Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas • 118

Cctpttf Cljrtfti CaUeNEtmrt Sunday 17199507 Vann Kennedy was a political force for 4 decades Colleagues remember him as a cool-headed leader peacemaker for Texas Democratic Party Johnson a longtime acquaintance These officials counted on him for campaign advice and suggestions Kennedy Channel 10's president wrote speeches far some Texas governors He was a political and personal adviser to Lyndon Johnson PIONEER nOHMfilGi So If the FCC did not award the Channel 10 frequency to KSIX Television Inc the Kennedys stood to lose the money spent on legal fees (a sum? Kennedy said) to apply for the station as well as the money they had invested in die Robstnwn facility The radio station was financing the effort to win the Channel 10 frequency Mary Kennedy said In the case of Channel 10 it was a three-way hearing because three groups were seeking the broadcast license So when an objection was filed or a ruling was appealed it often involved three competing attorneys This is one of the main reasons the hearing took so long At that time there was not a lot of case law to which die FCC could refer So this also lengthened the hearing When he became active in politics outside his duties as a reporter he was interested in maintaining party unity and getting Democrats elected to office Kennedy said Former Corpus Christi Mayor and 117th District Judge Jack Blackmon said he remembers how Kennedy served as a calming -influence during some stormy Democratic conventions after World War II Without taking sides on an issue he would try to persuade delegates to stop bickering and take action Blackmon said he first became acquainted with Kennedy at a state Democratic activity in 1946 Kennedy was pressing for measures that would protect tiie rights of U5 and Texas veterans and ensure that they had opportunities for a college education good housing and medical treatment Later Blackmon discovered that Kennedy) history with the party dated to the 1920s Kennedy had served as secretary of four State Democratic Executive Committees was an attorney for another organized and served as secretary of 10 State Democratic -Conventions and had been elected several times as a delegate-at-large to many Democratic National Conventions He also served on a -platform drafting subcommittee at a Democratic National Conventions Kennedy served on the Rules Committee of the Democratic National Convention in 1960 and was assistant state director for the successful Kennedy-Johnson ticket during the I960 presidential campaign Blackmon said Kennedy had no trouble getting the attention of major political figures such as House Speaker and Sam Rayburn President Kennedy and President often sought him out as a bellwether of public opinion ghost writing I did was free I never charged a dime for any of Kennedy said adding that he would not let his political affiliations compromise his activities as a Journalist He said some may have attempted to offer him political bounty in exchange for a favorable story but he always explained that he could not let his political activities and affiliations influence his stories Kennedy said most politicians respected his position but a few did not However in those days Mary Kennedy said the public realized that almost every reporter and politician in Texas was a Democrat Before he was a governor James Allred called on Kennedy to get his views on the stated political scene Kennedy had once suggested that Allred governor from 1934-39 hammer a political opponent who supported a state sales tax When this strategy proved suc- cessfrd Allred asked Kennedy to assist him with or write some of his speeches leading to Kennedy) entrenchment as a speechwriter for governors and other politicians for many years to come When Kennedy came to Corpus Christi to start the radio station Blackmon said it was dear that he was interested in legislation that was favorable to broadcasting and business development He also used his statewide and national influence to help local leaders make Corpus Christi a better place to live and to attract more people The 90-year-old Kennedy no longer is active in party politics Mary Kennedy said but he still takes great pride in knowing tiie political issues of the day and exercising his right to vote I remember him most as a Blackmon said adding Kennedy primarily used his influence to get other Democrats elected but never sought office himself "The South was solid Democratic but there were factions in the Democratic party You had die liberal group and the more conservative group and the he said "They recognized you had to form coalitions to move forward Every election from the local level to the state level every one of them was not a dogfight it was a bare-knuckles donkey fight And Vann Kennedy was a Kennedy also was a confidant of Texas Govs James Allred Beauford Jester and Allan Shivers often helping them with or writing many of their speeches Much of this stemmed from Kennedy) standing as a