Taft Broadcasting History
1952
- Paul Taft -
After graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1938 and serving as executive officer aboard a destroyer in the Pacific in WW II, Paul Taft (1915-2000) started a new television station in the coastal city of Galveston, Texas in 1952. This was during television’s infancy, and the CBS-affiliated KGUL was an immediate success. The subsequent sale of Channel 11 led to the ownership of additional broadcast properties along with audio-video systems contracting, business music services and government contracting.
Broadcast properties subsequently acquired, owned and operated by Taft included:
• KODA AM/FM, Houston, Texas
• KRXV AM, FT. Worth, Texas
• KTOK Radio, Oklahoma City
• WNNE Television (NBC), White River Junction, Vermont
1958-2000
- Business Music Services -
From the period spanning 1958 to 2000, Taft owned and operated Muzak* franchises in Houston, Tulsa and Phoenix, broadcasting to and providing service for over 5000 commercial accounts on a daily basis.
1960-1980
Audiovisual Contracting -
Starting in the 1960s, Taft designed, installed and serviced sound systems for small- to mid-sized commercial, governmental, educational and institutional customers, in addition to the following large-scale customers:
• The Houston Astrodome
• Houston Intercontinental Airport (what is now Bush Intercontinental)
• The George R. Brown Convention Center
• The Louisiana Superdome
1962
- Government Contracting -
Starting at NASA in 1962 as a small-business television contractor, Taft designed, installed and operated the first CCTV and broadcast-interface systems at Johnson Space Center. (The first images from the moon went through a Taft-operated switcher on their way to the major television networks.) Taft went on to provide television support services to NASA for thirty years, both at Johnson and Edwards AFB, California with a staff reaching 125 people.
1989
Taft was awarded its first contract with what is now Defense Media Activity (DMA) for 24/7 Broadcast and Audiovisual Maintenance at American Forces Network (AFN) in Sun Valley, CA, where operations continued until 1995. In 1995, the AFN facility relocated to March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley, CA. Taft played a key role in supporting government engineers during the construction of the new facility, decommissioning the original site, and executing the transition of television and radio channels with only seconds of signal interruption. Taft has supported AFN for over 35 years.
2006
Taft was awarded the Defense Media Activity Broadcast Operations Support Services contract at AFN and has provided prime contractor support for AFN television broadcast operations for over 20 years.
2006
Taft was awarded several small contracts to support the Defense Visual Information Records Center (DVIRC). These contracts were ultimately consolidated into one in 2015.