Station joins worth in jennifer miller dallas

By the late 1940s, Amon Carter, the founding publisher of the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram,was a force in print publishing and in radio, with
his station WBAP. He figured it was time to get involved in the
fledgling TV industry.

Carter’s dream came to fruition 60 years ago today, the official
start date of WBAP-TV, now known as KXAS/Channel 5. The station has
been Fort Worth-based all along and has been in the same location
almost since inception. WBAP stood for “We Bring a Program,” and in TV
terms it brought more than that — it was the first television
station in the Southwest.

In honor of the station’s 60th anniversary, we present a
timeline of some key events, as well as a couple bumps and bruises, in
the station’s history. Want more? Go to and click on the “About
NBC 5” link on the left side of the page.

Sept. 27, 1948:WBAP airs its first broadcast, covering President Harry
Truman’s visit to Fort Worth, from the Fort Worth Star-
Telegrambuilding. The broadcast is a prelude for the station’s
Sept. 29 debut. A Star-Telegramstory advancing the test runs next to a
story in which then-FCC Chairman Wayne Coy tells members of the
Theater Owners of America that eventually there will be at least one
TV in every home in America.

The first evening’s programming includes speeches from Carter
and Harold Hough, the station’s first general manager; the
Leslie Howard movie The Scarlet Pimpernel;a Western variety show by
the Flying X Ranch Boys; and The Texas News,a local newscast.

Among the first employees of the station is entertainment reporter
Bobbie Wygant, who says at a 1998 tribute to her, “They poured me in
with the foundation.” Wygant retires from staff in 1999 but continues
to contribute to the station.

June 1949: The staff moves into the broadcast facilities at 3900
Barnett St., east of downtown Fort Worth. The facilities, on Broadcast
Hill, remain in place today, with a good view of downtown from the
visitors’ parking lot.

October 1949:Harold Taft, the first TV meteorologist west of the
Mississippi, joins the station and begins a legacy people still talk
about.

Early ’50s:One of the station’s most popular shows is Barn
Dance,a teen variety show hosted by then-North Texas State University
student Pat Boone, who would go on to be one of the biggest hitmakers
of the late ’50s and who continues to perform.

Circa 1967:Bob Schieffer, the current Face the Nationhost, begins a
stint with the station before joining CBS News in 1969.

Circa 1970:Boyd Matson joins the station. He later goes on to national
gigs, such as hosting National Geographic Explorer.

May 1971: Chip Moody joins the station as a weekend reporter and
begins anchoring soon after. He and co-anchor Ward Andrews help make
Channel 5 the local-ratings leader in the early ’70s. Moody
later moves to KDFW/Channel 4 (then a CBS station) and, most famously,
to WFAA/Channel 8, becoming the only local anchor to work for ABC, CBS
and NBC affiliates.

Nov. 8, 1974:LIN Broadcasting buys control of Channel 5 from the
Carter family. Because WBAP-AM and WBAP-TV are now separately owned,
one must change call letters. LIN changes WBAP’s call letters
WBAP to KXAS, a play on “Texas.”

Dec. 21, 1975: Meteorologist David Finfrock joins the station but
doesn’t make his on-air debut till January 1976. He remains with
the station and is under contract to stay there until at least 2012.

1979:The Charlie Rose Showdebuts as a local program on KXAS. The show,
a minimalist program featuring Rose in conversational interviews with
guests, moves from Fort Worth to Washington in 1981. In the
’90s, it becomes a staple of PBS stations.

June 1991:Rebecca Miller, who, like Finfrock, was a Texas A&M;
graduate hand-picked by Harold Taft, joins the Channel 5 weather team.

Sept. 27, 1991:Harold Taft, by then known as the “World’s
Greatest Weatherman,” dies of stomach cancer at age 69. Finfrock takes
over as the station’s chief meteorologist.

March 1992:Mike Snyder is promoted to 6 and 10 p.m. co-anchor, joining
McGarry. They are currently the longest-running anchor team in Dallas-
Fort Worth.

1997:Dallas Cowboys Erik Williams and Michael Irvin sue Marty Griffin
— an investigative reporter known for his tough, confrontational
style who’d worked at KXAS since 1988 — the station and
the Dallas police over a report accusing Williams of raping a topless
dancer while Irvin held a gun to her head. The woman later recants her
story and pleads guilty to perjury, and Williams and Irvin reportedly
receive at least $1 million each in a settlement with the station.
Griffin is dropped from the suit before the settlement is reached, but
the controversy leads to his departure from the station.

