[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 18, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10833-S10835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO RALPH GABBARD
Mr. FORD. Mr. President, Kentucky and the Nation suffered a great
loss last week with the passing of Mr. Ralph Gabbard. Ralph was a
nationally known broadcast executive, serving as president of Gray
Communications. He was a leader in the television broadcast industry in
my State, and ultimately was a national leader as well. Ralph was at
the forefront of the industry's development in Kentucky for the better
part of the last 30 years, including successful efforts to bring a
television station to the mountains of eastern Kentucky.
Among other things, he served as chairman of the CBS Affiliates
Advisory Board and the National Association of Broadcasters television
board. Most recently, Ralph played a significant role in industry
discussions with the Clinton administration which led to the
announcement of steps to improve the quality of children's programming.
But beyond the long list of personal accomplishments, Ralph was
probably best known for his integrity, his honesty, and his common
courtesy in dealing with others. I was privileged to
[[Page S10834]]
deal with Ralph on more than one occasion, and had great respect and
trust in his abilities. He was a true asset for my State, and his
presence will be missed.
Mr. President, I ask that two articles which recently appeared in the
Lexington Herald-Leader describing the life and accomplishments of
Ralph Gabbard be inserted into the Record at this point.
There being no objection, the articles were ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Nationally Known Broadcast Executive Rose From Kentucky Teen Disc
Jockey
(By Jennifer Hewlett)
Ralph Gabbard, who rose from teen-age disc jockey to a TV
station executive in Lexington to a nationally known figure
in the broadcast industry, died while in Boston on a business
trip. He was 50.
Security workers at the Four Seasons Hotel found Mr.
Gabbard, president and board member of Gray Communications
Systems Inc., dead about 7 a.m. yesterday, apparently of a
heart attack, after he failed to answer a wake-up call, said
Bill Fielder, chief financial officer of Gray, who had dinner
with Mr. Gabbard Monday night.
Gray Communications, based in Georgia, owns several TV
stations, including WKYT (Channel 27) in Lexington and WYMT
(Channel 57) in Hazard.
Mr. Gabbard was perhaps best known for his affiliation with
the two Kentucky CBS-affiliated stations, where he spent much
of his career before moving up the industry ladder.
He was thought to have been the first person to do on-air
television editorials in the Lexington market. He also was
credited with bringing the people of the mountains of Eastern
Kentucky closer together through WYMT.
``No one will disagree with this statement; no one can.
Ralph Gabbard defined and dominated this television market
for a quarter century. All you had to do with Ralph was
convince him something was necessary to be the best, to be
No. 1, and it was done,'' said Barry Peel, who covers state
government for WKYT's Frankfort bureau.
Peel said that Mr. Gabbard was instrumental in WKYT's
decision to outbid WLEX-TV (Channel 18) for the University of
Kentucky coaches' shows and the right to broadcast replays of
UK games. Some thought he was ``nuts'' because the high bid
initially lost money for the station. In the end, Channel
27's identity with UK sports has been a key to its dominance,
Peel said.
``To be identified with UK sports is a major component of
image, and, let's face it, we're in the image business. He
knew that and time has proven him right,'' Peel said.
Mr. Gabbard recently stepped down as chairman of the
National Association of Broadcasters television board. He had
served as chairman of the CBS Affiliates Advisory Board,
which represents more than 200 CBS stations nationwide, and
was a member of the Network Affiliated Stations Alliance
Steering Committee, which represents more than 650 CBS, ABC
and NBC affiliates in congressional issues affecting
telecommunications.
He met with President Clinton in March to discuss
children's television.
``Ralph was an exceptional person in so many ways. He was
an honest man with a real commitment to the business of
broadcasting and the audiences we serve,'' said Peter Lund,
president and chief executive officer of CBS Inc.
Mr. Gabbard also led the drive several years ago to
revitalize Renfro Valley in Rockcastle County, where many
country music stars had performed.
``He had the vision of what Renfro Valley is today. It had
a special place in his heart,'' said Connie Hunt, vice
president of entertainment for the Renfro Valley
Entertainment Center.
