R.I.P. - TV News Pioneer Ray Miller

The Edward R. Murrow of Houston TV News. Born in Fort Worth and moved to Houston in 1939. He was not the city's first anchor, that was his boss at KPRC-AM, Pat Flaherty, but the KHOU video includes a brief kinescope clip of him anchoring an early newscast on 2.

He is perhaps best remembered for building the shop at KPRC that was one of the best local TV news shops anywhere and for creating and narrating The Eyes of Texas beginning in 1967.

Watching KPRC-TV news day after day, years on end, made me proud to be a broadcaster, a Houstonian and a Texan. The Eyes of Texas was simply one of the most fascinating TV programs ever owing in large measure to the writing (but also the subject matter!)

It would be interesting to compile a list of the broadcast journalists who came through that shop and went on to other things - Steve Smith, later long-time anchor of KHOU, Conservative commentator Cal Thomas, Thom Jarriel of ABC and many others. But I think also it should be noted the number of local TV journalists who migrated to KPRC - it was the place to be if you wanted to work for the best - among them Larry Rascoe, Ron Stone and Bob Nicholas, all of whom came over from 11. Ironic that Miller wound up working with 11 after he left 2.

I have been looking through a couple of his Eyes of Texas Travel Guides that I have and his Ray Miller's Houston - there's lots of good stuff in there I had forgotten about including great old photos and facts.

I have not been able to get the KPRC video to load so I haven't seen it.

KHOU Ray Miller video

KPRC story with video