respected and visible reporter in Austin according to Mary Kennedy also was a reporter in Austin in the late 1930s and 1940s When Vann Kennedy began reporting from the Capitol in the late 1920s he began to get acquainted with many Texas politicians Then as the International News Service bureau manager his office was just a few yards from legislative chambers and offices When legislators told Kennedy tidbits off the record he kept the information confidential and legislators began to confide in him He also published The Tineas Storehouse Reporter earning him a reputation as an insider Mary Kennedy said So elected officials and politicians running for office By Steve Siein CsBer-lknes In the news media in business in war and in politics Vann Kennedy always has inspired his associates with his ability to navigate through crises His cool-headed leadership served him well as the secretary of -10 Texas Democratic conventions a platform delegate at National Democratic conventions and as a writer for several Texas governors Kennedy also was a political adviser to Vice President Nance Gamer and Presidents Kennedy and Johnson president and general manager of Channel 10 began getting interested in politics at youth after World War I in which military and civic responsibilities stressed His wife Mary Kennedy said her husband always looked at the right to vote as a privilege that is a cornerstone to maintaining tiie prominence of United States about 1930 he began to get to the political process by reporting on politics and the Texas Legislature as a Journalist in He used this opportunity his knowledge of the Austin political scene to improve his standing as a reporter and to become involved in politics -Kennedy said at that time he considered becoming active in as a civic duty but he aspired to be an elected radio and television news director and longtime friend also recalled handling a live election report without preparing candidate interviews or voting results Her live election update came during a slow- news period but her lack of preparation resulted in the most severe admonishment she ever received from -Kennedy a stem lecture and a warning never to repeat that performance For the most pari Wenger said Kennedy always has been a soft-spoken man "very gracious very with a great deal of patience during such incidents Kennedy doesn't lose his temper she said never seen him raise his voice But he could really put you in your place with a very incisive Kennedy) approach to correcting a problem was part of his way of teaching his staff Wenger said who considers Kennedy a mentor would have made a marvelous pro-1 Another way Kennedy educates his staff and others and a method he uses to build social and business bridges is by passing out books often to unsuspecting people who cross his path said Wenger "He must have handed out thousands of said Wenger The source of these books is part of the Kennedy mystique which is magnifiedby his love of privacy He tries to select books that match the interests of tiie recipient and usually is conversant with the content of the books Former Corpus Christi Mayor Luther Jones one of Kennedy) fellow Rotarians said he has received a book from Kennedy each Christmas since they first met in 1967 think to tills day it)s always a book on a military figure said Jones a -retired US Army colonel who met Kennedy when he became the commander of the then Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Center in Corpus Christi' who has been -around Mr Kennedy for long says they have a library" said Looper Cronkite still gets a book "He always sends me a book every Christmas I guess still trying to educate Cronkite said Kennedy has given him a variety of biographies over the Looper said he always is amused when a representative from a high-powered syndicator such as Disney usually expensively dressed and well-coiffed receives a book after making a sophisticated pitch in Kennedy) office: 'Mr Kennedy I came to sell you something not to get a Looper remembers one dumbfounded program syndicator saying as he left Kennedy) office Furiey said preparation is one of the keys to Kenniys business success and his annual book campaign follows in that tradition year when it gets close to -Christmas all working on book detaiL And he compiles an exhaustive list of people he wants to give books Furiey said Furiey and others believe that Kennedy passes out book because of his love of the written world and his adventuresome enterprising and optimistic nature I came to Corpus Christi (in 1946) I wanted to grow personally and contribute to the growth of South Texas" Kennedy said Kennedy said that in 1946 he believed that Corpus Christi could become one of the largest cities in the state great And he has not changed his opinioa of the cityls potential for growth Key to me cityls development Kennedy said always has been the port and military installations but the area still has unlimited potential as a center of tourism and retirement He said he admires government