KUT 30th Anniversary Dinner

Thank you so can I. I want to welcome all of you to this festive evening. We are delighted that all of you have come. You just couldn't have been. Nicer. OK you see and all the people who have worked for it over the years that have such a wonderful turn out. I know many of you when you first heard the details of this evening had an initial first reaction that. $50 a head and public radio were an oxymoron. I would point out to you it's just as well that we're all here if we were home tonight there would be nothing to listen to on Yuichi except the city council meeting. Presided over by our dynamic Mayor Frank Cooksey in his usual spirited. Style. We're going to try something a little tricky now. We want to recognize several special guests tonight. I'm going to call their names and I'm going to ask them to stay seated until after I've gotten through the entire list. And I'm going to ask them

all to stand and ask y'all to burst into a hearty round of applause. Among this special guest with us tonight our Bob Jeffrey Dean of the College of Communication and his wife Phyllis. Ron Johnson member of the College of Communication foundation advisory council. Bob getting's attorney and the system general counsel's office and his wife Salim. Jim Mauer chairman of the Texas Public Broadcasting Association and his wife Patricia. John Henry folk who practically needs no introduction except to recall that in the mid-1970s he was a regular commentator on NPR's News programs. He is here with his wife Liz and Joe Gwathmey who recently completed a 16 year tenure at National Public Radio. Most recently as NPR's vice president for programming part of that Joe was general manager of KUTV. Now I would ask all of those whose names I have called to please stand and be recognized. Well done. What a smart group. Next on our

program a moment of tremendous excitement for us. I'm about to read a proclamation from the city council. I seriously considered reading it in the style of Frank Cooksey. My home was signed but in a moment of kindness I have decided to spare you all. This is what it says. Whereas communication is the basis of progress in our contemporary society and an integral facet in the life of our community. And whereas this dissemination of information by radio is essential today not only for knowledge but to ensure in poor progress and creativity in modern society. And whereas the University of Texas at Austin National Public Radio affiliate station KUTV ninety point but FM is celebrating this year 30 years of service and excellence. To the Austin community. Whereas Bob Edwards has been the guiding spirit of NPR's Morning Edition newsmagazine

communicating new perspectives and understanding of the world around us through his extraordinary rapport with listeners. And whereas. Having celebrated with us the dedication of his College of Communication Bob Edwards has now returned to celebrate K to use 30 years of service creating understanding and goodwill among the Austin community and the University of Texas. Now therefore. By. Karang see Cooksey mayor of the city of Austin Texas do hereby proclaim the year of 1988 as KUTV nineteen point five FM public awareness year. In office. And call on all citizens to join me in supporting public broadcasting in welcoming Bob Woodward's back to our community and in celebrating. To use 30 years of excellent service to the people of Austin.

And this is a godsend in sealed. It is now my pleasure to introduce Bill Jordan. He joined U-T in 1964 as program director. And in the nearly 25 years since has served in several other capacities including his present position as General Manager will you please join me in welcoming my daughter. Down to earth. God I can't follow that. Before I share a few remarks with you about how you tease prehistory I want to recognize some additional people. The three members of my staff who were so instrumental in planning this excellent evening. And

I'd like to ask them to stand and receive a round of applause. Leonora Sido Rawle and Morehouse and Betsy Pilkington's if you would say that. In addition to the special guests who've already been introduced. I'd like to recognize two others who probably hold the record here this evening for being the greatest distance from home. I think they're in the back. Peter Fred president and general manager of public stations K teow TV and FM and Bill Lasar station manager of public station KGO FM both are here on business from Juneau Alaska. Betsy came into my office about. A month ago and

wondered if I had decided yet about the topic of these remarks. And we talked about it for a bit and finally decided that since we'll have the whole year in front of us to talk about the KUTV that came to life in 1958. This might be the time to say something about Katis antecedents including to you the actual beginning date of radio broadcasting on the university campus has never really been substantiated. There are some unofficial references to a radio operation on the campus as early as 1912. But the most reliable information that we have indicates that the first licens bearing the call letters 5 x y was issued to the university on March 22nd 1921 a year later in

