Jack Jacobson

Jack Jacobson began his broadcasting career in 1929 on WHAM radio in Rochester N.Y. at the tender age of eight with his debut on the "Uncle Bob Pierce and Company Radio Show." At age eighteen he was performing for live audiences as a comic in the New York City area nightclubs. In 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps which led to his forming the first Combat Special Services entertainment unit "The Sky Blazers." They toured throughout the Middle East, North Africa, then on to England entertaining the troops. They were the first performers to land on Omaha Beach in France just fifteen days after D-Day. They performed for the troops up to and through the Battle of the Bulge. He returned to the United States and in 1945 formed "The Ultra Tone Recording Company" in Dallas Texas. His responsibilities included production, sales and marketing. In 1949 Jacobson became executive producer and on-air talent at WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio. He was producer of the "Wendy Barrie Show." In 1962 he was hired as Program/Promotion Manager for KGUN-TV in Tucson, Arizona. He served as Station Manager for KTVK-TV in Phoenix in 1979, then returned to Tucson as General Manager of KTTU-TV until his retirement in December 2002. Jacobson was very active in his community. He served on the Executive Committee for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He brought the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon to KGUN-TV in 1968 and was the sole host until 1978, still co-hosting the Telethon until late in his life. He was appointed a member of the Corporation and later served as a Vice President of the National Association. He was a member of the advisory board of the Tucson Salvation Army and served on the Casa de los Ninos advisory board. He was elected to the ABC Television Network's first Promotion Advisory Board and served as President of the Metropolitan Phoenix broadcasters. Jacobson was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his efforts in World War II, along with the Jubilee of Freedom Medal from the French Government. He was a recipient of the Tucson Ad Club's Silver Medal award, a member of the Arizona Broadcasters' Hall of Fame, and a member of the prestigious Silver Circle Society of the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Jacobson was a published author of two young adult novels, Miriam and No Ordinary Boy. His World War II novel Sky Blazers is in development as a feature film.