and business officials who in recent years have helped to develop the Coastal Bend into a significant Texas tourism center As to the future Kennedy said the rapid growth of Laredo where he operates CBS affiliate KVTV will benefit Corpus Christi As Laredo's importance as the gateway to trade with Mexico increases the port and Its railway connections to Laredo will bring more and more goods to Corpus Christi creating more jobs and magnifying the importance as a trade center he said South Texas also will continue to attract military facilities because the area's air space is much less restricted than other areas in the United States with existing military bases may not be In my Kennedy said I still believe Corpus Christi will become one of the larger cities in Itexas" He said water Issues have been one of the city) roadblocks to increased growth Area leaders opportunities in the 1950s on various water projects and these missed opportunities are coming back to haunt the area Kennedy said every great city has its ups and downs" In recent years Kennedy has been pleased with local leadership and hopes Please saa JOUMUUSTfl TBS After hearing from the FCC in July Kennedy decided to wait 30 days to see if either of his opponents of the past four years would file an appeal of the FCCfc decision Kennedy didn't want to go through die expense of preparing die transmitter tower and studio for television operations if the hearing process was going to linger for months There already had been 5000 pages of testimony and more than 400 exhibits as well as thousands of pages of briefs The 30-day appeal deadline passed without new legal challenges But by this time Kennedy was facing a new threat to his KS IX Television Inc Channel 10 on a different front from KVDO-TV UHF (ultra high frequency) Channel 22 While Kennedy waited on legal challenges KRIS-TV Channel 6 became the first VHF (very high frequency) station to go on the air in May of 1956 in Corpus Christi Kennedy was aware that KRIS also had faced an FCC protest from KVDO-TV before going on the air However when KRIS Vnt on the air any protests faded away The rule of the day seemed to be on the air and the FCC wont shut you according to Looper In die early 1950s the FCC seriously considered requests not to mix UHF and VHF stations in the same broadcast area It was now the early part of September Kennedy feared that KVDO would take legal action to keep Channel 10 off the aic He decided there only was one course of action get KSIX on the air in 30 days believed it could be done1 Looper said Kennedy began executing a plan that he had been working on for the past four years He worked at a furious pace as though on deadline Kennedy already had purchased a farm site onHighway44 about 1 miles east of Robstown for the station's transmitter and studio still the transmitter site Engineers told Kennedy that he could reach a larger part of the Coastal Bend with a clear signal if he placed tiie tower at Robstown About two years earlier Kennedy sent Looper to the Pasadena Playhouse in California to attend the first television workshop in the United States Kennedy also had visited dozens of other television stations to study their operations Kennedy told his entire KSDC-AM radio staff who for the most part would become Channel 10b staff "Prepare as if we will get the grant (from the FCC) for tiie television Looper recalled: always Mr Kennedy was thoroughly prepared But I doirt think he ever dreamed nett have to get the station on the air in 30 From the offices of KSIX-AM at the Showroom Building at 533 Upper Broadway (now a parking lot near the Wilson Building) Kennedy spent most of his time calmly managing tiie hectic events 1 $tudio equipment such as cameras and tubes were being shipped in by rail air and truck Kennedy called engineers from the Panhandle to tiie Rio Grande Valley to work on the transmitter equipment Most believed it would take at least 90 days to have the transmitter ready Kennedy eventually summoned a team of General Electric engineers from Houston Dallas and Syracuse NY Kennedy wanted the tower operable even ifmore work had to be done later "He said to do what it takes to get the station on the Looper said those days I wondered if he ever slept Looper said adding that Kennedy was determined not to let the past four years of fighting to win tiie FCC license be wasted Beginning about Sept 7 the engineers worked round-the-clock on the tower The concrete slab for the studio was poured The concrete foundation for the antenna tower was poured and waned without a hitch £0n Sept 25 1956 the Kennedys received official word that KVDO had nffled a petition with the FCC to halt any farther construction on the station But Jibe FCC did not act immediately on the "petition speech John The camps were has the In closer Austin and politics never always Mr Kennedy A was thoroughly prepared But I think he ever dreamed have to get the station on the air in 30 -Gene Looper told him to go away but he persisted saying it was a serious