Franklin D. Schurz, Sr, was the longtime editor and publisher of the South Bend Tribune and owner of WSBT Radio & TV. He served as general manager of WSBT Radio from 1936 to 1946 and was editor and publisher of the newspaper 1954-72. He was chairman of privately-owned Schurz Communications, which at the time of his death in 1987 included the Tribune and WSBT-TV in South Bend as well as television stations in Virginia, Missouri, and Georgia and four cable television systems.
In 1920, the South Bend native graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard’s Business School.
On October 5, 1925, Schurz joined The Tribune. He served as the longtime editor and publisher of the South Bend Tribune from 1954 to 1972. In 1936, he became manager of the newspaper’s radio station for ten years. In 1946, he served as the general manager of the company and in 1956, became the company president.
Schurz expanded that business to include newspapers from Indiana, Maryland, Kentucky and California. He also played a critical role in the company’s movement towards the television field with WSBT-TV, the nation’s oldest UHF station, which aired in 1952. In addition to WSBT, the company owned television stations WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Va., KYTV in Springfield, Mo., and WAGT-TV in Augusta, Ga.
Schurz was also a vice president board member of the Associated Press and president of the Inland Daily Press Association. Schurz was also chairman of privately-owned Schurz Communications. He was named “one of the world’s leading pioneers in newspaper production technology” by the American Newspaper Publishers Association.
Schurz passed away in his South Bend home in 1987 at the age of 89. His son, Franklin D. Schurz Jr., and his other two sons and one daughter, succeeded him as a newspaper publisher.
Sharp retired as station manager and administrative assistant of WFBM Radio in 1967. He passed away February 28, 1987, in Indianapolis, leaving behind an honorable legacy as one of the most revered broadcasters in Indiana.
Frank Edwards passed away on June 23, 1967, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering broadcaster and popularizer of unusual phenomena. He was remembered not only for his contributions to radio and television news but also for his role in bringing topics like UFOs into mainstream discourse.
