Arthur Frank Katzentine

Arthur Frank (A. F.) Katzentine
Mayor of Miami Beach
In office
1932–1934
Personal details
Born1902
Talladega, Alabama, U.S.
DiedMarch 27, 1960(1960-03-27) (aged 57–58)
Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
Resting placeWoodlawn Park, Miami
SpouseUcola
OccupationAttorney
Military service
AllegianceUnited States Army
RankColonel

Arthur Frank (A. F.) Katzentine (1902–1960) was an attorney, judge, politician and radio station owner in Miami Beach, Florida. He was the 8th Mayor of Miami Beach, from 1932 to 1934.

Civic life

Born in Talladega, Alabama, he attended Birmingham Southern College and later Vanderbilt Law, moving to Miami in 1925 to practice law.[1] From 1928[1] to 1930, he was a Miami Beach municipal judge. He resigned to run for mayor of Miami Beach;[2] he won election, serving as mayor from 1932 to 1934.[1] He served in the United States Air Force during World War II, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel.[3]

As a lawyer, judge, and later as a private citizen, he was always found to be tough on criminals. John Pennekamp of The Miami Herald credited Katzentine with breaking the hold that organized crime had in the area.[4] He was a founding member of the Miami Crime Commission, a group dedicated to pushing back against the organized crime influences in South Florida. He had returned to presiding it by 1960.[1]

Katzentine was on the executive committee to fight polio, known as infantile paralysis at the time.[5] He was a member of the Miami Pioneer's Club.[6]

Broadcasting

In 1937, Katzentine applied for a license for one of Miami's first radio stations. WKAT was first licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on December 3, 1937, to operate on 1500 kHz, transmitting from North Bay Road in Miami Beach. The call sign KAT was for Katzentine's last name.[7]

Katzentine attempted to expand in 1952 by applying to build television channel 10. In 1955, an FCC examiner recommended granting Katzentine's application for the channel.[8] However, in January 1957, the commission reversed the recommendation and awarded the channel to Public Service Television, a subsidiary of National Airlines.[9] The reversal became a national controversy exposing influence issues at the FCC,[10] in which Katzentine claimed he was robbed of the channel,[11] and the channel was re-awarded in July 1960 to L. B. Wilson, Inc.[12]

Katzentine's broadcast interests included a background music service and the local Muzak franchise as well as founding and financing the first TV station in Central America, in Guatemala City.[13]

Death

Katzentine died of a heart attack on March 27, 1960.[6] At the time, he was a partner in the law firm of Katzentine and Heckerling and serving as president of the Miami Crime Commission.[1] WKAT radio remained owned by Katzentine's widow Ucola until 1978.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Ex-Beach Mayor Dies At Age 58". The Miami Herald. March 28, 1960. pp. 1A, 2A. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  2. ^ "New Judge Gives Prisoner 60 Days: First Case In Miami Beach Court Draws Sentence". The Miami Herald. October 7, 1930. p. 2. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  3. ^ "Beach Crime Fighter Frank Katzentine Dies". The Miami News. March 28, 1960. p. 7A. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  4. ^ Pennekamp, John (March 29, 1960). "Katzentine led fight on mobs". The Miami Herald. p. 6-A.
  5. ^ "Name Leaders in Polio Drive: Executive Committee Is Picked For Infantile Paralysis Campaign". The Miami Herald. January 12, 1940. pp. 8–D. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Burial in Woodlawn Park: Katzentine Rites To Be Wednesday". The Miami Herald. March 29, 1960. p. 2-A. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  7. ^ Defede, Jim (March 15, 2001). "Radio Days". Miami New Times.
  8. ^ "Examiner Recommends TV Permit for WKAT". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. March 31, 1955. p. 12. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Roberts, Jack W. (February 8, 1957). "National Airlines Given Channel 10: Subsidiary Is OKd For VHF Station". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. pp. 1A, 6A. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Wise, David (February 18, 1958). "Did Mack 'Jilt' Katzentine on TV Station?". The Miami Herald. New York Herald Tribune News Service. p. 1A. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  11. ^ "Merry-Go-Round: FCC Quiz 'Too Hot To Handle'". The Miami Herald. January 17, 1958. Retrieved December 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "FCC moves on influence cases: Takes Miami from National Airlines, will examine Boston ch. 5" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 18, 1960. pp. 42, 44. ProQuest 962831614. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  13. ^ "Mrs. Katzentine Loves His Station: A Woman's Voice in Radio". The Miami Herald. January 25, 1961. pp. 1–C. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  14. ^ "Will Keep Talk Format: WKAT Radio Is Sold To Nevada Legislator". The Miami Herald. June 28, 1978. pp. 1A. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
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