Zoel J. Parenteau papers
Collection
0051-MMC-NPBA
Zoel J. Parenteau Jr. (1933-2008) was a key figure in two midwestern public television stations, first at Kansas City, Missouri's public television station (KCPT) from 1960 to 1966 and subsequently at the Wichita, Kansas public television station (KPTS) from 1972 to 1997. In 1978, he was elected to a three-year term as a professional director at the Public Broadcasting Service. He also served on the board of trustees of the Association of America's Public Television Stations (APTS) from 1990 to 1993.
This collection documents the formation of the National Association of Television Stations and its parent organization, the Association for Public Broadcasting.
This collection is open for research uses.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials page for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
0.25 Linear Feet
The Zoel J. Parenteau papers cover the years 1979 to 1980. The collection documents Parenteau's involvement on the executive committees of the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Public Television Stations and its parent organization, the Association for Public Broadcasting. The National Association of Public Television Stations was created as a trade name by the Association for Public Broadcasting's executive committee in June 1980 which retained its name as the legal one.
Zoel J. Parenteau's broadcasting career began in Atlanta, Georgia, as a producer-director for WETV in 1958. In 1960, he moved to Kansas City, Missouri to assume the position of Director-Producer for KCSD, the educational television station licensed to the school district of Kansas City, Missouri. In 1965, he became station manager. Seven years later, the license was transferred from the school district to a community group, while the call letters were changed to KCPT. Soon, Parenteau was named the general manager of the station.
In October 1972, Parenteau became executive vice president and general manager of KPTS in Wichita, and in 1973 he became president. KPTS is licensed to The Kansas Public Telecommunications Services, Inc., formerly the Sunflower Educational Television Corporation. Parenteau resigned his position August 1996 after weeks of conflict with the majority of his staff. He continued as vice president and representative to the Kansas Public Broadcasting Council until July 1997 when he retired.
In 1978, he was elected to a three year term as professional director at the Public Broadcasting Service. In addition, Parenteau has served as a member of Central Educational Network's executive and finance committees. From 1990 to 1993, he served on the board of trustees of APTS (Association of America's Public Television Stations). Then, from 1993 to 1994, he served as the first chairperson of the Kansas Public Broadcasting Council after its creation by the Kansas Legislature.
Organized as two series.
The Zoel J. Parenteau papers were donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries by Zoel J. Parenteau in January of 1991.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives