South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 9, Ed. 1 Friday, February 28, 1986 Page: 1 of 16
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Gulf Coast Register/South Texas Catholic and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
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SOUTH TEXAS . 7 7 #
t Catholic
Vol. XXI, No. 9 Serving the 314,812 Catholics in the Diocese of Corpus Christi February 28,1986
Holley named general manager
Sister Barrera
pursues degree
By Rachclle Parry Ramon
STC assistant editor
CORPUS CHRISTI —Leaving a
successful job to pursue other, equally
important-, opportunities can be
challenging as well as ultimately
enriching.
Sister Janie Barrera, diocesan direc-
tor of Radio and Telecommunications,
is meeting that challenge “with en-
thusiasm and anticipation for what lies
ahead. ’ ’
After I0 years of helping the Catholic
Telecommunications Center grow from
a one-camera, two-person operation to a
half million-dollar television and radio
production facility, Sister Barrera has
decided to pursue a master’s degree in
telecommunications and management.
Her resignation will take effect in
mid-March.
In her resignation letter to Msgr.
Robert E. Freeman, episcopal vicar for
Social Communications and Services,
Sister Barrera admitted she is leaving
with “mixed feelings,”
“I have found my ministry in Church
communications for the past 10 years a
very rewarding and fulfilling ex-
perience, and I appreciate the manage-
ment opportunities provided me,” she
wrote.
“However,” Sister Barrera con-
tinued in the letter, “the decision to
restructure the Diocesan Telecom-
munications personnel and hire an out-
side, experienced director has caused me
to reassess mv own formal training in
the Held.”
She continued. “I see this decision
providing me with that opportunity” to
pursue graduate training.
Sister Barrera explained in a recent
interview that she received both her
bachelor’s degree (in education with a
communications specialization) and
teacher’s certificate in 1977.
A member of the Sisters of the Incar-
nate Word and Blessed Sacrament,
Sister Barrera consulted with her
superior general. Sister Martha
O’Gara, about her future plans.
“Since I had been giving time to
building the organization, this was the
perfect opportunity to look into other
things,” she explained, “and my educa-
tion was one of them.”
Citing John Naisbitt’s book,
Megatrends, Sister Barrera said the
future is in telecommunications, law
and planning, and her interests lie in
Sister Janie Barrera, IWBS
two of those fields.
Sister Barrera said she is unsure what
graduate school she will attend, adding
that she is looking them over carefully to
find one that would suit her future
needs.
She said after receiving her degree she
plans to return to Corpus Christi to offer
her services to the Religious, civic and
business communities.
Sister Barrera believes it is important
to utilize all of one’s resources, a feat
which she has accomplished in her years
with the Catholic Telecommunications
Center.
She was a novice in her order in 1975
when she met Msgr. Freeman, who was
hosting Gulf Coast Catholic at that time.
He asked her if she would like to try it
for a few shows, whi^h turned into a few
thousand shows over the 10-year period.
During her interview, Sister Barrera
reflected on how far the CTC has come
since it was first housed in a single room
in the Chancery Office.
Now the CTC is expanding its pro-
duction facilities at the Diocesan
Pastoral Center, Corpus Christi, as well
as building new facilities in Laredo for
radio and television production.
In 1981 the diocese obtained the old
Corpus Christi Academy property and
the following year the CTC established
its production site. Since then the CTC
has become acquired a satellite dish and
receives programs from the Catholic
Television Network of America, as well
as producing its own programs for air-
ing on the Corpus Christi and Laredo
cable channels.
And in 1984, the Federal Com-
munications Commission granted per-
mits for the radio stations in Corpus
Christi and Laredo, further expanding
See Barrera, page 3
By Dr. Don Miehls
STC executive editor
CORPUS CHRISTI — In a restruc-
turing of the Diocesan Telecommunica-
tions Corporation (DTC). Donald E
Holley, 43. of Fort Smith, Ark., has
been appointed to be its first permanent
general manager.
He will be in charge of the Catholic
Telecommunications Center in Corpus
Christi, of KLUX-FM (89.5) in
Robstown, of K HOY-FM (88.1) in
Laredo, and of any further
developments undertaken by the
Diocese of Corpus Christi in both televi-
sion and radio.
“The Catholic Church has not been
in the forefront of the revolution in
telecommunications,” said the new
general manager, “but it should be.”
Holley has been in broadcasting for
26 years, with experience in every facet
of the industry, including management
and ownership.
“We do not need to go about using
the media the way Protestant fundamen-
talists have,” he said, “but we owe it to
people to use it to tell the Story.”
Currently he is president of Holley
Broadcasting Inc., which owns stations
KRZK-FM and KLCO-AM in Bran-
son, Mo.
He was general manager of Ozark
Television Inc., which operates KPOM-
TV in Fort Smith, Ark., increasing the
revenue of that station from advertising
sales by more than $300,000 in eight
months.
Earlier he was vice president and
general manager of Hernreich Broad-
casting Station with responsibility for
the operation of KFPW-TV, channel 40
in Fort Smith and KTVP-TV, channel
29 in Fayetteville, both in Arkansas. As
general manager of the Heinrich Broad-
casting Station he increased advertising
revenues by more than a million dollars,
changing the net income of the station
from a deficit of over $400,000 to a pro-
fit of over $350,000.
Born in 1943 in Pittsburg, Kan.,
Holley began his career in communica-
tions as a teen-ager. At the age of 12 or
13 he entered an extemporaneous bible-
reading contest in his hometown and
won, advancing to state competition,
which he also won. Finally he took the
regional championship in which con-
testants from 11 states competed.
“It made me think there were better
ways to earn money than mowing
lawns,” he said. So he went to the local
radio station and applied for a job.
“The manager laughed, but he gave
me some news copy ;o read and listened
to me.” Two weeks later, he got the job
doing news on weekends. It was a begin-
ning,
Holley graduated from Kansas State
College and has taken courses at Tulsa,
where he became news anchorman at
KVOO-TV Radio.
At VVLS-TV Radio in Chicago, he
became news anchorman and reporter.
WLS is an ABC Radio Network af-
filiate.
After a stint as program open ions
manager at KUHI-TV in Joplin, Mo.,
he moved to Dallas to take over as news
anchorman and reporter on KRLD.
At KFPW-TV in Fort Smith, Ark.,he
worked as news director and then
became program operations manager
and anchorman on KFSA-TV in the
same city.
Holley has made 14 appearances on
NBC’s Huntly-Brinkley Show, as well
as appearing on the Today Show. He
was host for a regionally syndicated
news-talk show, and he was producer
and anchorman for a weekly documen-
tary series.
Donald E. Holley
His experience in advertising includes
acting as national commercial
spokesman for the WET. Grant Com-
pany Stores, for Muntz TV, Con-
sumers’ Markets, the Chicken Chef
Company, Post Wines and the
Wiederkehr Winery.
He has been regional commercial
spokesman for the First Federal Savings
and Loan, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas
Corporation, Southwest Missouri Ford
Dealers Association, Oklahoma Green
Go.mpany, Muskogee Oklahoma
Department of Tourism and First Na-
Sce Holley, page 3
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Miehls, Don. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 9, Ed. 1 Friday, February 28, 1986, newspaper, February 28, 1986; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth840408/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .