Getting the focus right took time for cable TV in Henderson

Government red tape kept cable TV in a test pattern here for about 8.5 years.

A proposal for a franchise first surfaced in the summer of 1965 but it wasn’t until 50 years ago – in November 1972 – that the final push began. Henderson residents, at that point, however, were probably saying to themselves, “Yeah, right. How often have we heard that?”

But it was true. The system held its grand opening Dec. 2, 1973. More about that in a moment.

But let’s start at the beginning, in which some of the parties don’t appear in their best light. The first Gleaner readers learned of a possible cable system here appeared in a brief story June 23, 1965, which said the Henderson City Commission had passed first reading of an ordinance authorizing a franchise and was going to sell the franchise on July 16.

It was such a new idea locally that the story called it a “community antenna television distribution service.”

Opposition coalesced almost immediately from the Henderson Independent TV Sales and Service Dealers. The Gleaner of June 25 reported the group of 10 businesses had met and raised questions: How long had the city been considering sale of the franchise and why hadn’t the public informed? What provisions were made for rate control? And just how would the public benefit? The dealers feared cable TV would open the door to “pay television.” (They would be horrified by modern streaming services.)

The July 1 Gleaner said the dealers had conducted a second meeting and wanted the city commission to delay final reading of the ordinance. The Gleaner’s editorial of July 2 expressed support for the dealers. Henderson was already served by stations representing all major networks. “What more could the TV viewer want?”

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The editorial writer also expressed suspicion because the newspaper had been asked by a company representative “not to publicize the ordinance. Isn’t this sufficient for the city to be wary of this proposal” until it was more closely examined?

The day that editorial appeared the city commission tabled second reading of the ordinance. The story about that action also clarified that no one outside of city hall had known anything about the franchise until the ordinance was presented for first reading.

The July 7 Gleaner noted the commission had passed final reading of the ordinance but acquiesced to the dealers and postponed sale of the franchise for a month.

It wasn’t until the Aug. 4 edition that Gleaner readers learned the name of the franchisee: Telesis Engineering Inc. of Evansville. Telesis was the only firm to bid; the Aug. 14 edition said it had been awarded the franchise.

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The firm offered the city 3 percent of gross revenues, plus free installation/service at all schools – city, county and Catholic -- public buildings such as the hospital and City Hall, fire stations and the library.

The service was to include 12 channels, although the exact station offerings changed as the grand opening drew nearer.

After mid-August 1965 the topic of cable TV dropped from The Gleaner’s news pages. Another story didn’t appear until June 20, 1970, which relied on an interview with Bob Ossenberg, vice president and director of operations for Telesis.

The company had not been able to capitalize on its franchise, Ossenberg said, because the Federal Communications Commission’s regulations prohibited bringing in the signals of independent stations in Chicago and St. Louis. But those regulations were in the process of being changed, and he expected Telesis to begin operations within 18 months.

WGN from Chicago offered late-night programming, he said in the Sept. 17, 1970, Gleaner, something that could interest Henderson viewers. Local stations went off the air around midnight back then.

Then there was another news blackout until Nov. 29, 1972. Fifty years ago, The Gleaner noted Telesis had finally received its FCC certificate of compliance. Ossenberg said in a letter to the city commission that the system should be up and running in six months. The company didn’t meet that deadline, but it definitely began the process of finalizing something that had been in the works since mid-1965.

At that point the plan was to provide WEHT, WTVW, WFIE and WNIN from local sources, as well as WDRB from Louisville, WDXR from Paducah, and WKMA, the educational station from Madisonville. A 24-hour weather station and public access stations would also be available. (When the system was activated it also carried a United Press International newswire station.)

The Jan. 11, 1973, Gleaner reported Telesis had signed a contract worth about $700,000 with a Philadelphia firm to build the system. “The contract calls for completion of the entire project in 28 weeks after construction begins,” Ossenberg said. The company planned to begin hook-ups by late summer. Again, that was a little optimistic.

