KUID-TV Marks 40 Years of Public Broadcasting Sept. 23-24
Monday, August 15 2005
August 15, 2005 MOSCOW, Idaho – Friends, former staff members and alumni of Idaho’s first public television station will celebrate 40 years of public broadcasting Sept. 23-24 in Moscow. When KUID-TV went on the air in the fall of 1965, it was programmed and operated by University of Idaho faculty members and students. It joined public TV stations in Boise and Pocatello to form Idaho Public Television in 1982. Over the past four decades, KUID has been an integral part of Idaho’s media mix by providing local news and sports coverage, hard-hitting documentaries and the full range of music, drama and public affairs programs distributed by PBS. “The standards of quality and service to the community established at KUID 40 years ago have been the guiding beacon for Idaho Public Television,” said Peter Morrill, general manager of the statewide system. “As an educational station, KUID has been unmatched,” said Kenton Bird, director of the UI School of Journalism and Mass Media. “Students have worked side by side with professionals in the studio, control rooms and editing booths.” Dozens of UI graduates who earned degrees in journalism, radio-television, telecommunication and visual communication now work at television stations, networks and cable channels across the country. Others have branched out into other news and entertainment media, said Bird. The September events will recognize KUID’s role as an extension of the university’s core mission: providing information and culture to Idaho. It will be an opportunity to look back with pride and ahead to the future of public broadcasting in the digital era, Bird said. “The weekend will give students, faculty and professional staff who contributed to KUID’s history an opportunity to reminisce about their time at the station,” said Glenn Mosley, UI director of broadcasting and reunion coordinator. “Everyone who passed through KUID has a unique memory of their time here.” During the weekend celebration, two “best-of KUID” video presentations will be shown in UI’s Borah Theater. Selections include: “The Social Amenities,” an infamous 1964 instructional program for undergraduates about manners; “Sweet Land of Liberty,” a controversial 1976 production focusing on the Moscow-Pullman gay community; 1977 regional Emmy award winner “Skydiving;” and “I’m Going Bald,” a mockumentary produced by James Lucas, who is now news producer at KREM-TV in Spokane. Gordon Law, Savannah, Ga., the first KUID station manager, and Peter Haggart, Moscow, the second manager, both plan to attend the reunion. “We had no notion when we turned on the power switch in 1965 what an adventure we were starting on,” Haggart said. “It was a great trip and it was made even better by those students and co-workers and the fact that we were in the public television game when we were still inventing the rules.” Among others who plan to attend are Walt Johnson, one of the station’s original engineers; broadcast engineer Ken Segota, who began working at the station in 1967 while a UI student; and Tom Coggins, an award-winning producer during the 1970s. In addition to the September celebration, Idaho Public TV plans a series of short segments looking at the scope of local programming from the past 40 years. Online access to the segments will be provided through a multi-media Web site. This year, KUID studio production system will begin upgrades to state-of-the-art digital technology. “The new production facilities will not only give hands-on experience to the next generation of media professionals, but also provide viewers – and users – of Idaho Public Television with the latest technology,” Morrill said. A schedule of events and registration information are available from the UI Alumni Association at (208) 885-6154 or on the JAMM Web site at www.class.uidaho.edu/jamm/kuid_guest_book.htm. The KUID anniversary is part of a year-long series of events celebrating 60 years of broadcast education at the UI. In April, students produced a live radio drama from the SUB Borah Theatre and presented short videos at the Moscow Kino Student Digital Media Festival. Student radio station KUOI-FM will mark its 60th year on the air in November. Contact: Kenton Bird, UI JAMM director, (208) 885-4947, kbird@uidaho.edu; Glenn Mosley, UI Director of Broadcasting, (208) 885-6020, gmosley@uidaho.edu; Peter Morrill, General Manager, Idaho Public Television, (208) 373-7220 peter.morrill@idahoptv.org; Joni Kirk, University Communications, (208) 885-7725, joni@uidaho.edu. See photo gallery and schedule at www.class.uidaho.edu/jamm/kuid_guest_book.htm Photo Op: Sept. 23, Noon: Cake Cutting with UI President Tim White at KUID studio behind UI’s Administration Building -30- JK-8/15/05-JAMM
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.