Leslie Turner's Old Pictures from KRLD
You may want to start at the KRLD Pictures Index Page, especially if you have stumbled across this page through the use of a search engine.

These pictures were sent in by Leslie Turner, who says, "I bought a large box of photos, negatives and camera equipment a couple of years ago that belonged to Denny Hayes.  I've been told he was one of the first staff photographers for KRLD."

This appears to be a gold mine of historical photos, judging by the samples I have seen so far.

Updated 11/06/2009:
 This page is now divided into three sections:  The first section pertains to the original Cedar Hill tower and KRLD-TV's new transmitter building, built in 1955.  The second section pertains to KRLD Radio, mostly having to do with the 1080-kHz transmitter in Garland.  The third section is an assortment of ID photos of the KRLD staff in the early 1940s, from what I can gather.


Section 1
Photos pertaining to KRLD-TV


    (Click to enlarge)

Cedar Hill 18
Cedar Hill photo #18.

Cedar Hill 25
Cedar Hill photo #25.

Updated 11/11/2009:
 These three men have now been identified by Charlie Dobkins as "Roy Flynn (chief engineer), Joe Davenport (finances), and Walter Jennings (AM plant supervisor)."

Cedar Hill 27
Cedar Hill photo #27.

This man is also pictured on this page, and from the caption on that photo, this is apparently John W. Runyon, President of the Dallas Times Herald.


Update:
 As more pictures are received, I'll put them up on this page.  Here are a couple more from the impromptu ceremony at the tower base, as the first leg of the tower was placed on the base.

Cedar Hill 35
Cedar Hill photo #35.

Cedar Hill 6
Cedar Hill photo #6.


Updated 10/27/2009:
 More pictures have arrived, and at the moment I have neither the time nor the energy to add them to this page.  By the end of this week, I hope to have most of the new pictures posted here, but for now, here are a few representative samples.

Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #57 Cedar Hill May/June 1955 photo #57.

This is a new General Electric TV transmitter.  What a beauty.  The great thing about transmitters of this vintage is the number of analog panel meters and knobs and switches on the front panel.

This transmitter was eventually replaced by an RCA transmitter, which in turn was replaced by a Harris Platinum transmitter in another nearby building, and ultimately the station switched to the digital (8-VSB) mode on UHF, using a Comark transmitter.

Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #65
Cedar Hill May/June 1955 photo #65.

This is the receiving end of a Collins microwave system.  This studio-to-transmitter link (STL) was used for about the next 30 years.


Updated 10/29/2009:


Cedar Hill 9
Cedar Hill, 3/13/1955, photo #9.

The basement for the KRLD-TV transmitter building was carved out of the rock.

Cedar Hill 17
Cedar Hill, 3/13/1955, photo #17.

These two girls show the size of the tower base before any steel is stacked on it.

Cedar Hill 1
Cedar Hill photo #1.

Cedar Hill 2
Cedar Hill photo #2.

The first piece of the tower is in place.

Cedar Hill 3
Cedar Hill photo #3.

Cedar Hill 28
Cedar Hill photo #28.

Someone arrived in a '51 Plymouth.

Cedar Hill 30
Cedar Hill photo #30.

The first section of the tower, about ten feet, is in place.  These guys knew what they were doing, and didn't mind walking around on the tower without being tethered to it.

Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #4
Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #4.

The tower is 60 or 80 feet tall at this point.

Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #59
Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #59.

Cedar Hill 38
Cedar Hill photo #38.

Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #40
Cedar Hill May/June 1955 photo #40.

There was only one telephone company in town.

Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #41
Cedar Hill May/June 1955 photo #41.

The phone company cars were olive drab.

Cedar Hill May/June 1955 #77
Cedar Hill May/June 1955 photo #77.




Section 2
Photos pertaining to KRLD Radio

KRLD 1
When I first saw this photo, I thought it was too old to pertain to KRLD, but close inspection of the microphone shows the KRLD call letters.

According to KRLD's current Chief Engineer, Eric Disen, this "appears to me to be the entire KRLD radio station in the early days from the Adolphus Hotel."

Notice that the producer is giving hand signals to the talent in the next room, because IFB hadn't been invented.

KRLD 2
Mr. Disen says, this "looks to me like an amateur radio station from the early days, although amateur stations and "commercial" stations weren't all that much different in 1925."

Probably right.  I mean, of course he's right.  There's a Morse code key on the desk, which would indicate that it's an amateur station.

I took the liberty of flipping this picture horizontally, because the analog panel meters on the electronic equipment showed that the picture was backwards.

DH-001
Photo #DH-001.

This might be a production control room.  I see a couple of turntables, a mixer and a pack of Camels.

DH-002
Photo #DH-002.

Out at the transmitter, the workshop has a drill press, a vise, a blowtorch, spare beacon bulbs, and a fire extinguisher.

DH-003
Photo #DH-003.



DH-004
Photo #DH-004.



DH-005
Photo #DH-005.



DH-006
Photo #DH-006.

This is the KRLD transmitter in Garland with a special "keep out" sign that was in place during World War II.

DH-007
Photo #DH-007.

Free advice:  whatever you do, stay outside this fence.

