| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| HACD ID | HACD-0160 |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Date | December 23, 1969 |
| Author | Vic Burton, News Director, KRON-TV |
| Recipient | Henry L. Tenenbaum, 57 Fordham Drive, Buffalo, New York 14216 |
| Letterhead | KRON-TV 4, Chronicle Broadcasting Co. |
| Address | 1001 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, California 94119 |
| Phone | (415) 441-4444 |
| Source | Henry's personal files — scanned July 2026 |
| Source File | IMG_6859.jpeg |
Dear Mr. Tenenbaum:
Thank you for your resume and for your interest in KRON-TV News. At the present time we have no openings on our staff for someone with your qualifications. I am however, enclosing an application which you may wish to return for my future reference.
Sincerely,
Vic Burton
News Director
VWB:ae
Encl:
| Fact | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Henry applied to KRON-TV in late 1969 | Letter is a response to his résumé submission |
| Henry's middle initial | "Henry L. Tenenbaum" |
| Henry's Buffalo address | 57 Fordham Drive, Buffalo, New York 14216 |
| KRON News Director in 1969 | Vic Burton (full initials: VWB — Victor W. Burton) |
| KRON ownership in 1969 | Chronicle Broadcasting Co. |
| KRON address in 1969 | 1001 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94119 |
| Henry was job-seeking in 1969 | Applied to a major-market TV station while still in Buffalo |
In December 1969, Henry was approximately 22-23 years old and still in Buffalo — likely in his final year at the University at Buffalo or recently graduated (the existing record HACD-0155 places him as WBFO Program Director in 1970). This letter establishes that he was already ambitious enough to apply to a top-10 market station (San Francisco, market #6) while still working in college radio in Buffalo. The polite but standard rejection — "no openings on our staff for someone with your qualifications" — is the classic form letter that every young broadcaster receives.
The address (57 Fordham Drive, Buffalo 14216) is in the Eggertsville/Amherst area near the University at Buffalo's Main Street campus, consistent with a student or recent graduate's residence.
This is an extraordinary document for the archive because of what happened twenty-three years later: KRON-TV hired Henry in 1992, where he would go on to win multiple Emmy Awards, anchor news, and host Bay Area Bargains for nearly two decades. The station that told him "no openings for someone with your qualifications" in 1969 would eventually become the capstone of his career.
The letter also:
1. Establishes the earliest known job application in the archive — Henry was actively seeking television work by age 22-23
2. Confirms the Buffalo address during the WBFO era
3. Documents Henry's middle initial as "L" (not previously confirmed in the archive)
4. Identifies Vic Burton as KRON News Director in 1969 — a figure in Bay Area broadcasting history
5. Shows career ambition — applying to a major market from college radio demonstrates the trajectory that would define his career
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Career period | WBFO era (1964–1973) — Henry was in Buffalo radio when he applied |
| Ironic connection | All KRON-era HTA records (HTA-0458 through HTA-0629+) — the station that rejected him |
| Corroboration | HACD-0142 (Buffalo News 1964 WBFO) — confirms Henry was active in Buffalo broadcasting |
| Corroboration | HACD-0155 (WBFO Listen Program Director 1970) — places Henry in Buffalo one year after this letter |
| People | Vic Burton (KRON News Director, 1969) |
| Address | 57 Fordham Drive, Buffalo, NY 14216 — Henry's residence circa 1969 |
The letter is on official KRON-TV letterhead with the station's distinctive "4" logo. The paper shows age-appropriate yellowing and fold creases but is fully legible. The signature appears to be original (blue ink), not a photocopy. The "VWB:ae" notation indicates the letter was dictated by Victor W. Burton and typed by a secretary with initials "ae." The "Encl:" notation confirms an employment application was enclosed (not preserved with this letter).
The NBC peacock logo appears in the bottom-right corner of the letterhead, confirming KRON's NBC affiliation in 1969.
Status: None