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Vi
Thomson
(1909 - 2001) |
Vi Thomson
began her broadcasting career in sales at KGVO-TV
(now KECI), Missoula in 1954 and spent the next
45 years at the station. It was a career that nearly
didn’t happen. One day she ran into the station’s
owner who asked if she’d like to “sell
television.” She laughed and said, “Sure.”
The next morning he called to ask why she wasn’t
at work. She thought he had been kidding.
At a time when women were a rarity in the fledgling
TV industry, Vi became a fixture. She was Montana’s
first TV Account Executive and hosted numerous live
daily and weekly programs. Vi’s career began
in the days when doing a local TV commercial often
meant riding the snow cat up to the studio and transmitter
site atop TV Mountain. In addition to her many contributions
to local broadcasting, Vi Thomson served on dozens
of local charitable and non-profit boards including
the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Chamber of Commerce,
RSVP, Governor’s Advisory Board, and she was
a founding member of the Missoula Soroptimists.
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