Talk:KOAT-TV

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[edit] KOAT Radio?

At one time, I believe there was a KOAT radio station. I've seen it before in news media archives, but I haven't heard of it since, and I can't recall where I saw it. (Confusingly, the ABC radio affiliate is now KKOB-AM, which was owned by KOB-TV's parent company for a while.) Any KOAT radio gurus out there?

--Oddtoddnm 02:23, August 4, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] KOAT History from www.koat.com

KOAT 7 History E-mail this story | Print this story

KOAT 7 HISTORY

It was a Sunday night at 7 p.m. in 1953 when KOAT 7 signed on the air for the first time to New Mexico homes with the program "Range Rider." KOAT 7 was the ABC affiliate that had popular programs such as "Disneyland," which eventually became the "Wonderful World of Disney."

At the time, KOAT 7 was located at Tulane and Central. The KOAT news department consisted of four people producing local news and information. As Albuquerque grew, so did our operation. In the 1960s, most programming was done live or on film — and in black and white. KOAT's local programming included long-time weathercaster Howard Morgan, who was known as "Uncle Howdie" for channel 7's young viewers soap operas came into popularity in the mid-1960s.

The news operation at this time produced two nightly newscasts. By the late 1960s, KOAT had three translators that broadcast to most of New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Arizona, and was broadcasting in color telecasting. KOAT had the nation's highest TV antenna — 10,852 feet above sea level. By the 1970s, KOAT 7 expanded its news operation and programming with the introduction of videotape.

In 1980, KOAT 7 built its current broadcast facility at Carlisle and Comanche. During this time, KOAT 7 added a helicopter to give new dimension to our news coverage. KOAT Sky 7 was the first helicopter in the market covering our state's 160,000 square miles. Sky 7 has assisted in numerous search-and-rescue operations, medical evacuations and helped the state in several fire emergencies.

In the 1990s, the KOAT 7 news operation expanded its weather facilities by building the first live Doppler radar tower in New Mexico. Live Super Doppler 7 was introduced in 1997 and provides the most accurate and live weather data across the state. KOAT also added six news bureaus across the state to cover New Mexico like no other broadcast station. The Action 7 News Network includes bureaus in Farmington, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Silver City, Alamogordo and Roswell, in addition to a satellite truck that allowed live broadcasts from other parts of New Mexico.

KOAT was purchased by Hearst-Argyle Television, the country's fastest growing broadcast group, in 1999.

Today, the KOAT 7 Action 7 News department produces more than 32 hours of local news programming a week. KOAT has been recognized as one of America's top stations and has won numerous awards for broadcast and journalism excellence. KOAT has been the long-time ratings winner with more viewers making KOAT their choice for news and entertainment.

KOAT 7 is now broadcasting in high definition on KOAT-DT. Our broadcast is a digital signal providing the best video and audio quality to viewers.

[edit] KOAT Radio

The Roswell Report

DO NOT TRANSMIT THIS MESSAGE

By Thomas J. Carey and Donald R. Schmitt

Roswell radio station KGFL had every intention of broadcasting the story of the millennium. That was the reason its staff escorted local rancher Mack Brazel to the home of the station's owner, Walt Whitmore Sr.,

 Jud Roberts, minority owner of Roswell radio station KGFL, told investigators about a secret wire recording they made of Mack Brazel telling his story of finding wreckage of a flying saucer in a remote pasture on his sheep ranch. Roberts also told of receiving a threatning phone call from Senator Dennis Chávez if the station went ahead and aired any part of the interview.

and recorded Brazel's testimony late in the evening of Monday, July 7, 1947. At least, that was the plan — until the U.S. Army took custody of Brazel and the KGFL wire recording, and removed them both to Roswell Army Air Field south of town.

Efforts continued the next morning to disseminate preliminary news information to the local townspeople. But Washington was watching. Early in the morning on July 8, 1947, Jud Roberts at KGFL received a long-distance phone call from the secretary of the Federal Communications Commission, who warned him that the matter involved national security. Should KGFL air any portion of Brazel's interview, or issue any information regarding it, they would lose their broadcasting license.

As if that weren't enough to squelch the story, another call to KGFL came from Washington a few minutes later. It was from U.S. Sen. Dennis Chávez (D-N.M.). Sen. Chávez was at that time the chairman of the influential Senate Appropriations Committee. The senator strongly suggested that KGFL do exactly as the FCC had cautioned. When station executives asked for his help, he indicated that the decision was out of his hands. The station immediately complied with the FCC's order.

While the officially sanctioned intimidation of a news source in Roswell was underway, another situation was developing at KOAT Radio in Albuquerque. Lydia Sleppy, in addition to fulfilling other duties at the station, operated the teletype machine. KOAT was an affiliate of both ABC and Mutual networks at that time. Sleppy remembers vividly the excited phone call she received from reporter John McBoyle, of sister station KSWS in Roswell. McBoyle's station had to rely on KOAT to transmit to the wire services. "Lydia, get ready for a scoop!" McBoyle said. "We want to get this on the ABC wire right away. Listen to this! A flying saucer crashed. ... It crashed near Roswell." Sleppy urgently asked acting station manager Karl Lambertz to witness her reception of the story and its transmission.

 Wire recorder of the type used in 1947 by radio station KGFL to record the story of Mack Brazel. The station intended to air portions of the interview periodically as a "scoop" on the other Roswell media.

Using the teletype, she alerted ABC News headquarters in Hollywood to expect a "high bulletin" story. Lambertz looked on as she initiated the contact. "Its a big crumbled dishpan," McBoyle continued over the phone. "And get this. They're saying something about little men being on board." Before Sleppy could type out a mere couple of sentences, a bell rang on the teletype machine, indicating an outside interruption. McBoyle, meanwhile, started to converse with someone in the background. Moments later he nervously told Sleppy, "Wait a minute, I'll get back to you. ... Wait. ... I'll get right back."

He did not. The very next moment, the teletype came back on and printed out the following order: ATTENTION ALBUQUERQUE: DO NOT TRANSMIT. REPEAT DO NOT TRANSMIT THIS MESSAGE. STOP COMMUNICATION IMMEDIATELY.

In stunned disbelief, Sleppy observed that the message was from the FBI. No further attempt was made to transmit McBoyle's story in any shape or form.

At a later time, Sleppy was speaking with McBoyle and broached the subject of the strange series of events. The veteran reporter's response shocked her: "Forget about it. You never heard it. Look, you're not supposed to know. Don't talk about it to anyone." It was more than 30 years before she did.