Bill Gratton, WOC's personable announcer, sidetracked a promising musical career in favor of radio and television. Possessing a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education, he may find himself with a two-pronged career. However, for the moment he is sticking to the selling end of the business before the microphones and the camera.

Born in Bemidji, Minn., June 29, 1920, Bill was stuck with polio when he was a year old and has been on crutches ever since. The family moved West and he entered the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children in Portland, Oregon, where he became known as the "darling of the institution," because he kidded the nurses and doctors in parodies to popular songs.

Participated in music, as a singer and trumpeter, through grade school and high school, as well as many amateur events. He has numerous first place ribbons to show for his efforts. Glee Clubs, orchestras and bands found him among their members. At the University of Idaho Bill sang in the A Capella choir, was a member of the national honorary music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha, and had his own dance band. Had an offer to play trumpet with Ted Fio Rito's band but turned it down.

He entered radio in 1941 at KIDO, Boise, Idaho, following at WDGY, Minneapolis, KOTA, Rapid City, South Dakota; and back to Boise to KDSH.

Bill married Verna E. King of Long Prarie, Minn, and they have three children; Bill, Jr., 6, Dennis, 4, and Kathleen 2. His hobby is hunting.

Gratton is kept busy at WOC and WOC-TV. On radio he's heard on "Wake Up With Music," each morning at 6:30; "Breakfast Roundup" at 7:15 a.m. and "Today's Tops" at 8:15 on Saturday mornings as well as on "Especially For You," each week day at 12:15 p.m.

On television he does "Musical Moods" with Marjorie Meinert on Tuesdays at 6 p.m.; "Tele-Quiz" on Mondays at 9:30 p.m. and "Pages of Melody" on Monday evenings at 6:00.

Tele-Views 10/20/1951

Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series

History of Idaho Commercial Television

Number 673, 1989

BILL GRATTON JOINS "6"

Viewers tuning in Channel 6's evening newscasts these days may be a little surprised to see Bill Gratton's face adorning the anchor desk.

Gratton has been in the electronic news business for more than three decades, and most of that time has been spent at Channel 2.

Gratton's move to the Nampa ABC affiliate comes at an appropriate time: Channel 6 has moved its early evening news block to the more realistic 6 p.m. time slot when more viewers are at home to tune in the local newscast.

The station experimented with a 6 p.m. newscast when it first went on the air, but because of poor ratings, coupled with economic difficulties, KIVI was forced to move the news back a half hour to compete with channels 2 and 7.

Now, with a new television season underway, Channle 6's "The News" has a new time period, a new news set and a new face.

Gratton's unpretentious, easy going on-air style represents a major plus for the Channel 6 news operation which has lacked a viewer identification and ratings points over the past two years.

The now white-haired Gratton was responsible for establishing credibility in reporting at Channel 2. That expertise is now a viable part of KIVI's newsroom.

Gratton's journalism career goes back to 1942 when he worked the sign-on shift at KIDO Radio. He joined KDSH Radio in 1947. The station's call letters were changed to KBOI 10 years later.

In 1951, Gratton accepted a position with WOC-TV, Davenport, Iowa. He returned to Idaho in 1953 just before Channel 2 televsion became a reality.

"Television was really getting off the ground about that time and the previous year the FCC lifted a freeze that had been placed on the new stations," Gratton said.

The freeze was maintained while the commission designed a control plan for television development, Gratton added.

Gratton said he believes KFXC was the first television to be establised in Idaho. "But they only lasted for about six months."

In 1957, Gratton was on the move again. This time he accepted a position as a program director at KNEW in Spokane.

Gratton fell victim to polio when only a little over a year old. As a child, and later as an adult, the affliction failed to slow him down.

"I really never had any problems," Gratton recalls. "You make the necessary adjustments and build your life from that point."

He credits his parents with making him self-reliant. "they treated me in the same manner as my brothers," he added.

Misfortune struck Gratton again in the summer of 1975 when a hand was mangled by the blades of a lawnmower. Fingers are essential to a polio victim for manipulating crutches. Again his mobility status was threatened.

"I was absent for a total of six months," Gratton said referring to the aftermath of the accident. Half of that time was spent recuperating from hand reconstruction surgery.

For 1 & 1/2 years prior to the lawnmower accident, Gratton worked in sales at Channel 2. But his face remained before the audience as co-anchorman of the noon news.

Gratton's career, of course, goes back to the days of live television -- before the wonder of video tape became a reality.

He said the TV medium was relatively new in those days, and lacked the polish exhibited today. He said he misses the spontaneity of those "pioneering" days.

"If you made a mistake, there was no doing it over in those days," he said. "It went out over the air."

Bloopers were not restricted to the local scene, either. Network "professionals" had their problems too.

One incident that sticks in Gratton's mind was a segment of a life drama program. A man was about to commit suicide by jumping from a high roof.

"It was quite funny," Gratton recalled. "The camera switched from the man on the edge of the roof to the scene where he "hit" the ground.

"Well, their timing was off. The camera was turned on while they were still pouring the ketchup on the man to simulate the fatal injuries."