2000 Inductee
Bob Turner is recognized around the world as one of the foremost experts in broadcasting technology. After leaving the seminary in the early 1950’s, Bob turner joined WFAA-TV in May of 1953, as a camera operator and floorman. Four years later he was a director. In 1963, Turner directed the first “live” cut-ins on Dallas television of the John F. Kennedy assassination, staying on duty for 56 straight hours, and feeding the entire ABC television network. At WFAA, Bob researched, and in some cases, participated in the initial design of some of the most advanced forms of broadcast technology within a television facility in the Southwest. In 1970 Turner became the WFAA’s manager. In 1981, he was the station’s systems engineer for capital planning, and he continued in that capacity for fifteen years. In 1995 Turner became the director of Capital Planning for all Belo television properties. That same year he was honored by his peers as the Employee of the Year at WFAA-TV. This year (2000) he has received the William H. Seay award, a Belo award for integrity, loyalty, journalistic standards and community commitment. Then in 1998, Turner led the charge as WFAA-DT signed-on as the nation’s first station to broadcast high definition television on a VHF signal. It was his technical leadership that provided the vision for this moment in broadcast history. Bob once said he’d lived through “everything from black and white to color, film to videotape and beyond.” After 47 years of broadcast innovation and excellence, Bob Tuner continues to push the envelope technically and creatively, but he is also well-known and respected for his willingness to help and encourage others. His mentoring skills have helped launch many a career and a list of his proteges reads like a “Who’s’ Who” in Texas broadcasting and across the nation.