Archives West Finding Aid
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Floyd J. McKay KGW-TV papers, 1970-1986
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- McKay, Floyd J.
- Title
- Floyd J. McKay KGW-TV papers
- Dates
- 1970-1986 (inclusive)19701986
- Quantity
- 5.6 cubic feet, (15 letter document cases; 1 slim letter document case)
- Collection Number
- Coll 802
- Summary
- Commentary scripts and correspondence relating to Floyd J. McKay's career as news analyst at KGW-TV from 1970 to 1986, Portland, Oregon, as well as related documents and clippings.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Additional Reference Guides
-
Introduction and index to commentaries by McKay is housed in Box 1, Folder 1.
Introduction to correspondence and annotated index of relevant names mentioned in correspondence, written by McKay, is housed in Box 11, Folder 6.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Floyd J. McKay was born in 1935. His family moved to McMinnville, Oregon in 1947. After first getting a job with the Springfield News in 1958, McKay worked for the Salem newspaper Oregon Statesman in the 1960s, when the paper's editor was former Oregon governor Charles A. Sprague. In 1970, McKay was hired as a news analyst for KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon; he held the position until 1987, when he was appointed press secretary for Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt. In the 1990s and 2000s, he was professor and department chair of the School of Journalism at Western Washington University. McKay has authored several books, including An Editor for Oregon: Charles A. Sprague and the Politics of Change; and Reporting the Oregon Story: How Activists and Visionaries Transformed a State.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of papers relating to Floyd McKay's work as a news analyst for the Portland, Oregon television station KGW-TV in the 1970s and 1980s. The collection includes the scripts for McKay's commentaries; correspondence between McKay and viewers; and newspaper clippings relating to McKay's commentaries and documentaries that he produced. The correspondence, sent by viewers throughout Oregon, includes letters both praising and criticizing McKay's stances, and relates to a number of sociopolitical issues of the time. Some correspondence files also include phone logs with callers' feedback on McKay's commentaries. The collection also includes materials relating to KGW-TV and McKay's career there, such as newspaper clippings, internal correspondence, and award programs and certificates.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series: Series 1. Commentaries; Series 2. Viewer correspondence; Series 3. KGW records and ephemera.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Floyd J. McKay, March 15, 2019 (Accession RL2019-037).
Related Materials
Additional papers of Floyd McKay are housed in the Floyd J. McKay research files for biography of Charles A. Sprague, Coll 449, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Selected videos of McKay's commentaries are housed in the moving image collections of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Commentaries, 1970-1986Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Introduction and index to
commentaries |
|
| 1 | 2-3 | General commentaries |
1970 |
| 1 | 4 | Selected commentaries |
1970 |
| 1 | 5-6 | General commentaries |
1971 |
| 1 | 7 | Selected commentaries |
1971 |
| 1 | 8 | General commentaries |
1972 |
| 2 | 1 | General commentaries |
1972 |
| 2 | 2 | Selected commentaries |
1972 |
| 2 | 3-5 | General commentaries |
1973 |
| 2 | 6-7 | Selected commentaries |
1973 |
| 2 | 8 | General commentaries |
1974 |
| 3 | 1-2 | General commentaries |
1974 |
| 3 | 3 | Selected commentaries |
1974 |
| 3 | 4-6 | General commentaries |
1975 |
| 4 | 1 | General commentaries |
1975 |
| 4 | 2-3 | Selected commentaries |
1975 |
| 4 | 4-7 | General commentaries |
1976 |
| 4 | 8 | Selected commentaries |
1976 |
| 5 | 1 | Selected commentaries and related
documents and clippings for documentary special, "The Timber Farmers: How Much
is Enough?" |
1976 November |
| 5 | 2-5 | General commentaries |
1977 |
| 5 | 6-7 | Selected commentaries |
1977 |
| 6 | 1-4 | General commentaries |
1978 |
| 6 | 5-6 | Selected commentaries |
1978 |
| 6 | 7 | General commentaries |
1979 |
| 7 | 1-3 | General commentaries |
1979 |
| 7 | 4 | Selected commentaries |
1979 |
| 7 | 5-7 | General commentaries |
1980 |
| 8 | 1 | General commentaries |
1980 |
| 8 | 2 | Selected commentaries |
1980 |
| 8 | 3-5 | General commentaries |
1981 |
| 8 | 6-7 | Selected commentaries |
1981 |
| 8 | 8 | General commentaries |
1982 |
| 9 | 1-2 | General commentaries |
1982 |
| 9 | 3 | Selected commentaries |
1982 |
| 9 | 4 | Selected commentaries and related
documents and clippings for documentary special, "Holy Land, Bloody Ground: The
West Bank" |
1982 |
| 9 | 5-7 | General commentaries |
1983 |
| 10 | 1-2 | Selected commentaries |
1983 |
| 10 | 3-5 | General commentaries |
1984 |
| 10 | 6 | Selected commentaries |
1984 |
| 10 | 7-9 | General commentaries |
1985 |
| 11 | 1 | Selected commentaries |
1985 |
| 11 | 2-3 | General commentaries |
1986 |
| 11 | 4-5 | Selected commentaries |
1986 |
Series 2: Viewer correspondence, 1970-1982Return to Top
Primarily letters between viewers (both complimentary and critical) and McKay's replies. Folders for commentaries that elicited significant amounts of feedback often include the script for the commentary in question, as well as related newspaper clippings and logs for viewer call-ins.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 11 | 6 | Introduction and index of
