Originally published in Current, April 23, 2007
E.W. Bundy, longtime advocate for public broadcasting in the mountain states, died in Albuquerque, N.M., March 30 [2007], of complications from colon cancer. He was 87.
Bundy, often seen with string tie and pipe, made a career of intervening for rural stations in Washington. Since 1968 he had been executive director of the Rocky Mountain Corporation for Public Broadcasting, for years funded by states in the region.
Bundy was a coach and cheerleader for her and others, says Karen Holp, g.m. of KGOU-FM in Norman, Okla. “He taught me how to walk the halls of Congress when I was a new manager.” With little warning he put Holp in a meeting with FCC brass but gave her the questions to ask. “He did that for so many of us.”
Bundy helped Mark Stanislawsky win DTV conversion aid for Albuquerque’s KNME-TV by allying with the state’s two other stations. “He was a real champion of rural
communities. He was dogged, determined and focused,” Stanislawsky said.
A Utah native and onetime radio announcer, Bundy joined the first wave of public TV, becoming executive secretary of the Louisiana ETV Commission in 1954. He taught at the University of Michigan and then the University of New Mexico, where he was production manager of KNME-TV.
Heidi Brown, a daughter, recalled: “In 1991, when Dad received the Edward R. Murrow Award, he ended his acceptance by referring to Don Quixote and tilting at windmills,” said Brown. “In memory of my father, I would ask that all those involved in broadcasting continue to tilt at windmills.”
Bundy is survived by his wife of 67 years, Louise, six children, nine grandchildren and more. Graveside services were held April 6 [2007] at Santa Fe National Cemetery.
His friends gave many additional comments about him, including these sent to Current.
The mental picture I’ve always had of Wayne is as a determined, weathered tree of a man, standing on a high point in the American Southwest, facing defiantly into the wind. His pipe is in his mouth and the wind is stirring enough oxygen to have it aflame. He served in a most unique and truly great fashion, to the end.
— Walter B. Rudolph, Provo, Utah
Wayne Bundy was a relentless ambassador for the powerful role of public broadcasting in the Inter-mountain West. He was an advocate for the needs of the diverse populations who live there and a guide to innovative technological and operational solutions. He helped bring public television and radio programming to a region that changed dramatically over the span of his career.
— Tom Thomas, Station Resource Group
It is safe to say that Dr. Wayne Bundy had a part in every station's growth, in not only our region but in many stations throughout the entire country, and television as well. I can remember how proud we were when Wayne received the Edward R. Murrow award. Sorely missed is an understatement.
— Bill Hurt, Greeley, Colo.
Like others who knew him, I’ve got fond memories of Wayne. That he loved to laugh … that you avoided calling him on your nickel … that his personal and professional life would each be great reading … and, especially, that no one cared more about the special role of public broadcasting in the West than Wayne. He was one of the last of the generation that invented public broadcasting and handed it off to people my age who are now approaching geezerdom ourselves. We should all wear a bolo tie on Monday in his honor.
— Dennis Haarsager, g.m.,
Northwest Public Radio, Pullman, Wash.
Web page posted April 24, 2007
Copyright 2007 by Current Publishing Committee
