Frank K. Spain

Frank Kyle Spain (November 29, 1927 - April 25, 2006) was an American inventor and television engineer. He is best known for founding and building WTVA, an NBC affiliate in Tupelo, Mississippi.

In his later life, Spain also owned and operated other stations and a microwave service company. He was also a principal investor of MCI Southeast.

Spain was born in North Lewisburg, Ohio, on November 29, 1927. He spent most of his youth in Tupelo. Even early in his life, Spain took great fascination with the way electronics worked. While still a high school student, he helped build and operate a local AM radio station, WELO. Spain also served as the chief engineer on a part-time basis. After graduating with honors from Mississippi State University at the age of 19, Spain took his electrical engineering degree and ventured to Washington, D.C.

Shortly after being employed by NBC, Spain assisted in the construction of WNBW (now WRC-TV). He helped with the first live television feeds which originated from the Capitol, White House, and other various historic locations, including the 1949 presidential inauguration.

In 1949, Spain joined the NBC Development Group in New York City to design television and microwave relay equipment.

Spain explains the development group here in a 2000 interview:

"In those days, at least in the case of NBC and CBS, they had design and development groups who were basically manufacturing their own cameras and equipment and whatever. And then RCA and General Electric would take these designs and modify them somewhat and sell them commercially. So, the projects we were working on were very shortly thereafter [evolved into] color television."

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