March 31, 1997:KXAS airs a live Texas Rangers-Chicago White Sox
baseball game in high-definition — the first high-def broadcast
in Texas.

1998: NBC purchases a controlling interest in the station, which
begins going by the nickname “NBC 5.”

April 2000:Newy Scruggs joins the station as a sports anchor. Within
months, he gains media attention — and gets a lot of e-mail
— for a commentary in which he criticizes the Dallas Cowboys for
not pulling then-quarterback Troy Aikman from a game in which he threw
five interceptions.

May 2002: KXAS’ 10 p.m. newscast wins the May “sweeps,” the
first time in 11 years that WFAA hasn’t been in the No. 1 spot.
KXAS wins every sweeps period through February 2007, when WFAA
reclaims first place.

Jan. 4, 2004:Scott Chesner announces during a Sunday-night newscast
that he is leaving Channel 5 after nearly 23 years with the station.
“They just decided not to renew my contract,” Chesner tells the Star-
Telegramthat week. “And that’s life.” Chesner is now chief
meteorologist at KETK/Channel 56 in Tyler. The same month,
meteorologist Steve McLaughlin joins the NBC 5 Weather Team.

March 6, 2008:In a controversial decision, NBC 5 dismisses morning
meteorologist Rebecca Miller after nearly 17 years at the station.
Miller continues to be off the air in Dallas-Fort Worth, although she
filled in for Bob Goosman last Thursday and Friday on KDAF/Channel 33.

March 26:NBC 5 debuts a new set during its 4 p.m. newscast. The set
allows for improved high-definition news broadcasts.

June:Jennifer Lopez, most recently of the Weather Channel, joins the
NBC 5 weather team as morning meteorologist.

September:NBC 5 announces the Harold Taft Scholarship, the first of
its kind for Texas students pursuing meteorology and atmospheric-
science degrees. The $2,000 scholarship, presented in partnership with
the Lone Star Emmy Educational Foundation, will be given to the
recipient at October’s Lone Star Emmy Gala.

Miller texas ray in jennifer miller dallas

Ray Miller also hosted “Ray Miller’s Texas” and was known by all as a
devotee of the Lone Star state.

Ray Miller, legendary lover of Texas and a founding father of
television news, died Saturday morning. The creator of the popular
television show The Eyes of Texas was 89.

“He had incredible intellect, practically glowed in the dark,” said
KPRC-Channel 2 reporter Phil Archer, hired by Miller in 1976 at age
25. “And to be hired by Ray Miller was like winning the lottery. He
was just the best.”

Miller, a familiar face and voice for generations of Houstonians,
viewed journalism as a higher calling and as public service, Archer
said.

Miller grew up in Fort Worth and moved to Houston to start his radio
career at KPRC. In 1951, KPRC bought Houston’s first television
station, which became Channel 2.

In 1969, he created The Eyes of Texas, which became Houston’s longest-
running local TV program. It stayed on the air until 1999.

During the show, he enthusiastically examined all things Texas, from
unique residents to out-of-the-way attractions. He served as a tour
guide for Houston residents after his official retirement.

Miller also penned the “Eyes of Texas” travel guides and books on
Houston and Galveston forts and parks.

“He was the epitome of a hard-line newsman. He was spit, polish and
shine,” said Mike Capps, a former CNN correspondent, current baseball
announcer and Miller protégé.

During his storied career, Miller served as a mentor to hundreds of
journalists, including Dan Rather and now U.S.-Sen. Kay Bailey
Hutchison, R-Dallas.

“He gave me my first job, taking a chance on a new law school graduate
who had never had a class in journalism,” Hutchison said in a prepared
statement. “I learned more from him than I could have ever imagined
possible.”

Miller retired as news director of Channel 2 in 1979, but continued to
work, including hosting Ray Miller’s Texas — until the late
1980s. He also worked with the Harris County Historical Commission,
helping to secure markers for several sites.

“He is a person who was so compassionate, loyal, had an incredible
ability to give people inspiration to live,” said Harris County
Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack, who appointed Miller to be in
charge of special projects, many of which served senior citizens.

“Up until just a few years ago he would get up on a slalom ski, ski
about 100 yards and let go,” he added.

Miller met his wife, Australian Veronica Gray Miller, during World War
II. The couple had two sons, Geoffrey Miller, who is deceased, and
Gray Miller, a U.S. district judge in Houston.