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The Thad Holt Collection
Processed by: Jonathan PowellOctober 1996
9.5 lin. ft.
Thad Holt spent a lifetime in the field of broadcasting. Early in his career Holt started WAPI, the first radio station in Alabama. With the advent of FM radio, he expanded his operations to include FM broadcasts -- the first in Alabama to do so. The arrival of television in the late forties led Holt to develop his broadcasting activities.
He became a leader in educational television, and later fought for the rights of cable companies to establish operations in the area. Holt quickly perceived the application of satellites for long distance communication -- non-military as well as military -- and became an early proponent of using satellites for transmission of educational programs.
Holt's lifetime accomplishments, his connections with important
figures of the early 20th century--such as Harry Hopkins--and others in the field of broadcasting--particularly Edward R. Murrow--forms an important chapter in American broadcasting.
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The Thad Holt Collection spans from 1936 to 1982, and includes business records, business and personal correspondence, financial records and other documents relating to Mr. Holt's involvement with WAPI, WAPI-FM, the TeleVision Corporation, educational television, Alabama Educational Television, community antenna television, and materials concerning satellite and video communications that span the years from approximately 1936 to 1982.
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Series I: WAPI Radio Materials, 1936-1954
This series contains documents relating to radio station WAPI, and includes original leases, contracts, as well as detailed applications for radio licensing to the FCC. The spread of FM radio and the rise of television in the latter 1940s is also evidenced by documents in this series.
Series II: Radio & Television, 1954-1980
Holt's long interest in Community Antenna TeleVision (CATV) is documented by the many proposals made in favor of CATV to various communities as early as 1954 and going into the early 1970s. Holt supported his position with copies of articles from various newspapers, which are part of the collection. Also included are records of the TeleVision Corporation from 1961 to 1971, one of Holt's commercial broadcasting ventures.
Series III: Educational Television, 1953-1974
Materials in this series treat the history of educational television (ETV), from 1953 to 1974; included are progress reports, budgets, and correspondence. The efforts of Holt and others to establish Alabama Educational Television (AETV) starting in 1953-54, can be traced from newspaper clippings in the collection. "Operation New Birmingham," one of several ambitious projects, is also documented in this series.
In 1974 the FCC revoked AETV's operating license, sparking a national debate on the roles of government and the media. Holt, though no longer directly involved, tracked events in the unfolding AETV drama, and this series contains his records of the controversy.
Series IV: Holt Biographical Material, 1922-1984
Articles in this series include those relating to syndicated columnist Barney Oldfield, the Democratic and Republican national conventions of 1956, and Holt's contributions to the Murrow Symposia, which he helped organize in memory of his friend Edward R. Murrow.
For further information, contact the Library of American Broadcasting.
labcast@umd.eduLibrary of American Broadcasting
University of Maryland, College Park
