Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 10:27:13 -0600
From: dewey
To: Peter Ford
Subject: 20 years

You asked about the last 20 years and here's is what happened. I settled quickly at a CBS affiliate here in San Angelo. I started as a director for newscasts and added hours as a master control operator. Then I became Production Manager and was responsible for the production people and the studio. Even though it is a very small market, I enjoyed the television experience such as set design for the news and lighting. Later, I also took on Creative Services and made the commercials for the station's clients. Eventually, I went into sales with hopes of one day managing a station.

The move into sales was a dramatic change. I went from jeans to suits and hated it. The idea of cold calls was something I had to adapt to.

After 14 years, the Fox affiliate offered me a job with promise of station management. After a year however, the NBC satellite station offered me a chance to open a sales department and the carrot of a news department down the road made the offer too good to refuse. After a year of success, I was fired with no reason given. Some friends have said that I was a threat to the general manager.

Anyway, I thought I was going to have to move to Corpus Cristi when this job offered the chance to be a buyer instead of a seller. We bought the others out and now we own a small advertising agency. The websites at cwadv.com are part of the services we provide to our clients. I never thought we would be doing so much business creating and maintaining websites. We have others under construction, but the ones at our site are finished or close to being finished. We have someone on staff that is working full-time on web design.

On family life. After divorce, my ex re-married an airman and moved to Korea with my son Dallas. It was tough, living off base and she called to let me know that she was going to Thailand until her husband finished his tour. She then offered to let my son live with me, so I went to Thailand to get him. That was about ten years ago. He lived with me since then and he is now is in the Air Force in Wichita Falls at technical training. He is scheduled to be stationed in Okinawa. I am toying with the idea of learning some Japanese.

I remarried and have a four year old. My wife, Leanne, is from a ranching family. This means that instead of being a weekend warrior, I am a weekend ranch hand. Although rounding up by horseback is being replaced by rounding up by all terrain vehicles, it is still quite a change from my life here at the ad agency.

At the moment we have political campaigns going on. Trying to take care of politicians and our regular clients makes time fly. We are doing a local sheriff, a state representative and several district judges.

Anyway, thanks for asking and let me know what you think about our websites. I am especially pleased with the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo site. Take care and I will be in touch. dew