Date: 1952

 

Description: This photo comes from the old newsroom of KCAU, back when it was called KVTV Channel 9. KVTV was the first news broadcast on the air in Sioux City, though KTIV followed soon after. The source for this photo says it dates to 1952, but most other sources say KVTV did not have its first broadcast until May 1953. When the station began television was a new idea to both viewers and KVTV employees, most of whom previously worked in radio. The station first showed a collection of programs from ABC, CBS, NBC, and the Dumont Network, which no longer airs. Early shows included “Saturday Afternoon Dance Party,” “Soap Box Derby,” and the locally produced “Canyon’s Kid’s Corner,” starring Sioux Cityan Jim Henry. The show became one of the longest running children’s show in the country. In the 1960s, when TV gradually came into color, KVTV changed its call number to KCAU to “reflect the new character of the station.” It also became affiliated with ABC that same year. Various other workers for KCAU have become famous over the years, such as Tom Peterson and Gene Sherman. The station also at one time employed Ron Clements, a Disney animator from Sioux City who worked on various Disney movies including Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and Treasure Planet. KCAU continues to produce and broadcast local and federal news as well as ABC shows, and organizes benefits for the community such as various telethons and “Operation Toys.”

 

This photo, according to the source, was a picture of the first televised market report in the nation. The two anchors Ray Switzer and Warren Kester report at a desk in front of a backdrop of the Sioux City Stockyards.

 

Donor: KCAU TV Channel 9

 

On display