KFOY-TV
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | NBC |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | February 12, 1961 |
Last air date | April 17, 1963 |
Call sign meaning | Fountain of Youth |
| Technical information | |
| ERP | 2.63 kW[1] |
| HAAT | 400 ft (120 m) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°30′49″N 93°3′13″W / 34.51361°N 93.05361°W |
KFOY-TV, analog channel 9, was a commercial
History
Channel 9 was assigned to Hot Springs by the FCC in 1952.
Construction was approved for KFOY in April 1960 after a meeting between the Hot Springs City Planning Commission and officers of Southwestern Operating Co. (for Donrey Media).
Studios, transmitter, and the 317-foot (97 m) tower were located at 105 Whippoorwill Street on West Mountain in Hot Springs National Park.[3] The station signed on at 1:00 pm CST on February 12, 1961, with a special open house telecast. Regular programming began at 5:00 pm CST.[4]
Programming
KFOY-TV had no network affiliation when it began broadcasting, but later affiliated with NBC. Programming consisted of movies, syndicated shows and local productions. A number of prominent entertainers appeared on the station while working at local night clubs, and fan dancer Sally Rand had an exercise program during her stay in town.[3]
Staff
Air personalities included newscaster Chad Lassiter; and weathercaster Tom Nichols, succeeded by Barbara Ann Stillings.[5]
Harold E. "Hal" King was named general manager in mid-January 1961. Other staff members included Arie Landrum, program director; Bryan T. E. Bisney, production manager; Albert W. Scheer, Jr., chief engineer; C.J. "Gus" Dickson, commercial manager; Joe Wall, camera operator; Valerie Matthews, set designer; Gloria Lee Milton, receptionist; and Lillian B. Robbins, continuity writer and secretary.
Donrey Media transferred Bill Crews from Fort Smith, Arkansas, where Donrey owned KFSA-TV channel 5, to manage KFOY in 1962.[6]
Demise
The station suffered from an inadequate coverage pattern as well as a declining Hot Springs population and its proximity to Little Rock; one of Donrey's competitors in Fort Smith, radio station KWHN, asked for channel 9 to be moved there to provide better competition.[7] It suspended operations on April 17, 1963,[8] citing $100,000 in debt.[9]
In August 1963, the station and its facilities were sold to the Arkansas Educational Television Commission for $150,000 using a $100,000 gift from the Reynolds Foundation.[10] AETC did not activate a channel 9 facility in the region until KETG, licensed to Arkadelphia and transmitting from Gurdon, began broadcasting on October 2, 1976.[11]
References
- ^ KFOY-TV (PDF). 1962–63. p. 34. Retrieved June 22, 2021 – via World Radio History.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ "New Hot Springs tv set" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 18, 1960. p. 65. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Poindexter 1974, p. 377.
- ^ Hot Springs Sentinel Record, Feb. 12, 1961
- ^ "Barbara Ann Stillings Obituary - Franklin, Tennessee | Williamson Memorial Funeral Home and Cremation Services". www.williamsonmemorial.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-29.
- ^ Poindexter 1974, p. 378.
- ^ "VHF channel requested for Fort Smith, Ark" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 3, 1963. p. 56. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "TV Station Closed". Northwest Arkansas Times. Associated Press. April 19, 1963. p. 12. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ The Federal Register, Vol 29, issues 215-232
- ^ "Educational TV Commission Purchases Hot Springs Station". Northwest Arkansas Times. Associated Press. August 21, 1963. p. 3. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Cam-Tel reassigns 3 channel positions". The Camden News. October 22, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
Bibliography
- Poindexter, Ray (1974). Arkansas Airwaves (PDF). North Little Rock, Arkansas – via World Radio History.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)