The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 58

jT E12 Friday April 10 1987 THE FRESNO BEE a The long and windy road that led to Channel 18 getting on the air Ten yean ago today about four minutes before noon local public television came to Next came the American Association of The next year there was renewed hope when Fresno State University received approval to press ahead with a station But that too ran into money troubles In late 1972 the Fresno County schools superintendent Ernest Poore quietly ordered a study to determine whether his office could put Channel 18 on the air The committee decided the effort was feasible so the county schools office filed an application in December with the FCC The proposal ran into trouble right away Tulare County's schools department filed for its own station in Visalia then ethnic minority groups raised objections that they were excluded from the planning process By April 1974 Tulare County and the school superintendents in Kings and Madera counties were working with Poore It took more than a year to resolve differences with the minority groups On April 7 Channel first test pattern trouble' the University Women with a drive headed by Lois Tarkanian now better known went on the air but there was next day: The bad news was that something wept wrong with the transmitting equipment and Channel 18 wasn't able to broadcast its test pattern as scheduled The good news was that hundreds of people noticed and called the station to ask why" was the way The Bee reported it On April 9 replacement parts flown-In from New Jersey were installed The nrift the MidCal region when Channel 18 signed on with a station ID the Air Force Band's rendition of the national anthem and a message of welcome from station Manager Colin Dougherty It took nearly a quarter-century to get from Federal Communications Commission authorization of a Fresno educational TV station to actually throwing the switch on the station licensed to the Fresno County Department of Education The first attempt at putting Channel 18 on the air was a joint effort by school superintendents in Fresno Kings Madera Mariposa Merced and Tulare counties in 1953 as the wife of University of Nevada-Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry She was the first president of the San Joaquin Valley Community Television Association which incorporated in 1959 to establish a station The association produced instructional TV programs in 1962 broadcast on Channel 47 The fallowing year plans to raise money to match a federal grant ran into the Vietnam War The federal treasury was hard-pressed to put educational TV stations on the air and pursue the war By 1966 the association was virtually defunct nuiet hr or- A professional fund-raising company father his hin t0 raise $250000 to match the was grant and pay the company's fees and expenses After a storm of controversy about the hind-raising effort the company bowed out leaving the job to volunteers By Januaiy 1977 more than (204000 had been raised and organizers hoped to begin broadcasting in March The next month Dougherty Channel 47's public affairs director was hired as station manager for $22960 per year morning Easter Sunday Poore and Harriet JOwett nis assistant flipped the switch that put Channel 18 on the air at last By LAN NY LARSON A Future Continued from Page E10 appearance by state Schools Su-t William Honig preintendent Dougherty said one of the biggest successes has been the annual auction which raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for the station each May The auction is an immense success because you bring together an army of people more than 1200 from all over the area You bring people in who may be doctors or lawyers or teachers or clerks or whatever and they come down here and for number of hours or number of days they become whatever we ask them to THE FRESNO BEE Another big success is that most everyone is aware of the station The bleakest daws occurred after Lex and Shirley Connelly tireless volunteers for the station were killed in a plane crash in Oregon three years ago That was a very down time" Dougherty said Another was the failure of the $1 million building project fond drive The Janotta Co a Fresno firm was selected in 1983 to conduct the campaign Two out-of-town companies also submitted bids to run the fond drive but Dougherty recommended Janotta because run by Joanne Uppert who chaired the first fond drive and organized the auction one year Janotta also had completed successful campaigns for the Fresno Arts Center and San Joaquin Memorial High School Dougherty The average Fresno Bee profit is about that much and more! Learn to run Although there has been criticism of die fond drive since it was abandoned late last year Dougherty said there was nothing unusual in Janotta requiring payment of a fee up front and for the station to pay expenses until donations start rolling in your own independent route business Send in the card below for more information! Because there was no capital fond to draw on the station's operating account was tapped for some of tfa fund-raising expenses That created a serious cash-flow prob lem although the drive eventually id all or its repaid all or its expenses Would he make the same recommendation again? "Yes I would It had too many pluses and not enough minuses in it he foresis for us to have the foresight to see what would happen wiser now Every day we get a little The station still needs a new building but Dougherty said it will be presented as part of a plan for the consideration of the soon-to-be appointed directors of KMTF Inc incorporated in February the tax-exempt organization will take over the station license from the Fresno County Department of Education After that Channel 18 will not be subject to Education Code restrictions "It goes to the point where I cannot legally give volunteers a cup of coffee because a gift of public he said "We are treated like a school district But we any money from the tax base or state Department of Education" When the transfer is made Channel 18 will own its building and be essentially debt free "We will owe die county office nothing and prob Mail to: The Fresno Bee Circulation Dept 1626 St Fresno CA 93706-9989 ably have $50000 in reserve going 1 of us into May with auction ahead i THE FRESNO BEE Newspaper Carrier Information Request Yes I'm interested in a newspaper route Please mail an application to me and let me know if there is an opening in my neighborhood Events celebrate 10 years on air i i 0 ft tl fl ji 0 tc i fi tl di Jt th tt' ir a Pi si NAME ADDRESS CITY PHONE DO YOU HAVE A BIKE? Channel 18 is celebrating its 10th anniversary with two events open to the public The first is this $100-a-person fund-raising dinner and dance at the Stables on Van Ness Extension It will feature a speech by Bruce Christensen president of the Public Broadcasting Service It is limited to 220 people and there are still a few places available to those who call tfa station 266-1800 before noon today There will be no limit on the crowd for die other event a "Sesame Fair with storybook characters downs and youthful entertainers scheduled 10 am-4 pm Wednesday outside the Channel 18 studios Street will be blocked off between Memo and Inyo streets The centerpiece of the activities wiU be a replica of the "Sesame Street" set A Fresno fire truck and police car wiU be on display Representatives of crime prevention programs and the "Play ft Safe" and "Just Say campaigns will have booths Entertainment by a variety of croups is scheduled Admission win be free BIRTHDATE Note: The newspaper carrier business has good opportunities for adults too Adult inquiries are also welcomed I.