1922 a new license was issued with new call letters WCM. And it was this set of call letters. The station used to identify itself until 1925. In these first years the station was used for a number of purposes beginning as a demonstration project in the Department of Physics whose energetic and persistent. Professor Simpson L.. Brown had persuaded the administration to let him build the station in the first place. Beginning in 1923 though W. CMEs operations. Passed out of the control of the physics department and under the control of the extension division for extension teaching. Their problem was funding. Ever present. One of the

stipulations under which the extension division had taken control of WCM was that adequate funding would be provided for operations and for the kind of maintenance required to keep the equipment in. As they quoted it first class condition. But for whatever reason the funds were not made available and as a consequence no broadcasting could be done effectively. As you might imagine the extension division people began to wonder just exactly what they were going to do with this white elephant that they had now. And as they were asking themselves the question the answer walk through the door. Literally it was a representative of the state agriculture marketing and warehouse division and he needed the means to broadcast his daily crop and weather reports. So he made a deal with extension. If they had let him use the station for an hour a day

he'd keep the equipment in order. They thought it was grand. Moreover at other times of the day the university could and did use the station for its own purposes including a number of faculty lecture series. And this arrangement seemed to work pretty well for a while but by the end of 1924 the physics department decided that it wanted the station back in its own bailiwick. And with the concurrence of the Board of Regents the physics department was back in control by the summer of 1925. And by that fall a new license had been issued granted on October 30th and it bore for the very first time. The call letters k t. And Professor Brown still in the physics department. He became the news stations renaissance man. He served simultaneously as technical director general manager

and producer. They aired programs three times a night three times a week rather from eight to 10. No sponsors no commercials. There were concerts we understand by the University Symphony and by other Austin musical organizations as well as a typical staple diet of discussion speeches and lectures by faculty state officials and not to be laughed out by the agriculture experts weekly services were also broadcast from St. David's Episcopal church and during football season the fans could listen to play by play descriptions of the Longhorn games. All in all for 19:25 this was a fairly ambitious undertaking but by 1927 ambition had outrun the funding the expense of operating and maintaining the station had simply become too

great for the physics department to sustain responding to the problem. University president Harry Benedict did as university presidents often do at such times. He appointed a committee to study the matter. Well they studied and ultimately the committee recommended that the project be discontinued and in consequence of that the station was dismantled and the equipment was returned to the physics labs for experimentation. So this early chapter in the history of the university's radio broadcasting experience with 5 x y WCM and KUTV came to what others felt was an untimely close and a new chapter wouldn't be written for another 30 years. But there's a postscript to this.

The University of Wyoming is President Arthur crane was chairman at the time of the radio Committee of the Association of American universities and it was in that capacity that Dr. Crane headed a national meeting here in Austin to discuss radio leadership among American universities. And it was Dr. Crain's view that the University of Texas should. And these are his words become the center of broadcasting in the southwest. Now that was probably overreaching but now 60 years later certainly in the sense of public broadcasting in the sense of what it has become. I think it's fair to say that Dr. Crain's vision is a reality. Now I'd like to close with an announcement. It's one that I can't actually make officially

as many of you know the Austin Chronicle for the past six years has polled its readers asking for their preferences in several dozen subject categories and one of the questions is what is Austin's best radio station. For six years the answer has been the same. You too. Well this year's polling closed about two weeks ago. The vote tabulations have been completed and the results will be published early next month. We haven't had an actual peek at the results but we have been given the definite impression. However unofficial it is that for the seventh consecutive year K T has been voted Austin's best radio station. We've also been given the equally definite

equally unofficial impression that tell you you again won in a landslide with more votes than those tallied for the stations in second and third place combined. With that. I think I'll just say thank you very much. Thanks for listening. Thank. You. I. And most of us here I have a curiously intimate relationship with Bob Edwards. Five mornings a week we wake up roll over on our pillows and say Bob what's happened. I don't know that you have the most of the time I spend with Bob Edwards. I'm only wearing a nightgown.

We are pleased to have with us this evening the host of National Public Radio's MORNING EDITION I called his colleagues to ask for a little material to use in the introduction tonight. Now that I am one of them could think of a single thing funny about Bob Edwards. Funny they said he's not funny he's grumpy. So would you be if you were naturally a night person who had wound up due. Life's great. One of life's great miscasting news as host of The Morning Edition. This is a man who now has to get up every morning before he used to go to bed. Bob Edwards is fighting you with location with every ounce of energy he has. He appears before us tonight wearing a pinstripe three piece suit with a gold watch and chain. Only because he's married to a woman of strong will.

