TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Elvis Presley dominated the airwaves. The Ten Commandments ruled the box office on the big screen and on the small screen ... ?
It was June 3rd, 1956. What became KGUN 9 switched onto your TV for the very first time. As we hit our 70th anniversary, we're taking a look back at the technology that got us to this point and the new inventions that will make sure we're broadcasting decades into the future.
Literally hundreds of journalists have walked the halls at KGUN 9's Eastside studios in Tucson over the better part of the last 40 years to tell the stories that matter to the people of Southern Arizona. And the studio itself inside; it's seen more than a few changes over the years.
The pace may have picked up a little bit in our daily and nightly newscasts and the look has taken on a cooler tone from the decor from decades past.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same with our team telling stories
Jaime Cordova is one of our broadcast engineers which basically means he's responsible to make sure you see and hear all of the content coming out of KGUN 9.
"I come to work and there is nothing routine about what I do," Jaime told me.
The goal and the mission remain the same. You've got to be clear and conversational about the facts but you've still got to be quick.
"The reporters, the photographers, we want to make it easier for them. The customers. The viewer. We want to make it easier for them to access. But on the back end of it it does require some work," Jaime said.
He's been working in television behind the scenes for 30 years. With advances in technology more the norm than the exception, Jaime and his team have had to pivot almost as much as the old microwave truck dishes had to move to get a clear line of sight to transmit a signal from the field; an outdated concern with cellular connectivity.
"You've got to tilt up. You've got to tilt down. Left. Right. High power, low power, change your polarity but not anymore," Jaime said.
"You have to be willing to change quickly. You have to change gears consistently."
Jaime took me into the MER or Machine Equipment Room deep inside the KGUN hub where miles of cables still snake their way under the floor connecting dozens of receivers and servers with serve different purposes.
"We have a primary, back up, a tertiary and a fourth that we're able to go ahead and bring in," Jaime showed me.
Network affiliation allows for content from all over the world to be shared right here in Southern Arizona while local news is still our priority.
So what will the next 70 years bring to the news business with AI and instant access to information and innovation with streaming. Forget looking seven decades or even seven years into the future.
Jaime says day-to-day, month-to-month makes the business a little more manageable.
"I can't even imagine what five years is going to be like. Man, it has gone by so fast," Jaime said.
So celebrate 70 years of KGUN 9! Now back to work. The news cycle never stops.
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Dan Spindle co-anchors Good Morning Tucson on KGUN 9 and is an award-winning storyteller whose work has earned him honors from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmys, the Associated Press and the Utah Society of Professional Journalists for both anchoring and reporting. Dan is passionate about history and loves to explore the Grand Canyon State. Share your story ideas with Dan by emailing dan.spindle@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or X.
