In 1963, KPRC‑TV in Houston deployed two advanced mobile television units that were custom-built for them by Southern Coach. Usually when stations in the west bought new GE cameras, the opted out of all the RCA equipment. Southern Coach became the logical next step for broadcasters who required expanded interiors, greater equipment capacity, and more flexibility than the factory RCA units could offer.

These particular trucks were photographed during the taping of an NBC network special at the ranch of then–Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson in the summer of 1963. The assignment demanded full remote‑production capability in a rural setting, and KPRC’s new units delivered: air‑conditioned workspaces, increased rack room, and the ability to support multiple camera chains, intercom, and switching in the field.

Visible in the images from that day are two key members of the KPRC remote crew. Camera operator Rob Middleton is positioned on the roof of the truck and on the forward platform, engineer John Douglas is working behind a GE PC‑11, one of the station’s primary black‑and‑white cameras during this period. Now that the Vice President was from Texas, they were smart to get into remote ability with style. New trucks, an NBC affiliation and seasoned personal made KPRC one of the most technically capable stations in the west at the dawn of the modern remote‑television era.

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