DH-008
Photo #DH-008.

Looking southwest northwest at the Saturn Road transmitter site.  Quite a contrast from the fully populated neighborhood there today.  (Thanks for Charlie Dobkins for pointing out that the picture was flipped horizontally.)  On the right side of the picture, notice that the ground shows signs of recent plowing to install 120 equally spaced ground radials.

Here is a more recent look at KRLD's ground system.

DH-009
Photo #DH-009.

This is apparently the wartime security detail at the KRLD transmitter.

Comment added 11/20/2011:
 Don Riley says this picture must have been flipped horizontally, unless these guys are all left-handed shooters and are wearing non-standard shirts!  I'll put it on my list of things to fix.

DH-010
Photo #DH-010.



DH-011
Photo #DH-011.



DH-012 Photo #DH-012.  This is KRLD's Western Electric transmitter.

Updated 11/11/2009:
 Charlie Dobkins used to work at this site, and he fills in a few details about this transmitter:  "It was a water cooled Dougherty transmitter that was really reliable.  It was really big; the ceramic tubing that insulated the water cooled final took up a whole room under the transmitter.  The power transformer and choke had a basement room of their own.  And the cooling fans had a room on the north side of the building, which is visible in the photos.  Final voltage was 18,000 volts at 3 to 5 amperes.  The final tubes were about 4½ feet tall.

DH-013
Photo #DH-013.

This is the auxiliary equipment at the KRLD transmitter, including a shotgun, just in case enemy soldiers stormed the place.

DH-016
Photo #DH-016.

This is an engineer making field strength measurements somewhere near Dallas, at night (obviously) while the station is in the directional mode.

DH-019
Photo #DH-019.



DH-020
Photo #DH-020.



DH1-001
Photo #DH1-001.



DH2-002
Photo #DH2-002.

Whatever this is, it's heavy.

KRLD Shot #014
KRLD Shot #014.

Mmmm... Three phase power.

KRLD Shot #017
KRLD Shot #017.

When they say, "Danger," they mean it.

E-001
Photo #E-001.



E-002
Photo #E-002.

I'm not sure what's in those first two racks, but the third rack includes a frequency monitor and a modulation monitor.

E-003
Photo #E-003.



E-004
Photo #E-004.




The KRLD company picnic

DH2-003
Photo #DH2-003.

Updated 11/11/2009:
 Charlie Dobkins wrote in and identified a couple of people in this picture.  The three men on the right are J. B. McTaggert (director), someone as yet unidentified, and Herschel Wilson (engineer).  Notice that even with an abundant supply of beer all around, Herschel Wilson is enjoying a Coca-Cola in the good old 6½-ounce bottle.

DH2-004
Photo #DH2-004.



DH2-005
Photo #DH2-005.



DH2-006
Photo #DH2-006.



DH2-007
Photo #DH2-007.



DH2-008
Photo #DH2-008.



DH2-009
Photo #DH2-009.

Updated 11/11/2009:
 Charlie Dobkins identifies this man as Ted Parino.



KRLD employee ID photos

Except for the first four, none of these are in the "Click to enlarge" mode.  If you would like to see the larger version of any of these, or if you can identify any of these people, please .  If you hover over a photo, your browser should show you the name of the file.


Updated 11/15/2010:
 The man on the far left in the first row immediately below has been identified as Ves R. Box.  The person making the identification is Ves R. Box, Jr., who says of his father, "He began working for KRLD radio in 1940 as a news and sports announcer and later served as Program Director, Vice President and President of Channel 4, retiring in 1972.  Here is a larger version of the photo.


DH-026 DH-027 DH-028 DH1-006

IMG_0001 IMG_0002 IMG_0003 IMG_0004

In the row above, the man on the far right has been identified (by his son) as Thomas Gordon Barnes, known as "TG", who worked for KRLD 30 years or more.

IMG_0005 IMG_0006 IMG_0007 IMG_0008

IMG_0009 IMG_0010 IMG_0011 IMG_0012

IMG_0013 IMG_0014 IMG_0015 IMG_0016 Roy Flynn is second from the left.

IMG_0017 IMG_0018 IMG_0019 IMG_0020

IMG_0021 IMG_0022 IMG_0023 IMG_0024

IMG_0025 IMG_0026 IMG_0027 IMG_0028

IMG_0029 IMG_0030 IMG_0031 IMG_0032 Looks like Roy Flynn again, second from the left.

IMG_0033 IMG_0034 IMG_0035 IMG_0036

IMG_0037 IMG_0038 IMG_0039 IMG_0040

IMG_0041 IMG_0042 IMG_0043 IMG_0044

IMG_0045 IMG_0046 IMG_0047 IMG_0048

IMG_0049 IMG_0050 IMG_0051 IMG_0052

IMG_0053 IMG_0054 IMG_0055 IMG_0056 Ted Parino, far right.

IMG_0057 IMG_0058 IMG_0059 IMG_0060 The man on the far left is Bill Honeycutt.

IMG_0061 IMG_0062 IMG_0063 Misc-Shots-013

Back to the KRLD Pictures Index Page.


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Updated November 20, 2011.
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