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John A. Barnett/59/Dies/»KSWS Owner and ManagerJohn A. Barnett, 59, of Roswell, owner and general manager of KSWS-TV and KSWS-Radio, independent oil operator, geologist and petroleum engineer died Sunday at lt;1:40 a.m., at a local hospital.Mr. Barnett was awarded the coveted “New Mexico Broadcaster of the Year” title by the New Mexico Broadcasting Assn. at its winter convention this year. The award was given for his many firsts in broadcasting and telecasting, climaxed by his successful efforts to break the barriers for the erection of tall television towers in theUnited States.He was born at Kerens, Tex., on July 23, 1907, the son of George M. and Leolar Barnett. He attended schools in Texas and was graduated from Southern Methodist University at Dallas in 1926 with a B.S. degree.Mr. 3arnett had many achievements in television and pioneered KSWS-TV, the south-west’s first regional television station, which first came on the air on June 24, 1953.It was the world’s first television station designed to cover a large area embracing only smaller cities and towns and rural areas.His original television tower, 783 feet tall, was erected onComanche Hill, eight miles east of Roswell. This tower did not furnish KSWS-TV the coverage expected so Mr. Barnett immediately started work and theorizing on what turned out to be the 1,610-foot “giant”.With his Washington attorneys he spent many months working on that theory. He hadmuch opposition, as tall towers then were not considered feasible. However, after many hearings in Washington, he was given the O.K. to go ahead. He conceived and executed the idea of KSWS-TV covering all of southeastern New Mexico and partsof West Texas with one television signal, thereby being the sole medium of any type to cover this area entirely.The 1,610-foot KSWS-TV tower on the Caprock, 42 miles east of Roswell, at the time of its erection was the tallest man-made structure in the world. The tower was 135 feet higher than the Empire State Buildingin New York City, always regarded as the the world’s tallest structure.The first tall tower, after several years of operation, fell to the ground in a severe windstorm. After an interval of several months, during which time KSWS-TV operated on interim towers, the new and present tower, of the same 1,610-foot height, was erected.There are a number of taller towers now in operation in the United States but Mr. Barnett had the distinction of foreseeing what tall towers could do for isolated areas and achieved the first actual “tall” tower. As a result, he was able to incorporate entirely new engineering principles in the erection of tall (See BARNETT Page 2)JOHN A. BARNETT
Newspaper Details
Roswell Daily Record
Roswell, New Mexico, US
Mon, May 01, 1967
Page 1
Full Page
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Sammi B.
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