| The past of Channel 7 is full of historic firsts, both in the city
of Denver and the world of television.
 W.D.
Reynolds, a dentist and ham radio enthusiast originally from Minnesota,
turned his hobby into the origins of Denver's first broadcast media. In
1922, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover granted Reynolds one of
the first commercial broadcasting licenses in the country. Reynolds' KLZ
radio and television stations would soon become the leaders of Denver
broadcast media.
KLZ originated Denver's first radio broadcasts on 560 AM in 1922. In
1947, 106.7 KLZ-FM became the first FM station on the air west of St.
Louis. KLZ-TV Channel 7 went on the air as a CBS affiliate in 1953 and
established a reputation for excellence early on. The station was the
first in Denver to operate a news bureau in Washington, D.C., as well as
the first Denver station to receive reports from its own radio and TV
correspondents in Europe and Asia.
The decade of the 1960s brought tremendous accomplishments and
accolades for Channel 7. The first satellite TV broadcast occurred in
1962, and Channel 7 followed shortly after by conducting one of the
first-ever worldwide live satellite TV interviews. The interview
featured President Dwight Eisenhower in the Channel 7 studio, linked by
satellite to Winston Churchill in England.
Channel 7 televised the first kidney transplant in the mid-1960s. The
station also played host to numerous celebrities, sports stars,
politicians and other notable figures. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie
Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Otto Preminger, Raymond Burr, Johnny Miller and
Jackie Gleason were among the many visitors to the Channel 7 studios.
In 1967, Channel 7 became the first TV station in the western region to
win a national Emmy Award. The Emmy was awarded for "The Road to
Nowhere," a documentary about death row that was recognized by the
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as "the outstanding
program produced by an individual television station in the U.S. dealing
with a significant issue in the nation's community."
In April 1970, the country's attention was captured by the plight of
the Apollo 13 crew. One of the astronauts, John L. Swigert Jr., was a
Colorado native. As the drama unfolded, Channel 7 provided the network
feed to Walter Cronkite in New York for interviews with Swigert's
family. Cronkite praised Channel 7 as the best local TV news station in
the nation.
In 1972, Channel 7 was purchased by the McGraw-Hill Companies and
assigned the call letters KMGH. Later in that decade, Channel 7's Lynn
Noel became the first black woman to appear on a Denver television
station.
Channel 7 became recognized for long-running shows. The station
covered 18 consecutive years of the Jerry Lewis Telethon, with local
fund raising conducted at the station's studios. The station also
produced one of the longest-running religious shows in TV history,
"House of the Lord," which aired in Denver for more than 45 years.
Another rich tradition at Channel 7 is community service. In 1959, KLZ
radio began donating air time and resources to public service
organizations. The station also trained representatives from these
organizations in public relations to help them communicate more
effectively. In 1969, KLZ radio partnered with the Denver Metro Urban
Coalition to begin the "Call For Action" program, which coordinated the
efforts of more than 200 state and local agencies to help citizens have
their concerns and questions answered.
The tradition that started with KLZ radio carries on with ABC
affiliate Channel 7 today. KMGH's 7Solutions boldly stands up for the
concerns of working families by providing direct community service,
support, and information to improve the lives of families in need. The
7Everyday Hero Award is given to Coloradans who initiate solutions,
motivate others, represent or serve working families and work on a
nonprofit basis.
Join us for a tour of Channel 7 News.
A head count is required in advance, so please let Vicky know if you
intent to attend as soon as possible.
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