Ken Koontz is the First

By FRAN FARRER

CHARLOTTE, NC - Ken Koontz is a native-born Texan with Charlotte roots, as his mother was from Charlotte, and his father was the Texan. His mother, Loverrine Hailey Koontz joined her husband in Texas to raise their family of four children. The family returned to Charlotte for two years when Ken was in first and second grades at the old and now torn down Isabella Wyche Elementary School. The Koontz family returned to Texas where he remained through high school and his second year of college at Lamar State College of Technology, the now Lamar University.

With a constant desire to make Charlotte his home, Koontz returned to attend Johnson C. Smith University, where four of his mother’s five sisters and brothers and his two older sisters had all attended. He graduated for Johnson C. Smith in 1972 with a Bachelor’s degree in French.

Koontz had worked two years as sports editor for his high school newspaper and 18-months as a freelance, part-time radio news and sports reporter at the Black-programmed radio station in Beaumont before coming to Charlotte. Upon returning to Charlotte in 1969 he was able to secure a part-time job in the news department at WBTV, which had been the first television station in the two Carolinas and which enjoyed a dominant #1 rank in the Carolinas’ markets. Joining WBTV News made him the first Black reporter on the station’s television news staff.

He spent 14 years with WBTV, serving 11 years in news as a reporter and anchor. Those news years included a year and nine months as Morning News anchor and his last 18-months in news as Weekend Anchor. From that, he moved upstairs accepting a position as the station’s Director of Community Affairs. In that job, and unlike news, he was able to be free to take on various community projects and to be the station’s official representative in finding out, developing and producing programs and events that addressed those community issues and concerns.

His record includes: Producing and hosting the first three “Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethons To Benefit the United Negro College Fund;” Producing and hosting the first two “Martin Luther King, Junior, Memorial Observances” at the old Charlotte Civic Center where the keynote speaker was, then-Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm that became the first Black woman candidate for President of The United States; and Produced and hosted Charlotte’s first two “Walk America” campaigns.

Ken re-entered the world of media entrepreneurship in 1995 when he founded All-Stars Communications, LLC, to build and operate a Ku-band satellite uplink truck. The mobile unit provided satellite transmissions from remote locations primarily across the Southeast United States. But their services have taken them Mexico City to Chicago, from Texas to Massachusetts and virtually all points between. Notable assignments have included every Presidential campaign since 1995, Super Bowls and World Series, college basketball championships and playoffs, hurricanes such as Katrina and Rita, 9-11, weather disasters and much more news, sports and programming missions. In establishing All-Stars, Ken became only the second African-American ownership of such business among the estimated 300 satellite uplink trucks operating across the country at that time. Though he no longer serves as Managing General Partner of the All-Stars LLC, he maintains his ownership and investment interest.

In 2007, he launched his latest entrepreneurial venture, WENS-TV, an acronym for “Webcasts Events News Sports-TeleVideo” and what he calls “Virtual Television.” WENS-TV is mainly a video production company designed to provide a broad range of quality video product and content primarily for Internet.

Koontz is officially retired, but says he still has a passion for the work and profession. So, he will do special exclusive projects if asked or if his time and interests allow.

He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and its Men’s Choir, and is a member of the Second Ward-West Charlotte Men’s Breakfast Club.

He is the proud father of three adult children, and two grand children ages 10 and 7.