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Vol 8, No 257

September 14, 1954

Tuesday Evening

Houston TV signal reaches London, after 4 Years

Today in Sports
Texas beats Boston College 42-19
BOSTON MA  (1974)   On this date in 1974, Tyler born, Earl Campbell, played in his first football game with the University of Texas at Austin, where Texas beat Boston College 42-19.
   In the game, Campbell rushed for 85 yards in 13 carries. Before his career ended at the University of Texas, Campbell would rack up 4,444 yards, score 41 touchdowns, win the Heismann Trophy, and be the first draft pick in the 1978 NFL draft.   

Freak Signal Baffling
LONDON UK (1954)  At 3:30 pm on this date in 1954, Charles W. Bratley picked up the call letters KLEE-TV on his television set. The amazing thing was not that he was several thousand miles away from the Houston based television station, but that KLEE had become KPRC and had not broadcast their old call letters since July 1950, over 4 years before. The broadcast of the call letters continued, being picked up by engineers at Atlantic Electronics, Ltd., in Lancaster, England.
   Scientists and researchers confirmed that there is not now and never has been another KLEE-TV. Paul Huhndorff, chief engineer of KPRC-TV, had no explanation. In the early days of television, it was not unusual for powerful stations to be picked up thousands of miles away. Before and after the broadcast day, a test pattern including the call letters would be broadcast. A time delay of even 30 seconds, however, would be baffling. And a delay of four years was thought to be downright impossible.
   One theory is that the signals bounced off nearby planets, or perhaps was rebroadcast by an intelligent lifeform somewhere in space. Still, only the KLEE test pattern was picked up day after day by British television viewers.
   The phenominon was partly the basis of Carl Sagan's book "Contact" which was later made into the 1995 movie starring Jodie Foster. In the movie, a broadcast from Nazi Germany is picked up live in the late 20th century, which becomes the earth's first confirmed contact with an extra terrestrial civilization. In the movie, the broadcast was delayed by 60 years. It was in the 1930s, that Nazi Germany was the leader in broadcast television. 60 years later, so the movie goes, the rebroadcast signal reached the earth from some distant civilization in space.
   Over the next few months, further investigation into the London incident, suggested that an ad placed in a 1950 broadcast journal displaying the KLEE test pattern was likely being scanned by an amateur broadcaster, and transmitted into the London area. Either that, or a nearby civilization is watching us.

Entertainment Desk
Jamie Foxx is awarded a star on the Walk of Fame
HOLLYWOOD   (2007)    On this date in 2007, Terrell native, Jamie Foxx is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Foxx started in stand up comedy, and soon landed a roll as Roc on "In Living Color". In 2004, Foxx played the starring roll of Ray Charles in the smash motion picture "Ray" for which he won an Academy Award.   

Political Desk
Lyndon Johnson receives Senatorial Nomination
AUSTIN  (1948)   On this date in 1948, Lyndon B Johnson was certified by the Texas Democratic Convention as the Democratic Candidate for the US Senate, all but insuring his election as Senator.

Weather Desk
Hurricane hits south of Corpus Christi
CORPUS CHRISTI  (1919)   On this date in 1919, a hurrican comes ashore just south of Corpus Christi. 284 people are killed, and over $20 million in damages as tides rise 16 feet above normal.