[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 70 (Monday, May 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6023-S6024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CONGRATULATIONS TO KELO-TV ON 50 YEARS OF SUCCESS

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, in 1953, Joe L. Floyd opened the doors of 
South Dakota's first television station, and began his mission to 
provide television programming to even the most remote areas of our 
State. Since then, South Dakotans have had the comfort of knowing there 
was somewhere they could turn to obtain critical local information and 
programming. Through tornados and blizzards, KELO-TV has been there. 
Today, I come to the floor of the Senate to congratulate KELO on its 
50th anniversary.
  Providing television coverage to a rural State like South Dakota is 
no small challenge. The severe weather and vast distances make it 
difficult to get the airwaves into the homes of viewers, let alone to 
provide them with

[[Page S6024]]

high-quality broadcasting and information in the manner KELO has over 
the years. In fact, after several towers were lost, many dubbed 
KELOLAND to be the Bermuda triangle of television towers. To KELO's 
credit, these setbacks never kept the station off the air for long, as 
their engineers scrambled around the clock to get the station up and 
running again quickly.
  Despite the fact that KELO does not service any major metropolitan 
areas, it has always tried to take advantage of the most cutting-edge 
technologies that would allow them to offer the best local broadcasting 
to its viewers. Some of the station's technological highlights include: 
In 1955, KELO broadcast the first live local news broadcasts from the 
second floor of the Hollywood Theater Building. In 1957, KELO aired a 
game between Sioux Falls Cathedral and Marty Mission--the first live 
broadcast of a sports competition in South Dakota. In 1968, KELOLAND TV 
was the first station in the area to air the local news and programming 
in color. In 1991, KELOLAND TV was the first local station to bring 
closed-captioning of newscasts and many other programs to the deaf and 
hearing-impaired community. In 1997, KELO installed the first local 
Doppler weather radar report that allowed residents to have the most 
up-to-date information on the rapidly developing storms and severe 
weather conditions for which South Dakota is famous. Finally, this 
year, KELOLAND brought digital programming to the area.
  KELO's commitment to its viewers has also been recognized nationally. 
In 2000, KELO's commitment to public service was rewarded with an Emmy 
in the Public Service Announcement--Campaign category. In 1999, KELO 
earned the ``Friend in Need'' Service to America Award from The 
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for its outstanding coverage 
of the devastating tornado that struck the town of Spencer, South 
Dakota. Not only did KELO provide award-winning coverage of this 
devastating tornado, the station also helped raise more than $1 million 
for the Spencer Tornado Relief Fund.
  Most importantly, KELO has shown a sustained commitment to providing 
South Dakotans with the critical information they need about their 
communities. Whether it is news, weather or sports, local viewers have 
always been able to turn to KELO for accurate information.
  I am proud to say that my staff and I currently enjoy a great working 
relationship with those who work at KELO. We know that we can always 
come to expect a fair and balanced approach to coverage of the issues 
and stories in which we are involved. Given KELO's history of honest 
and intelligent reporting, its viewers expect nothing less.

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