First Words of Tucson’s Channel 9

Seventy years ago, KGUN Channel 9 in Tucson signed on air with a shaky script and a bold promise—its very first broadcast, led by teen announcer Ray Lindstrom, launched with “Greetings to greater Arizona from Tucson. KDWI signing on with regular programming from now on.” Back then, the station was just KDWI, playing movies and figuring things out without network ties. A group had even turned down building a station five years earlier, calling TV a fad—until D.W. Ingram launched Channel 9, sold it a year later, and the new owner flipped the call letters to KGUN-TV, added Westerns, and made it an ABC affiliate. Lindstrom, who started at 18, not only voiced station IDs and live commercials but also donned stilts as Tom-Tom the Clown for extra cash. The night’s first movie? “Lady from Shanghai,” starring Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles—with the script ending on a hopeful note: “The stars will shine on Channel 9.” Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/98adad75ff29f0ca