Is indeed a great pleasure to have him here. I would take much more time to tease him but I think you and I would rather hear from Bob Edwards himself. Please help me welcome him to Austin tonight. Rob you were only a damn fool would follow my lead to the microphone. Oh here I am. So anyone heard a Morning Edition on which Miley was. Doing commentary. Who didn't think that Molly was wrestling program. Anyone want to hear more of Molly on MORNING EDITION.

The People Speak. I tried bribery and I didn't work. She said there wasn't anything I could tell her about bribery. I don't know what she meant by that. Something about covering the State House for so long. Following Molly reminds me of following Pawling Red Barber on his home turf. We spoke together once at Rollins College Rollins College is a place where you can major in waterski. It's in Orlando near Disney World and if Walt had ever built a college it would look like Rollins. The architecture is just beautiful it it's got college written all over them. If your kids ever find out about Rollin's there would be no talking to them about Harvard. It's just you. But READ READ does this number. He was trying to demonstrate the drama of radio and the

electricity in it. The relationship between the person with the microphone and his audience and what Red does in those occasions is repeat from memory. The ninth inning. Of the fourth game of the 1947 World Series. And you will not believe this man has a doubt. I mean he is you know it's all up here he recalls. For example that it was the first World Series that had. A foul line. Umpires had six numbers and he'll name them for you and he'll set the defense you know. Now that particular game happened to be when baboon's So the Yankees had a no hitter going into the ninth inning. And had a one nothing lead. And so there was great excitement great drama and read and believe in that. That old superstition that you didn't talk about the no hitter roles just blabbering away about it. But here is this this group of people some of whom may actually know about baseball but a lot of them didn't and it doesn't matter because when red is doing this thing you know they're

on their feet they're going nuts. You know Will Bevan's get the no hitter. Will the Yankees hold on to the one nothing lead. Wait a minute now the Dodgers have two runners on base and the last. My God. You know what's going to happen. People are getting charged up. You know so cocky like Legato comes up. And red is doing the call. You know that's fly ball deep in center field it's off the wall. Oh here comes the tying run and here comes the winning run and before a lot of Ghatal slides into second base. You got little old ladies in the back row waving their canes and walkers are flying in the air in. A red suit. And then I become. The president of Rollins College and now Bob Edwards and I don't know it's time. So I come up and you know I'm. I. Want to talk about. The first amendment the same little old ladies that are going out what do you say first offenders why.

Speak up sonny. I'm looking down at my wife who's yawning and. My little daughter was wearing a white dress and she's you know going under the folding chairs. Leila Barber is tracking her watch. So you know it's. And then I have to follow Molly on her home turf. Anyway here I am and you were probably expecting someone else. I know. I'm used to that. I've disappointed people from Alaska to Florida. At least now you know why I'm in radio. People say you have a great face for radio. A. Guy came all the way from Portland Oregon wants to watch us do all things

considered back and all things considered. Hell I was 10 years younger than he said. He said to me it's a shame you don't look like you. And I don't know what you say to that you know. Well here we are 30 years old. So we're about the same age. What is the topic of this stuff. Public Radio's unique contribution to broadcaster. OK. I'll tell you. I'll tell you what's unique you are. I mean just the sight of you out there. Pay him 50 bucks I had to come here and party. Either that or you are desperate for a good time. But I came south with the candidates. I am one of you. Don't get me started on those guys.

Well you can ask me about it. We'll do some questions later and you can ask me about having unique. Yes. Unique. This is unique. I mean this is public radio this is non-commercial radio. You are paying money to go help out a radio station and imagine a commercial radio station. Are you going to pay $50 to go out and meet those people. It's a whole different concept. It's not just your 50 bucks but it's your support. You're around just listening just participating because you're not a passive listener. You are participating. You're part of part of the action. You have a say in what goes on in a you t you you vote if you will when you're dependent on listeners directly for their money. And all public radio stations are increasingly dependent on listeners for money. They tend to listen to

you you listen to them. They listen to you. A commercial station you know you have no direct stake there. I mean you buy the products they advertise and that keeps them on the air. But but there's that you know it's disconnected somehow. If they feel that the person complaining about whatever has just been said on the radio. Might be a $100 contributor or something while you get attention. I want to tell you. It's it's yours the way no other radio station is. And I think you appreciate that I think that's why you're here. And presumably you like what you hear. I mean you hear some rather unique things speaking of unique. You hear excitement you hear things you don't hear on commercial radio you hear. Senator Rudy Boschwitz of Minnesota. Put me on hold during a live interview.

