Page 79 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine Summer 2022 - Online Magazine
P. 79
LOCAL LEGENDS
getting his degree in broadcast “Channel 11 was calling me,
journalism at Texas Tech at wanting me to come back.
the same time. “I went back to Eventually, I said yes. My
school with a vengeance, trying wife’s parents still lived here,
to catch up. It took three and and we loved Lubbock. I was
a half years, but I was married the news director for five years.
with two children; that will We did a lot of things, and
focus you.” station ownership opened up
the purse. We put ‘Food for
TV news was notoriously bad Thought’ on the air, and that
pay and very demanding. “You was the kicker.”
had to be good, you had to be
right, and you had to be fast,” But something was still
Dave remembers of that first missing. Dave wanted to
TV gig. be his own boss. So, he
left 11 and opened Walker
His talent for telling a story Communications, a public
soon led to job offers in much relations firm that eventually
larger TV markets. He thought added radio station ownership.
he was going to make the jump He owned and operated four
to KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, stations, before the internet;
but the news director who then the pandemic changed the 1st Lieutenant Dave Walker
offered the job got fired before viability of radio and broadcast Texas State Guard Public Affairs Officer
the deal was finalized. So, Dave communications. So,
and his family, wife Lynn and he sold his stations
young daughters, moved to and retired.
San Antonio instead. He was
a political reporter for KSAT- “People have tuned
TV where he spent 13 months out, and our age is
honing his large market skills the last generation
and catching the attention that was really into
of even bigger corporate radio. Talk to your
communicators. grandchildren; they
Spotify. The golden
“I got a call about a job age of media that we
opening for a bureau chief in knew, we were so
Dallas at this new network lucky to do it. You
called CNN. They said, ‘It’s weren’t going to get
going to be a cable, all-news- rich, but you could
network; it’s going to be 24 make a decent living
hours.’ I thought, ‘What are and turn it into a
you going to put on for 24 career, which I don’t
hours? Nobody is going to think you can do
watch that.” today.”
So, he was wrong about Dave did it with
CNN but right about his next passion, integrity
opportunity, working for and a grace that has
the legendary Houston NBC made him an icon in
affiliate KPRC-TV. He spent Lubbock media.
seven years there, then worked
for the NBC and ABC networks
in their Houston news bureaus,
but eventually, he felt burned
out. Catch the Senior Link Radio Show at noon
every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month!
Lubbock Senior Link 79
