Mark Hatfield: “with the passing of Bill Smullin, Oregon has lost another of its pioneers. Bill was for over 50 years a legendary figure…”

“with the passing of Bill Smullin, Oregon has lost another of its pioneers. Bill was for over 50 years a legendary figure in broadcasting and was, in the words of a National Association of Broadcasters chairman, ``a great standard-bearer for all broadcasters.'' Growing up in the shadow of Mt. Hood as the son of homesteaders, Bill Smullin was one of the first newspapermen to make the transition to broadcasting. Acquiring first radio, then television and cable operations, Bill built his California Oregon Broadcasting Co. into a sophisticated, cutting-edge system which featured the best technology had to offer. Bill's interest in serving rural areas was avid. In an effort to ensure that smaller television markets had access to films, he helped form Television Station, Inc., in the 1960's, which bought and distributed films to rural stations. About the same time, Bill formed Pacific Teletronics, a microwave company which brought rural residents television programming from stations located hundreds of miles away. His contributions to the broadcasting profession's development were also numerous. He helped found and organize associations of broadcasting awards from both organizations. Five years ago he was named recipient of the National Association of Broadcaster's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.”