I. Don't get this on Good Morning America. You know. Boschwitz have one of those call holding devices you know triggers a little sound and he says excuse me Bob I have another call. I'm on Senator Sanders. But he came right back. Let's see what else. You don't hear. You don't hear me interview the wrong person. A bunch of us have done that. In my case I had the wrong author it was a sound alike author and they both had the same publisher and they sent the wrong guy. And he was just really jacked out of shape about the whole situation. So I went out and bought his book and interviewed him and I felt we owed him that. It's happened others happened to Sanford Ungar who replaced me on all things considered. Now the dean of

the American University School of Communication Sandy interviewed this fellow who he thought was an expert on Soviet policy an expert on Soviet Union. Turns out that was a guy with the very same name exact same name who is a concert violinist. And you know his fine arts Radio NPR has a lot of classical music stations out there and he's like well it was his turn. I mean sooner or later public radio going around to talk to them and why wouldn't they be asking for him. So he showed up and here's this guy asking some questions on Soviet foreign policy and when he answered them he was gay. You know he's got opinions that are just as valuable as the next guy. And then this happens frequently when we do interviews by satellite because we can't see the person you know so we don't know if it's the right person or not. And we just we kind of have a little faith here that we're talking to the right person. But.

David Malpass who takes my place on MORNING EDITION is our Pentagon correspondent. He he did an interview once with someone he thought was the great great great great grandson of Jefferson Davis. And he did 20 minutes with a guy I don't know what they talked about for 20 minutes but he detected something in the voice and I can see them going on here. And he says Excuse me you know he's Mississippi he's hip hop was he says are you black. And the guys. Yes. And they said well you know you can't very well be the great great grandson of the father of the Confederacy. They brought me a present white. No of course not. Yes we're talking unique. You don't get the stuff on the Today show. You don't hear James Watt walk out on those. James Watt used to be the secretary of the Interior not a devoted

fan of reporters James Watt he was hawking a book though. You know they inevitably they all come to you if they're talking about you know the Jimmy Carter talk to me when he was president. Now he's got what two three books and I was like a bad habit. Now you can't get rid of me. Hi Bob. Listen to your buddy. He said that you know I'll buy it. Why not. It's like once he put in one of his books that he heard on. I do but little birthdays. And he heard that it was his wife's birthday and he said. I say. But he went out and got a purse. Anyway what was I was talking about. I digress here. I was writing books. I was talking his book on MORNING EDITION and I'm asking him a question I thought it was a rather tame question. I said. Wouldn't you have accomplished more of your agenda gotten more done that you wanted to get done if

you had played the game if you had been more politic more Washington more I'll scratch your back you scratch me on. More pragmatic more willing to compromise. And he walked out. He said you know this has been just fine. I don't edit this too much good day marked out. And I'm wrong Mr. Watt. And I that was on tape and we debated about that. And I thought it should be part of what we put on. I thought we should broadcast that too because that. Told you a lot about James Watt. So we did. And a listener hearing that saw James Watt that day in a drugstore in Washington D.C. and walked up to him and said Why don't you walk out on Bob Edwards. And we walked out on. This is unique stuff.

Unique stuff. So you don't you don't get this on the other programs. Here's what's going to happen. Couple of things if they're ready. There's going to be a toast here. So there's going to be champagne and cake. So right. And so it's going to take a while for all of that stuff to get around all these tables hold the champagne will do the toast after everyone gets some champagne. In the meantime we can chat. You've probably thought to yourself if that sucker ever shows his face in Austin Texas have I got a thing or two to tell him. Here is your shot. And we'll get to the Happy Birthday. Who has a question. Who wants to start this thing right. Yes. You're you're not going to

believe this but that has never come up before. Well tell them don't look in the damn yearbook. I haven't changed a bit. Now. Yes. As a matter of fact I do. Yes. I'm an e He's an e. The e's always said together. You know it's high school. I remember all the ears. Sure. Let me tell you about Jackie Wald. There's a guy. Yes. His dad has a very early start. Right after school is to run on down to earlier start. I'm sure this is all entertaining to you. Back. On the grind.

