Bob Turner is recognized as one of the foremost experts in broadcast technology. Bob joined WFAA-TV, in 1953, as a camera operator and floorman. Four years later he became a director. In 1963, Turner directed the first “live” cut-ins on Dallas television of the John F. Kennedy assassination, staying on duty for 56 straight hours, and feeding the entire ABC television network. In 1970, Turner became WFAA’s Production & Operations Manager.
In 1981, he moved to engineering and became WFAA-TV’s Systems Engineer for Capital Planning, and he continued in that capacity for fifteen years. In 1995, he was honored by his peers as the Employee of the Year at WFAA-TV. In 1996,Turner became the Corporate Director of Capital Planning for all of the Belo television properties and was charged with directing the conversion of 20 Belo stations to digital broadcasting. In 1998, he became the Corporate Vice-President of Engineering where, that same year, he helped sign-on WFAA-DT as the nation’s first station to broadcast high definition television on a VHF signal. In the year 2000, he received the William H. Seay award, a Belo award for integrity, loyalty, journalistic standards and community commitment. Also, in the year 2000, Bob was inducted into the Silver Circle of the Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. After retirement, Bob directed the design and building of a TV production facility at SMU, which was funded by Belo.
We honor Bob’s accomplishments and his 50 years of dedicated service by bringing his lifetime achievement recognition home to Texas and the Lone Star Chapter of NATAS with induction into the prestigious Gold Circle.