This television documentary goes behind the scenes of Houston’s KPRC-TV, looking back at the station’s history as well as highlighting the function of different units or departments. News Director Ray Miller narrates the program. Produced in 1968, the film begins by showcasing archival footage of faces familiar at the time, including former mayor Roy Hofheinz (then in the news as the owner of the Houston Astros and developer of the Astrodomain complex), Mayor Louie Welch, and President-elect Richard Nixon. It then identifies moments that shaped television news coverage, from Hurricane Carla to the introduction of color film stock. The rest of the documentary focuses on station operations and current programming. Of particular note are a behind-the-scenes look at the taping of an episode of The Bob Hope Show at the Manned Spacecraft Center and an overview of camera coverage for football telecasts. Signing on the air on January 1, 1949, KPRC-TV is the oldest television station in Houston and the second-oldest station in the state. (At the time of its first broadcast, the station was known as KLEE-TV. It changed its call letters in 1950 upon its purchase by the Hobby family.)
Newsman Ray Miller (1919 - 2008) began his broadcasting career in 1938 in his home town of Fort Worth. He relocated to Houston soon thereafter, where he joined KPRC Radio. When KPRC purchased Houston’s first television station in 1951, Miller adopted the burgeoning medium, eventually winning a Peabody Award. In 1969, Miller created The Eyes of Texas, a regional television series examining all things Texas. On the air for 30 years, the series became Houston’s longest-running local television program. Miller retired in 1979, serving as news director at both KPRC Radio and KPRC-TV for over 40 years. During his decades-long tenure at KPRC, Miller mentored a number of journalists, including Dan Rather and former US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
After retiring from television production, Miller became a local historian, writing several books and travel guides about historic attractions in Houston and Galveston. He also worked with the Harris County Historical Commission to secure markers for numerous sites.
Carla is the second-most intense hurricane to ever hit the Texas coast. (The most intense was the "Indianola" hurricane of 1886.) Though the storm made landfall between Port O'Connor and Port Lavaca, it was so large that the entire coast was affected; over half a million residents were evacuated, and damage was reported as far inland as Dallas. Carla caused $325 million (today $2.03 billion) in damage and killed 31 Texans.
An interesting note from the 1961 hurricane: then little-known news anchor Dan Rather reported live during the storm from the Galveston seawall. It was the first live broadcast during a hurricane, later to become common practice in weather reporting.
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