The grind of the daily Yeah. Yeah I know that feeling. I'd like to leave it to but I'm chicken. I think you leave a daily program you're in Siberia they forget about you. You know I'm chicken. But I know I know exactly how it feels. Besides who's got a program now which is even more her. Not at all things considered it wasn't. But it's very much her on the weekends we get very little help from the men the reporters the hosts have to carry that program. So you really have to like Suze or you really have to like Scott. To be able to to like. Weekend Edition. I'm not sure I could do that kind of program but they can and I'm very very well I think. Yes. Well yeah. That's. The right honorable order of Kentucky Colonels. I mean in some places they will make you honorary state cop. Or

Ranger or whatever. And Kentucky is a very distinguished honor I think. Only about 700 million people have ever been designated Kentucky Colonels. Oh yeah. Very much so. Yeah. I'm from Logan. But you know Red's a colonel too. I'm sure there must be forty five in this room. But that's just twitting me. That's his little thing. Yes. Yes. No less. Less so than all things considered because they are that 5 o'clock deadline which is very early. I mean there are still things going on in Washington hearings and the like. I mean look at the evening television programs 6:30 or 7:00 in the east they're on the air. So five o'clock is a very early deadline and it's nuts. It's

absolutely nuts. We work with these 10 inch reels big metal reels and they have literally been flying across rooms like frisbees to the engineer who want shut down and you know threaded up quickly to get it on the air. My favorite moment was when I was reading an introduction and an arm was under here. Writing in longhand. The bottom part of the introduction and I've kind of slowed down you know if I'm going to hear them. I mean it gets that close to a deadline. Morning Edition. There are some breaking stories but by and large we've had all night and it's been Europe and Asia that's been making news. And that's what you're hearing. Nothing's going on here. All that stuff is packaged and ready to go except for the live interviews or live interviews. That's done. On.

Iran. I think that I'm trying to recall when we broke. I know. Nina Totenberg named the special prosecutor about three weeks before he was announced. But as far as the particulars. Oh God. It's going to be awfully embarrassing if we did. And I don't remember. I don't recall it on that one. I recall it on. Morton Thiokol. And the details of that. Yeah. And how they knew many months before they said they knew that the O rings or faulty You know there was some risk of sending those people out. How about that. We asked these questions we do we don't always get answers but we ask the question.

Yes. All. So and you're still here. That statement says not a question that's because the statement isn't a declarative sentence. I think you have all those questions. Those are the ones I had. Yes. I get up at 1:30 a.m. in the studio by 2:30 and I go home at around 12:30 in the afternoon I go to bed

around 7 some 30. On the weekends. I go back to being a normal person. And then I get this whiplash every Monday. Back into the thing. Yes. No I think that's. Obvious from listening to that I have. That I have no idea what's going to go on here. I'm just kind of holding on for four minutes and wondering where this is going to go or whether it's about azaleas or cats or chameleons Mason-Dixon an exciting moment for me. And I know. But no I haven't. I have no idea. Certain things are obvious or you think they are. But you know you raise the question and he's right down and said No I don't want to talk about that on talk about.

The committee is are. We talking about Committee is our cats telling about his Abyssinian. Are he'll come up with some psalm and I don't know what to do with the song. How do you follow assortments. Battles follow in Mali. Yes. You know I was Imus Dupont. Pierre DuPont Numero Quatro. One of those were and. I wanted to be in some bootlegger shack and Valdosta Georgia and. One of those errors are George's come in and order a couple of shooters. William Schneider who's campaign analyst for morning edition tells me he was invited to a function in New Hampshire a bush function and it said that

please come at such and such a time or whatever for burgers and bloodies. I love it. Oh well. I don't know. I think it could be fun. It could be fun particularly at the time the indictment start coming out. Not that he'll be one of them you understand that it will not. Do him any favors right. Right now I guess it looks like the caucus and Bush but who knows. We'll know on Tuesday maybe and if not maybe even a convention. Imagine a real convention. We're back to smoke filled rooms exhibition like Austin. They don't smoke anymore. I've been doing my best to destroy it. I think.

I think I'm doing my best to destroy it. No. No one day I was 12 years old and I sounded like this. I'm. Waiting for my 13 year old son. Yes ma'am. I don't know. Thank you. Thank you for that. Everyone of champagne know you think. Who doesn't. Well good. God bless. Yes. And he's agile too and he dances. OK. This is 30 years. Let's say. 30

years. Where am I am in Austin OK too. At least 30 more years and many more beyond that. May tell you t have as much success is there a royal. As much talent as. Molly items. May it retain a sense of what made this country great. Like John Henry Ford has. Made it. Carefully underdog is LBJ. And may it get as rich as the Hunt brothers so we will never have to have a fundraiser again. Thank you all there's cake and after that of course there is party and bogeying and whatever one does in nouveau Austin. Thank you all very much.

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