetings there. His love for history and the southwest was obvious, as was his pride for having been involved in the "rock and roll" era. While at KCSR, he had conducted a rare interview with the legendary Buddy Holly and a number of other popular artists of the time, including Eddie Cochran and Jimmy Bowen.

We remember Freeman as a kind and generous individual, and he certainly was an inspiration to me and many aspiring broadcasters and journalists who had the good fortune to cross paths with him.

You'll find a full obituary for Freeman Hover in the Arizona Daily Star.

Below is a short video tribute to Freeman, recognizing his time with KCSR in Chadron, Nebraska, where he left a legacy of many friends......and even more memories.

Biker Bill changes media

We were pleasantly surprised to be able to catch up with an old broadcasting friend the other day.

Bill Campbell and his wife Katherine Ann changed ZIP codes last year, moving from Montana to northern California. A veteran broadcaster from West Virginia, Bill and I first crossed paths about 25 years ago when Bill was managing a station in the Idaho Public Television network, and I was with South Dakota Public Broadcasting. I've followed his career with great interest as he took over the public TV station in Medford, Oregon, where he retired a few years back.

His move to Montana soon found Bill bicycling more and becoming heavily involved in Rotary, ending his stint as District Governor just last year. It was during their Montana residency that Bill biked from White Sulphur Springs, Montana, to Chicago, Illinois. Karen and I met him in Bowman, North Dakota for a short visit with a side trip to Medora for dinner. Some months later, Bill and I biked the 109-mile Mickelson Trail through the Black Hills of South Dakota. We had great fun, and it certainly gave this old soul a bunch of fond memories!

The photo at right was taken in October 2006 at the outset of our trek from Deadwood to Edgemont. "Biker Bill" is on the left. My bride, Karen, hauled us to the starting line and provided some much-appreciated trail support when we ran in to difficulty near Hill City.....but that's another story!

A note this holiday season from Bill and Katherine Ann Campbell told of their move to northern California, and one of Bill's latest pursuits: newspaper columnist! Although it's a rarity in these tough days for newspapers, the Inter Mountain News posts all of its old issues on the web, and they're accessible for free! Thus, I've been able to catch up on Bill's activities. The column is not simply a bicycling column, but a chronicle of many items of interest in the "Inter Mountain" region of northern California.

I check up on Bill from time to time by visiting the The Inter Mountain News website and clicking on the front page image. Scroll down to find the "Biker Bill" column. It's a good read!

High tech surprise

Kicking around the broadcast business for more than 50 years, I’ve worked closely with lots of broadcast engineers who were also amateur radio operators. After I got my "ham" license in about 1960 (WAØBDN), I started dabbling in this hobby that I continue to enjoy to this day – despite the fact that I’m probably the world’s least active operator!

Among the hams that I’ve known and learned from – Leo Henen (WØFLO), Frank Allen (WØGGP), Tony Cashon (KØOAL), Lynn Bilyeu (KØODF), Joe Makeever (W5HS), Dan Schroeder (K5FVL), and many others. Some of them are "Silent Keys." I keep hoping to become more active in this fascinating hobby (as I intended upon retirement), but there are just too many other activities that I want to pursue as well!

I admire the creativity that many of my ham friends bring to the hobby. A few of them – and their numbers are dwindling with a change in FCC rules and the passage of time – are superb CW aficionados. Continuous Wave (CW) is the mode by which many hams still use Morse Code for sending messages.

And if you think this is a fuddy-duddy technology that has been left in the dust by "high tech" applications like texting, take a look at this segment from on old Jay Leno Tonight show.

Whatever happened to Dave Scherling?

Earlier this week, I was foraging through old newspapers in search of information about the first dial telephone system in Dawes County Nebraska. Like the first moving picture theatre in the county, it was located in Whitney, and I was looking for information that I could add to our Whitney Reflections website.

Unable to find the information I was looking for, I scrolled ahead and happened across the article shown here. It reported the May 6, 1954 sign-on of KCSR, the 250-watt radio station, whose offices were at 212 Bordeaux in Chadron.

It was fun reading the article. I remember all of the folks mentioned in the story, and I pretty much know where most of them went when they left Chadron -- except for announcer Dave Scherling.