The Gleaner of March 29 reported a crew of 16 people had begun work stringing wires to support the coaxial cable. A microwave tower and central distribution facility had already been built.

The Gleaner of April 5 reported the Henderson City-County Planning Commission had signed off on plans to build an office building on Klutey Park Plaza for the cable system. The Gleaner of Sept. 26 carried a photo of the 5,000-square-foot building, which personnel had just moved into.

Also in the Sept. 26 edition was a sizable story saying the system was nearing completion and should be operational by November. Crews had already strung more than 100 miles of coaxial cable, local manager Dan Lowe said, and technicians installing amplifying equipment.

“Ten channels will be utilized initially,” Lowe said, “with more to be activated as products and services are developed.” The system had the capability of carrying 27 outside channels and four more that could be used to cover local events. The company planned to provide free time to the public, although a minimal fee would be charged for manpower and equipment expenses. Local government and schools also were provided channels to distribute their content.

The initial fee was $15 for installation, plus a monthly service charge of $6.

As I said at the beginning the grand opening was held Dec. 2 and Anna and Carl Goldsberry won the grand prize of a new color TV set. The advertisement doesn’t say whether or not it was a console, but the cost in modern terms would be between $2,200 and $3,300, depending on whether or not it was a tabletop or a console.

Telesis began connecting local customers soon after the grand opening and The Gleaner of June 8, 1974, reported the system had carried its first broadcast of a local event – a videotaped replay of the Men’s Softball League game between the Diamonds and South Central Bell.

The system also had a studio in the building on Klutey Park Plaza where production manager Virginia Newman conducted interviews for many years.

100 YEARS AGO

Henry Henson, the ferryman at Hambleton’s Ferry, hotly disputed the condition of the road to Owensboro, The Gleaner of Nov. 30, 1922, reported, after a story the previous day said it was in bad shape. The Nov. 29 story advised motorists to use the Curdsville Ferry, which was a dirt through much of its length in Henderson County but gravel from Curdsville into Owensboro.

The Nov. 29 edition said the Hambleton Ferry road was dirt the entire length between the two cities, and that the section on the east side of the Green River “was in very bad condition.”

The Nov. 30 edition tried to mollify people along all three routes to Owensboro, which also included the federal highway crossing of the Green River at Spottsville. “This road has no rock between Spottsville and Stanley.

“The bright sunshine Wednesday dried out the muddy places on all three roads and drivers of cars should have no trouble on their trip to Owensboro today on any of the three routes.”

75 YEARS AGO

Francele Armstrong’s column of Nov. 30, 1947, noted Henderson native John Oscar Hambleton was at it once again.

He had broken into Broadway in 1934 when he was chosen to design costumes for “Merrily We Roll Along,” one of the more successful plays written by famed playwrights George S. Kaufmann and Moss Hart.

But Armstrong noted he only recently had translated that success to Hollywood. She quoted an inter-office memo noting Hambleton had been named production coordinator for all Universal Studios movies.

In other words, as of Nov. 1, 1947, he was responsible for ensuring Universal movies didn’t clash in terms of set design, costumes, hairdressing, makeup and the like. That role is crucial in the entertainment business but is often overlooked by the general public.

25 YEARS AGO

The Gleaner of Nov. 27, 1997, noted that Dr. Don Cantley was Dr. Don Cantley.

That may not sound like much but titles like Dr. or CPA aren’t allowed on Kentucky ballots – unless you legally change your name. And that’s what Cantley did when he was running for coroner.

“The important thing is that I’m seeking re-election for a spot that should be held by a physician,” and he wanted to ensure people knew that’s what he was.

He won re-election. And continued to win until his death in 2005, when he died six weeks after he had filed for a sixth term.

Readers of The Gleaner can reach Frank Boyett at YesNews42@yahoo.com or on Twitter at @BoyettFrank.

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Getting the focus right took time for cable TV in Henderson