BULLETIN BOARD: LATEST NEWS & SITE UPDATES
36TH ANNUAL, 2025 REUNION SET FOR SAT. OCT. 18 WITH SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER, RADIO/TV LEGEND PAT McMAHON: DETAILS
ED SHARPE, ACCLAIMED TV ENGINEER, COLLECTOR DIES: OBIT
BELOVED SUNS VOICE, OUR FRIEND, AL McCOY PASSES: OBIT
GREG COOKE-FROM PHX TV TO CBS & MORE, HIS STORY BELOW
GARY EDENS, BROADCAST TO BRUSH, IN ART STUDIO EDENS.ART
HANK RICHTER, PHX AD AGENCY OWNER/ARTIST DIES: OBIT
LARRY POPKIN, PHOENIX AD EXEC AT R&G, SRP DIES AT 84: OBIT
PAT POULSON, PHX NEWSPAPER EXEC, PASSES AWAY: OBIT
ANDY LIMBER, PHX AD AGENCY OWNER PASSES AT 87 OBIT
JERRY FOSTER, PIONEERING NEWS PILOT, DIES AT 82 STORY
RAY COX, 88, PHOENIX MEDIA/SPORTS EXEC PASSES AWAY: OBIT
CAROLE KANN ROTH, PHX AD EXEC DIES MAY 6,2022: OBIT
LARRY SCHNEBLY, TUCSON TV PIONEER LEGEND PASSES: OBIT
PAUL DEAN, NOTED PHOENIX JOURNALIST, AUTHOR DIES: OBIT
KENT DANA, LONGTIME PHOENIX NEWS ANCHOR PASSES: STORY
PHIL RICHARDSON, TUCSON RADIO GM AT KTKT, KCUB DIES OBIT
RAY ODOM, LEGENDARY AZ BROADCASTER DIES: VIDEO BIO
FROM RADIO EXEC TO ARTIST - SEE GARY EDENS FINE ART HERE
GET JIM WEST'S NEW BOOK ON KNIX RADIO-SENSATIONAL! HERE
TEX EARNHARDT, CAR MOGUL, TV ICON PASSES AWAY DETAILS
SANDY GIBBONS, PHX PERSONALITY, ACTOR PASSES:OBIT
MAC JETT, PHX ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE DIES AT 76: OBIT
JIM SPERO - PHOENIX RADIO LEGEND PASSES...OBITUARY
BOB MELTON, PHOENIX RADIO EXEC - KRUX, KUPD DIES:STORY
DEE COURTWRIGHT-SMOOT, PHOENX PR EXEC, PASSES OBIT
JACK MILLER, LEGENDARY PHOENIX AUDIO GENIUS DIES. STORY
Read our columnists as they reminisce about the old days...
and "What's New" from our Webmaster
Remember these columns were written about 20 years ago...so keep that in mind. When we were just youngsters!
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A special meeting place for ARIZONA
MEDIA AND ADVERTISING VETERANS!
ARIZONA SURVIVORS
WHO ARE THE SURVIVORS?
Many years ago a group of ad types after a few pops one night started in with the "Whatever happened tos." Names of old media folks no one had seen for a while. Were they retired? Out of town? Dead?
Somebody said, "Gee, wouldn't it be nice if we could get all the old timers together and see all the folks who have been in this exciting business for years, but have now scattered hither and yon?"
"This business?" The media and advertising biz. Folks in radio, TV, print, PR, and all forms of communication.
Some of these were celebrities like the local Disc Jockeys....Jim Spero, Lucky Lawrence, Tony Evans, Dave Pratt, W. Steven Martin. Or, TV people like Bill Close, Ray Thompson, Bill Denney, and of course, Wallace and Ladmo.
But, most of the folks were behind the scenes. The account execs., production managers, engineers, writers, media buyers, clients who believed in advertising. Some were still active; a whole bunch were retired.
So, let's name names. Who were these visionaries who wanted to form a group like this? Dee Courtright, Karen DeWall, Jim Fraser, Maurie Helle, Carole Kann, and Lisa McFadden.
They started it, and since 1989, there has been a "reunion" of these old-timers, or should I say "Survivors," almost every year since. That's the name we chose, the Arizona Survivors. And, those folks listed above have done most of the work, thank you very much.
There are no membership applications, no dues, you don't have to prove to anybody that you belong.
Who attends these annual reunions? Usually over 100 fun-lovin' guys and gals who love this business and want to keep in touch with one another. It's that simple.
If you haven't been to an annual gathering, we hope you'll come next time. We miss you, and it's a blast! In the meantime, enjoy this site, come often, and it will be like having a good time with your old friends, 365 days a year!