matter Endtiy I dragged this box out and a little skunk darted out and sprayed -Waller Furiey the station was on tiie air The legal challenges were over The new television staff most of them staffers at tiie radio station rejoiced but Kennedy was busy mapping business plans fair the station Kennedy said that in the early days of Channel 10 it was difficult to explain the Corpus Christi market to national adverr risers "They thought that we were part of the Rio Grande Valley or a suburb of San Antonio so there were some challenges in the The challenges extended to airing live commercials and news Looper said KZTV) offices were uptown at the former Showroom Building the studio and transmitter were in Robstown (Since 1986 the KZTV offices and studio have i been at a company-owned building at 301 Artesian St) Looper and Walter Furley KZTV) news director and a Kennedy employee of more than 40 years remember mad dashes from the station offices where the newscasts were put together to the KZTV broadcast studios in Robstown One day Furiey said he arrived at the Robstown studio at about 11:15 am fearing he would not get tiie scripts and everything else ready for his noonbroad-cast Unknown to him tiie technicians -had been trying to trap a skunk that had been crawling aroundin tiie studio's lighting rafters for a few days As Furiey was typing furiously at his desk a technician interruptedhim saying that something appeared to be in the trap told him to go Furiey said "that I had no time for this foolishness at the moment but he persisted saying it was a serious matter Finally I dragged this box out and a little skunk darted out and sprayed Everyone fled the studio but Furiey sat down to do his newscast while a lone technician managed to lock the television camera on him before clearing out I was my clothes and everything else Just giving off this terrible smell reading the Furiey said He returned to the downtown office dothes unchanged telling Kennedy what had happened and asking for permission to go home and change his dothes Kennedy didn't say a word Furiey recalled he just closed his eyes as a sign ofapprovaL Sometimes Looper said a storm would cause loud noises or the lights to flicker at the studio but the announcers had to keep reading the news or commercials as if nothing had happened It unusual for a prop to fall or malfunction during a live commercial Looper said Mary Kennedy remembers one such calamity a few years after the station went on the air "There was a she said ice was frozen on one of the lines from the transmitter The ice broke and fell through the roof (of tiie studio) right when Walter (Furiey) was doing the news But of course he didn't stop and went right on doing the news" Looper said some things were For instance during the first National Football League broadcasts on CBS in the 1950s local commercials were there was one more Mary Kennedy remembered found out at tiie last minute under all that material that had been packed a part that kept the moisture out of the tower was missing This could be very dangerous (to operate the tower without that It was Sunday Sept 30 The weather had been dry all month The tower was dry Kennedy made the decision to throw the switch to the transmitter tower so Looper could sign on The big moment had come even though mere was no furniture at tiie station The studio was bare was the leastof our Looper said sat in a plain chair at this orange crate You couldn't see it was an orange crate the way they shot Looper extremely nervous at the time remembers signing on with something like: "TV station KSIX Channel 10 is now on tiie KSIX-TV changed its call letters to KZTV in 1958 to avoid viewer confusion with Channel 6 The next day the needed part for the tower arrived and Channel 10 began its programming There was one other -development that day Looper said: Kennedy) attorneys mWhuilngton DC told the FCC that any petition to block tfee progress of KSIX was moot became aired live so station announcers such as Looper had to be alert never knowing when tiie CBS broadcasters were going to break for a commercial following a touchdown or a timeout And sometimes there could be a disaster with a prop remember one time that Coca-Cola was pushing a new product (called a 'snowball') that had the Coke flow over the ice Looper said This Involved a round device that was filled with ice cream then attached to a bottle of Coca-Cola so a person could get the taste of ice cream that had been soaked in Coke a different version of an ice cream float Furiey was doing the Coca-Cola commercial live and the attachment and the ice cream broke apart splattering tiie Coke and ice cream all over Furiey) shirt Looper said Walter (Furiey) went on telling viewers the same thing wouldn't happen to them when they bought the Furiey said that advertisers told him that children found his television antics so funny when he did the commercial that they dashed to die local stores and tiie "snowballs sold out quickly Juliet Wenger Kennedy) former.