70 Years of Texas Television: An Evening with Bobbie Wygant

Bobbie Wygant joined Texas’ first television station, WBAP-TV, in 1948, two weeks before it went on the air. During her remarkable and trailblazing career, spanning seventy years in broadcasting, Wygant interviewed thousands of notable entertainers and celebrities from Bette Davis to Charley Pride to Bradley Cooper. In 1960, she became the first woman in the southwest to host and produce a general interest talk show. Her popular midday program, Dateline, was live on the air when news broke of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963—which was also Wygant’s birthday.

This special program included a wine reception, complimentary parking and admission to the Museum’s temporary exhibit 55 Years, an installation of magazine covers featuring President Kennedy from 1963 to 2018. While President Kennedy’s image and influence have continued to be the focus of magazine articles over the years, 55 Years visually conveys how the symbolic memorialization of the 35th president has evolved over time. View this program on YouTube.