Bob Fouse returned to Colorado, where he died many years ago. Bill Finch eventually went back to Colorado (Colorado Springs, I believe) and also hosted a big band program for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. I suspect he may have passed from our earth by now, but I don't know that for a fact. Ted Turpin ended up in Arizona, retired from the newspaper business, and is still there, as far as I know. Sherry Girmann married and moved, I believe, to Colorado.

So whatever happened to Dave Scherling? To be continued...

Congratulations, JT!

Congratulations are in order – again – for our good friend Jim Thompson, who received recognition this week (12/11/08) at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Jim was tapped for the John Justin Standard of the West Committeeman of the Year award, recognizing his volunteer service over the years to the Deke Latham Rodeo in Kaycee, Wyoming.

Jim is a highly-talented broadcaster, whose skills transcend the rodeo arena public address system. Selected three times by his peers as South Dakota Sportscaster of the Year, Jim has also won accolades as a member of the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame and the Black Hills Stock Show Hall of Fame.

Jim and I met some three years ago, after a mutual friend – Dean Sorenson – hooked us up. Karen and I had retired to Spearfish in 2004. Over breakfast, Jim and I discovered some things we had in common – we’d both worked for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service while in the service, and we also worked for the same boss, Bob Thomas, in Nebraska. Now retired and living in Arizona, “BT” was the long-time General Manager of the “Beef Empire Stations” across Nebraska and Colorado. Jim worked for KVSH in Valentine, Nebraska, and I was on the staff at KCSR in Chadron.

Our love of broadcasting and journalism – as well as a shared interest in things “Dakota” – often brings Jim and I together at weekly coffee sessions in Spearfish with other like-minded folks. Retired newspaper publisher Curt Moberg from Sundance, Wyoming, retired Iowa State journalism prof Bill Kunerth from Belle Fourche, and writer Lorraine Collins of Spearfish, among others, often congregate to discuss the media and current events.

Occasionally, Jim asks me to substitute for him on his weekday regional radio program Live with Jim Thompson. Despite rusty pipes and a propensity for pushing the wrong buttons on the control board, I enjoy these opportunities, and I’m pleased that Jim asks me to do it.

It also gives me an opportunity to see the “working side” of Jim Thompson. He’s every bit as affable off the air as he is in front of a live microphone. His two terms in the South Dakota legislature helped nurture Jim’s political acumen, and he doesn’t suffer fools lightly. But I also find him courteous to a fault.

Like his awards, Jim’s interests are many and varied. We're delighted to see that he's added another well deserved recognition to his achievements. Congratulations, JT!

A mentor to many -- Grant Price

One day in 1969, I hopped aboard a Cessna Queen-Air plane in Shenandoah, Iowa for a day-trip to Cedar Rapids.

Also aboard the craft was my boss, Norm Williams, the General Manager of KMA, which was owned by the May Broadcasting Company. In those days, May Broadcasting was comprised of KGUN-TV in Tucson, KMTV in Omaha, plus substantial ownership of KFAB in Omaha. I believe they also had a station in Wisconsin.

I’m not sure what Norm’s agenda was for that trip, but I know I was looking forward to visiting with Grant Price and the folks in the newsroom at WMT radio and television. We would also drive to Oelwein to visit the news operation overseen by Dick Petrik. I had recently joined KMA as News Director and was anxious to learn what I could from those veteran broadcasters.

Both KOEL in Oelwein, under Dick Petrik, and WMT in Cedar Rapids, led by Grant Price, had first-class news operations.

So I was saddened to learn about the passing of Grant Price last week (10/17) in Waterloo, Iowa. He was 85 years old and had been one of the best-known broadcasters in the state before stepping away from the microphone in 1989 to go to work for Wartburg College.

Occasionally in recent years, I’ve chatted with veteran sports broadcaster Bryan Lessly, who once worked in the WMT shop, about our Iowa experiences – and Grant Price almost always comes up in the conversation. I can think of few Iowa news broadcasters, save Jack Shelley, who’ve left any larger legacy than Grant Price. Okay, “Dutch” Reagan would be an exception. In any event, WMT became a news powerhouse under the auspices of Grant Price. Read more about Grant Price in this Cedar Rapid Gazette story.

I remember the warm hospitality and generosity extended to me by Grant and his staff nearly 40 years ago – and it’s easy to understand why this talented and exceptional person was so highly regarded by so many as a good boss, a learned mentor, and a good friend.