T.V. Time

Local residents flocked to the Elks Lodge on November 17, 1953 to witness the first television broadcast in Ketchikan. KATV showed three programs, 'The American Barn Dance,' a boxing match, and a dramatic story. Programs were shipped to Ketchikan as 16 mm film then translated into a television signal to feed into a cable system. "My students selected this photo to recreate because the historical context intrigued them and they saw a lot of opportunity for interpretation in creating a contemporary version of it. Some of the students were disappointed we weren't able to recruit even more people to form a crowd, but we had fun nonetheless."
— Peter Stanton

Modern image
Photographer: Sonya Skan
Pictured: Linda Schrack, Katie Parrott, Rick Pickrell, Sean Eastham, Carol Corbett, Peter Stanton, Tribal Scholars: Nora, Jamie, Sonny, MaryAnn, Tim, Brendon, Nayomie, Austin
On loan courtesy of Peter Stanton, KIC Tribal Scholar program, L2015.4.69.1

Historic image
KATV television broadcast premier, November 17, 1953
Photographer: Paulu T. Saari
Donor: Paulu T. Saari, KM 2003.2.63.1022