Senate Resolution No. 2698

BY: Senator GRIFFO

COMMEMORATING the 70th Anniversary of WKTV of
Deerfield, New York

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
those illustrious networks which have worked diligently and
consistently, year after year, to bring quality programming to their
communities as well as local news and news of the larger world to their
viewers; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 70th Anniversary of WKTV which was celebrated on the air
on Sunday, December 1, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Through its programming, WKTV of Deerfield, New York, has
strived to inform, educate and empower the citizens of the Mohawk Valley
and surrounding areas for over seven decades, making it one of the
oldest television stations in the country; and

WHEREAS, During the 1930s, Myron Kallet owned several movie theaters
in Central New York; at the turn of the century, business began to
decline, and subsequently, he decided to go into the broadcasting
business; shortly thereafter, he was granted a license for a radio
station in Rome, New York, and it was named WKAL; and

WHEREAS, Later, Myron Kallet expanded into television, and was
granted channel 13; his television studio, business offices and
broadcast tower were constructed on top of Smith Hill in Deerfield,
overlooking the City of Utica, on the northern ridge of the Mohawk
Valley; and

WHEREAS, On December 1, 1949, WKTV went on the air, making it the
93rd television station in the country to sign on; originally, WKTV was
affiliated with all four networks in operation NBC, ABC, CBS and DuMont,
however, it was an affiliate of just NBC and ABC until 1970; today, WKTV
remains one of the oldest members of the NBC family; and

WHEREAS, WKTV's programming schedule consisted of news, variety
shows and commercials, and began late in the afternoon and ended before
midnight; as the broadcast day lengthened and the number of television
sets in use increased, the station began to play a more prominent role
in the community by participating in several early versions of a
telethon and providing local news and weather; and

WHEREAS, During the 1950s and 1960s, WKTV offered various local
entertainment productions such as a cooking program, and High School
Quiz, a game show designed to highlight high school students; perhaps
the most beloved program was the after-school show featuring Bozo the
Clown; and

WHEREAS, In the mid-1950s, a young, local radio announcer named Dick
Clay joined the staff at WKTV; he changed his name to Dick Clark, and
the rest is broadcasting history; and


WHEREAS, After a decade in television, Myron Kallet decided he
wanted to get out of the business, and it was taken over by Paul Harron,
who was instrumental in procuring Channel 2 from the FCC; on January 1,
1959, the switch was thrown at the new transmitter and WKTV became
Channel 2; and

WHEREAS, Ownership remained the same and the station continued to
prosper through the 1970s and 1980s; after the FCC introduced several
rulings concerning cross ownership of broadcast, cable and print media
in the same communities, WKTV changed hands for the third time in its
history, and was now licensed to Smith Broadcasting of New York, Inc.;
in March of 2014, WKTV and its cable channel sister station WBU were
purchased by Heartland Media, and became its first station; and

WHEREAS, Today, under the luminous leadership of General Manager
Steve McMurray, the success of WKTV is in direct correlation to the
efforts of its staff, whose involvement is, and always has been,
characterized by an impressive commitment, an unbridled enthusiasm, and
an uncompromising standard of excellence in all endeavors on behalf of
the institution and the community it serves; and

WHEREAS, In a world where new knowledge is acquired each and every
day, WKTV has truly established itself as an integral proponent of
community awareness and involvement; as it moves into the future, it
carries with it the legacy of a distinguished broadcasting history and
an outstanding record of growth and achievement; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 70th Anniversary of WKTV of Deerfield, New York, fully
confident that it will continue to enjoy the sparkling successes it has
experienced thus far; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Steve McMurray, General Manager, WKTV.