Texas Almanac, 1952-1953 Page: 20
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TEXAS ALMANAC.-1952-1953.
was the first superpower station in the
South and the first station of that power
owned by any newspaper in the nation.
Radio Station KGKO was added to The
News family in 1940, in joint ownership and
operation with the Fort Worth Star-Tele-
gram. However, this partnership was dis-
solved later and, under an agreement with
the Federal Communications Commission,
Radio Station WFAA began operating as a
full-time station with two frequencies. It
operates one-half time on its frequency of
820 kilocycles, a nationally cleared channel,
with 50,000 watts power, and one-half time on
a frequency of 570 kilocycles, a regional
channel, with 5,000 watts. WFAA shares these
two frequencies with WBAP, Fort Worth.
This dual operation is unique in American
broadcasting. Except for the use of common
transmitters for the two frequencies, the two
stations operate entirely independently of
each other.
The headquarters of WFAA are maintained
in its penthouse studios on top of an office
building in downtown Dallas. The transmitter
towers are located near Grapevine in Dallas
County and near Arlington in Tarrant County.
Television Service.
The News entered still another field of
communication when it acquired Station
KBTV on March 17, 1950. It had begun oper-
ation on Sept, '17, 1948, as the first television
station in Dallas.- On May 21, 1950, its call
letters were changed to WFAA-TV. Offices
and transmitter are located on Hines Boule-
vard.
In this latest enterprise, The News carries
-on in the -'e pioneering spirit that has
prompted successive steps in improve-
ment of ice to the public in the field of
communication and general intelligence.
The central idea of Willard Richardson,
A. H. Belo and G.. B. Dealey was expressed
by E. M, (Ted) Dealey, president of the
corporation, in his statement at the inaugu-
ration of the television station:
"We are in the field of mass communica-
tions via newspaper and radio. It is just a
natural sequence, with the advent and growth
of television, that we get into that phase of
mass communications also . .. We were
further motivated to enter the television field
because we believe that it has a great future.
Within the next few years, we believe that
it will be a profitable investment, though
now, in its pioneering stage, the station is
operating in the red."
Objectives of The News.
The primary objective of The News, as the
name implies, has always been the collection
of the worth-while events of the day's
chronicle and the distribution of this inte lli-
gence to the public in the right proportion
as completely as possible, and with the most
up-to-date facilities available to the news-
paper-publishing business.
The great distinction of The Galveston
News in its early years was objective and
full reporting of events uncolored by political
prejudice. Its coverage of the Mexican War,
during the first few years of its existence,
was the first great journalistic feat of the
Texas newspaper press. Throughout the years
of wars, political conflicts, economic booms
and panics. The News has carried on with
this policy, always with its own definite
editorial stand, but with the firm resolve to
print the continuing chronicle of the times
fairly and objectively.
From the very first The News has also
distinguished itself by utilizing new devices
for quick dissemination of the news. Its
simultaneous publication of The Galveston
and Dallas News, with interconnecting wire,
caused wide comment in its day, as did the
special train which it operated out of Dallas.
But these things were forerunners of a laterpolicy that caused the management of The
News to be among the first to see the poten-
tialities of radio and television.
Editorial Policies.
Its progressiveness and fairness in news
reporting has been matched by its firm ex-
pression of editorial opinion for the political,
economic, social and cultural advancement of
city, state and nation. The Galveston News
in its early years set the standard with its
keen analysis of the problems of the young
Republic and, later, those of the new mem-
ber of the Union.
Through the years The News has cam-
paigned for a more populous, better indus-
trialized and wealthier Texas to the end that
its people might maintain an ever higher
standard of living. Carrying out, this policy,
The News has constantly espoused those
movements aimed at better conditions in the
Texas crop and livestock industries, better
transportation on railroads, highways and
waterways, improvement of public schools
and institutions of higher learning and the
general advancement of the state in all eco-
nomic, civic and cultural matters.
A Texas Institution.
The Dallas Morning News and its asso-
ciated enterprises are a Dallas and Texas
owned and operated institution. The first
claim of this institution to distinctiveness
among Texas business concerns is its long
period of continuous service. It is the oldest
business institution in the state. Not a great
deal less noteworthy is the intimate connec-
tion between ownership and operation of the
enterprise.
Throughout his more than seventy-one
years of climbing from office boy to con-
trolling owner, G. B. Dealey hung up his
hat in the morning along with the other
workers. And in the afternoon he took his hat
down as late as, usually a little later than,
most of his associates-from office boy up.
This devotion to duty and responsibility
was characteristic of Willard Richardson and
A. H. Belo in the earlier stages of develop-
ment. It was because of such devotion that
the institution came through wars and panics
and the other "shallows and miseries" of the
changing years.
This method of management characterizes
operation of The News and associated enter-
prises today. Those who have the responsi-
bility of ownership and operation work at
the job.
One of G. B. Dealey's pet ideas was the
hanging of framed mottoes around the walls
of The News building. One that he particu-
larly prized was: "Keeping everlastingly at
it brings success."
The idea has been basic, in fact, in the
philosophy behind the building of The News,
namely, that the way to get the job done is
to work at it. It was Richardson's idea in
1844 when, in the second year of the strug-
gling little paper, he picked it up with the
thought that he could make something of it.
And so it is with those who carry on the
work of the century-old institution today
with facilities for reaching the people that
were beyond the vision possessed even by'
the far-seeing Richardson.
Officials.
Present officials of The News are as fol-
lows: Chairman of the board, Mrs. G. B.
Dealey; president, E. M. (Ted) Dealey; vice-
president and secretary, James M. Moroney;
treasurer, R. M. Buchnan. Other members of
the board of directors are George Waverley
Briggs, Martin B. Campbell, Leven T. Dep-
uty, Jack Estes, Joe A. Lubben, Maurice E.
Purnell and Harry C. Withers.
Executive assistants are H. Ben Decherd
Jr., Joe M. Dealey and J. M. Mororiey Jr., all
grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. G. B. Dealey.
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Texas Almanac, 1952-1953, book, 1951; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117137/m1/22/?rotate=90: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.