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TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE SURVIVORS WHO HAVE SIGNED IN...WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE US A MESSAGE, TOO!
Copyright 2006-2024 Arizona Survivors. But, take and use any material you want here...with only one request...please give us a link on your site to this one. And, we'll reciprocate. Just e-mail your link to: [email protected]. Thanks.
GUEST BOOK/
MESSAGE BOARD
The Arizona Media Survivors remembers the great Karl Eller for his financial support of our organization. We miss this media giant.
Take a look at these site features:
KRUX RADIO REUNION, A BLAST FROM THE PAST: DETAILS
JACK JACOBSON, TV EXEC, ENTERTAINER: TRIBUTE
SALUTING ART WALLER, TUCSON MEDIA LEGEND HERE
CHECK OUT THE NEW KTKT RADIO TUCSON TRIBUTE HERE
SALUTING LEGENDARY KPHO-TV DIRECTOR SHARON KELLEY
REMEMBERING TUCSON AD FED PRESIDENTS: 1983 PHOTO HERE
Also be sure to take a look at our friend, the late Ed Sharpe's incredible site for the Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications, and Computation: smecc.org
Video by Gary Edens Photos by Marlene Klotz-Collins
Arizona Media & Advertising Survivors
36th Annual Reunion
Saturday Oct. 18, 2025
With Special Guest Speaker,
Radio-TV Legend Pat McMahon
CATCHING UP WITH...
GREG COOKE
From local Phoenix TV
to 60 Minutes and more...
He writes us:
I moved from KTAR to KLZ TV in Denver continuing as a cameraman. Then tried freelancing for a bit before being hired as a staff cameraman for CBS News covering the war in Vietnam in June 1970 - just after the Kent State University shooting at a Vietnam protest.
Wild times in those days and I worked with all of the well known CBS correspondents who would swing through the war zone on special assignments. One of the stories I shot lives on today thanks to YouTube - and was the inspiration for a scene in the movie Platoon. This according to a Marine Corps retiree and friend who was the military “technical director” for Oliver Stone on the film production. Portions of my story always seem find their into many Vietnam documentaries. Here’s the original:
After 2 years in Saigon I returned stateside and was assigned to George McGovern’s campaign plane covering the 25-thousand mile crusade cris crossing the country in his bid for the presidency against Nixon. For the next 8 years I was one of a select handful of freelancers shooting exclusively for 60 Minutes and CBS Documentaries - including the controversial hunting documentary: The Guns of Autumn.
I got a couple special assignments along the way: Walter Cronkite’s dedicated cameraman on President Nixon’s final European tour before resigning the presidency, and pool cameraman traveling on Henry Kissinger’s plane as he traveled to China on a formal State Department tour.
Good friend and correspondent Morley Safer brought me onboard as a staff producer for 60 Minutes with a move to New York City. After several years in the Big Apple I moved west to Los Angeles to try my hand at entertainment producing by creating a 60 Minutes “inspired” reality show called LOVE STORIES with Stu Billet and Ralph Edwards who were having great success with their reality show PEOPLES COURT. After one season, got a gig as show director for the supernatural/alien reality series SIGHTINGS under actor/producer Henry Winkler at Paramount Studios. Then - that led to a senior producer position helping create and launch the CBS reality show AMAZING RACE.
Wow - this must sound like some phony baloney history…. It’s the first time I’ve actually chronicled my past since KTAR and even I’m amazed by all these experiences. Thanks for asking what I’ve been up to :)
Today, my wife (a long time Disney executive) and I bounce back and forth between our place in Gilbert and our condo in Burbank to keep up with our kids, grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.
,.. hope to see the “Survivors” in 2024!
Greg
PS:
BUT! - I forgot to mention the most important part of my saga - It all began because of a kind word from Jack Murphy! I left Washington High School with the intention of becoming an architect and took a summer job as a cameraman at KOOL TV where Jack Murphy was instrumental in developing their TV News programming. About three years later I was trying freelancing and Jack had moved on to a position with the US Information Agency developing a national TV Network in Vietnam during the war. Then one day in Saigon, Jack mentioned my name to a CBS Correspondent, Don Webster, when CBS was looking to fill a cameraman position in Saigon. Soon after that Don Webster knocked in my door in Phoenix - and my journey into world events began. As I said to him many times later -"Thank you Jack”. If it were not for him,.. I’d still be sitting in front of a computerized drafting program.
Above left: with Henry Kissinger, Above right: In Vietnam
Below: Today