Mr. Gabbard had grown up listening to country music and
even dabbled in writing songs, mostly lyrics. Two songs he
wrote or cowrote--``Lone Star Cafe'' and ``Please Play More
Kenny Rogers''--got on the country charts. The Rogers song
edged into the Top 40. He also wrote a song called ``I've
Always Wanted to Sing in Renfro Valley.''
J.P. Pennington of the musical group Exile, who had known
Mr. Gabbard since they were children, said that he and Mr.
Gabbard recently collaborated on two songs, ``Lovin'
Machine'' and ``Two-Heart Harmony.'' The first song they
wrote together at Pennington's house. Mr. Gabbard supplied
the title for the second song.
Mr. Gabbard was ``too shy'' to sing before an audience
himself, but ``he had definitely a keen musical sense about
him,'' Pennington said.
broadcast executive
Mr. Gabbard had been president and general manager of
Kentucky Central Television Inc., which sold its holdings,
including the Kentucky stations, to Gray a couple of years
ago. Mr. Gabbard had tried to put together a group of people
to buy WKYT and WYMT, but they were outbid. He was named
president and chief executive officer of Gray Communications
Broadcast Group in September 1994, and president and board
member of Gray Communications Systems Inc. last December.
He was in Boston to meet with potential investors in an
effort to raise $150 million for Gray Communications to buy
John H. Phipps Inc. of Tallahassee, Fla., whose holdings
include TV stations in Tallahassee and Knoxville.
``We've lost a very special friend, and most of us will
tell you that we lost a very special mentor,'' said Wayne
Martin, WKYT president and general manager. ``The loss is
significant to others beyond WKYT--he was nationally
recognized.''
Jim Jordan, a longtime friend and business associate, said:
``It's a very sad day . . . he was the best broadcaster I
ever met, period.''
Jordan said that Mr. Gabbard had a great eye for spotting
on-air and management talent.
Cawood Ledford, former broadcast voice of the University of
Kentucky Wildcats, said: ``His word was as good as a contract
to me. I'll miss him tremendously as a personal friend.''
Ledford also said he always ``borrowed generously'' from
Mr. Gabbard when he was invited to give speeches. Mr.
Gabbard, he said, had a knack for remembering jokes, and when
Ledford was scheduled to give a speech, he often called Mr.
Gabbard to refresh his memory on jokes that Mr. Gabbard had
told him, then used them in his speeches.
Spinning discs
Mr. Gabbard, a Berea native, was just a teenager when he
had his first disc jockey job. He was a disc jockey,
announcer and advertising salesman for WEKY-1340 AM in
Richmond and a disc jockey and sales manager at WRVK-AM in
Renfro Valley in the early to mid-1960s. He went on to become
an advertising salesman and announcer for Lexington's WVLK
radio and station manager of WEKY.
``I loved being a disc jockey more than anything I ever
did, I guess. I got a charge out of talking to people and
having them respond,'' he said several years ago.
He said he got into broadcasting in 1963 by accident. A
high school teacher assigned students topics for speeches,
and Gabbard--who was a ``very average student''--got the
topic that was left over: radio.
He drove from Berea to a Richmond radio station to ask for
Associated press copy so he could practice reading.
The station had a young disc jockey named Ralph Hacker, who
told Mr. Gabbard the station was looking for an announcer. He
asked Mr. Gabbard to apply for the job.
Mr. Gabbard made an audition tape, and the station's
manager told him he was pretty bad, but the manager was
desperate for announcers and hired him anyway, he said in a
1987 interview.
He found his niche selling advertising.
After high school, he enrolled at Eastern Kentucky
University with the idea of becoming a pharmacist. But by the
end of his freshman year, he was making so much money selling
ads that he quit school.
After the series of radio jobs, Mr. Gabbard became general
sales manager of WKYT about 1970.
WKYT was struggling, Mr. Gabbard had said. His reaction was
to develop creative sales packages and market them
aggressively.
Later in the mid-1970s, he was promoted to vice president
and general manager of WKYT. The move made him the youngest
vice president and general manager of a top 100-market,
network-affiliated television station in the country.