relevant names for correspondence |
|
| 11 | 7 | Correspondence |
1970 |
| 11 | 8 | Correspondence and related
documents re Tom McCall's August 25, 1970 address |
1970 August 25-27 |
| 11 | 9 | Correspondence |
1971 |
| 11 | 10 | Correspondence and related
documents re Lieutenant William Calley case and My Lai Massacre |
1971 March-April |
| 11 | 11 | Correspondence and related
documents re documentary special on Senator Mark O. Hatfield |
1971 |
| 12 | 1 | Correspondence |
1972 January-May |
| 12 | 2 | Correspondence and related
documents re Richard Nixon decision on busing |
1972 March |
| 12 | 3 | Correspondence and related
documents re Nixon administration policies regarding the Vietnam
War |
1972 May |
| 12 | 4 | Correspondence |
1972 June-December |
| 12 | 5 | Correspondence |
1972 January-June |
| 12 | 6 | Correspondence and related
documents re reporter shield law |
1972 January-March |
| 12 | 7 | Correspondence and related
documents re religion in schools |
1972 March |
| 12 | 8 | Correspondence re Watergate
scandal |
1973 April-May |
| 12 | 9 | Correspondence and related
documents re off-road vehicles |
1973 May |
| 12 | 10 | Correspondence and related
documents re water fluoridation and re drunk driving |
1973 June |
| 12 | 11 | Correspondence |
1973 July-December |
| 12 | 12 | Correspondence and related
documents re Real Estate Commission |
1973 August |
| 12 | 13 | Correspondence and related
documents re Spiro Agnew |
1973 October |
| 13 | 1 | Correspondence |
1974 January-May |
| 13 | 2 | Correspondence and related
documents re National Prayer Day |
1974 April-May |
| 13 | 3 | Correspondence and related
documents re child berry pickers |
1974 May-June |
| 13 | 4 | Correspondence |
1974 June-December |
| 13 | 5 | Correspondence and related
documents re Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon |
1974 September |
| 13 | 6 | Correspondence and related
documents re abortion and population |
1974 November - 1975 March |
| 13 | 7 | Correspondence and related
documents re documentary special on Governor Robert Straub |
1974 December - 1975 January |
| 13 | 8 | Correspondence |
1975 January-June |
| 13 | 9 | Correspondence and related
documents re Clatsop County and Amax |
1975 March-April |
| 13 | 10 | Correspondence and related
documents re Cascade Steel strike |
1975 March-April |
| 13 | 11 | Correspondence and related
documents re death of Steve Prefontaine and drunk driving |
1975 June |
| 13 | 12 | Correspondence |
1975 July-December |
| 13 | 13 | Correspondence and related
documents re school finances |
1975 October-November |
| 13 | 14 | Correspondence and related
documents re Woodburn school levy and senior citizens |
1975 October-November |
| 14 | 1 | Correspondence |
1976 January-April |
| 14 | 2 | Correspondence |
1976 May-December |
| 14 | 3 | Correspondence and related
documents re documentary special on timber farmers |
1967 November - 1978 April |
| 14 | 4 | Correspondence |
1977 January-June |
| 14 | 5 | Correspondence and related
documents re Anita Bryant's campaign against gay people |
1977 June |
| 14 | 6 | Correspondence |
1977 July-December |
| 14 | 7 | Correspondence |
1978 |
| 14 | 8 | Correspondence |
1979 January-March |
| 14 | 9 | Correspondence and related
documents re proposal of reparations for Japanese-Americans interned during
World War II |
1979 March - 1981 September |
| 15 | 1 | Correspondnece |
1979 April-December |
| 15 | 2 | Correspondence |
1980 January-August |
| 15 | 3 | Correspondence and related
documents re Portland Public Schools' dismissal of Superintendent Robert
Blanchard |
1980 June-November |
| 15 | 4 | Correspondence and related
documents re congressional race between Al Ullman and Dennis Smith |
1980 June-October |
| 15 | 5 | Correspondence |
1980 September-December |
| 15 | 6 | Correspondence and related
documents re Scientology |
1980 December - 1981 January; 1980 January - 1981 January |
| 15 | 7 | Correspondence |
1981 January-April |
| 15 | 8 | Correspondence and related
documents re the death penalty |
1981 January-February |
| 15 | 9 | Correspondence |
1981 May-December |
| 15 | 10 | Correspondence and related
documents re evolution vs. creationism in schools |
1981 May-September |
| 15 | 11 | Correspondence and related
documents re Columbia River Gorge Commission |
1981 July-December |
| 15 | 12 | Correspondence |
1982 January-August |
| 16 | 1 | Correspondence and related
documents re documentary special "Holy Land, Bloody Ground" |
1982 April-May |
| 16 | 2 | Correspondence |
1982 September-December |
| 16 | 3 | Correspondence re Baghwan
Rajneesh and followers |
1982 December |
Series 3: KGW-TV records and ephemera, 1970-1986Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 16 | 4 | Newspaper clippings about
KGW-TV |
1970-1984 |
| 16 | 5 | Compiled correspondence, records
and clippings re McKay and KGW-TV |
1970-1975 |
| 16 | 6 | Compiled correspondence, records
and clippings re McKay and KGW-TV |
1975-1986 |
| 16 | 7 | Correspondence, clippings, and
other documents about documentary special on timber farmers winning DuPont and
Izaak Walton prizes |
1977-1978 |
| 16 | 8 | Clippings, correspondence, and
other documents re awards given to KGW-TV and to McKay |
1977-1983 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Television journalists--Oregon--Portland--20th century
Personal Names
- McKay, Floyd J.
Corporate Names
- KGW-TV (Television station : Portland, Or.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Television scripts