The TV business was simple then, with just the three
commercial networks and Kentucky Educational Television.
Lexington didn't have an independent station.
As vice president and general manager, Mr. Gabbard hired
executives from outside the television industry because he
wanted people who would ``come in unprejudiced.'' He also put
more emphasis on news.
When Mr. Gabbard got WKYT on more solid ground, he turned
his attention to the mountains.
He was largely responsible for the opening of WYMT in
Hazard, a satellite station of WKYT. The purpose of the
Hazard station was to capture Eastern Kentucky audiences
previously reached by television stations in West Virginia
and other states, he said.
``It stands for `We're your mountain television,' '' he
said in 1991.
After the first five years, the station still hadn't shown
a net profit but Mr. Gabbard maintained it was still a wise
investment.
``It's good to be able to say, `There's a little crown
jewel sitting there that we're proud of,' '' he said.
He liked to say that WYMT had united Kentucky's mountain
communities.
``Without Ralph Gabbard, there would be no 'YMT,'' said
Tony Turner, WYMT news director. ``It was his dream, his
idea. He mapped it out, and there were a lot of obstacles.''
Mr. Gabbard also went to Washington to urge Kentucky
congressmen and senators to promote legislation that would
discourage Eastern Kentucky cable systems from dropping KET.
He was a past president of the Kentucky Broadcasters
Association and received its most prestigious honor, the Al
Temple Award, in 1993.
He also had served on many boards, including local and
regional hospital boards, and the boards of the Chamber of
Commerce, Big Brothers, United Way and Boy Scouts. He was a
member of the Georgetown College board of trustees at his
death. He also was a member of the board of Host
Communications Inc. in Lexington.
Mr. Gabbard is survived by his wife, Jackie Upton Gabbard;
four sons, Joseph Marlon
[[Page S10835]]
Gabbard, Jason Ralph Gabbard, James Matthew Gabbard and Jesse
Eden Gabbard; his mother, Maggie Eden Gabbard; and a sister,
Charlotte Moore, all of Lexington.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Calvary Baptist
Church in Lexington. Visitation will be from 1 to 4 p.m. and
from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at W.R. Milward Mortuary--Broadway.
Burial will be in Lexington Cemetery.
____
Ralph Gabbard Shaped and Expanded TV's Influence
Lexington broadcasting executive Ralph Gabbard was a bona
fide success story, rising from his Berea boyhood to a
position of national leadership in the television industry.
His untimely death this week at 50 leaves his many friends
and colleagues in shock, but the end of a life lived so fully
and energetically leaves an example worth heeding.
As the driving force behind WKYT-TV (Channel 27) in the
Lexington market, Mr. Gabbard realized early on that the
advent of cable TV was a threat--or perhaps an opportunity.
His response was typically savvy and creative.
Mr. Gabbard believed that his station would thrive the more
it stressed its local identity. Thus he built a strong news
team, became the TV flagship for University of Kentucky
sports and made sure that WKYT played a role in every
possible civic activity.
He extended this philosophy when WKYT bought and beefed up
its sister station in the mountains, WYMT-TV. The stations
enhanced each other naturally, giving each a toehold exactly
where needed, and extending their company's influence
throughout Kentucky.
By serving his community and region the best way he knew,
Mr. Gabbard also bolstered a thriving business. He had been
the station's president and general manager when it was part
of the old Garvice Kincaid empire, and when WKYT was sold to
Gray Communications Inc. in 1994, he was named president of
the new parent company.
By then, Mr. Gabbard was a respected national figure in the
TV industry, a true accomplishment for someone outside the
big-city markets. He served as chairman of the CBS-TV
affiliates and was a director of the National Association of
Broadcasters.
Mr. Gabbard played a key role in the recent compromise
between the TV industry and the Clinton administration to
improve children's programming.
Throughout his career, Mr. Gabbard forged ahead with
boldness, tenacity and innovation. He treated the Lexington
TV market as if it were in the big leagues, and that's where
he ultimately put himself.
That's a notable legacy and the reason that Ralph Gabbard
will be sorely missed.
____________________