Hippo Meat, Anyone?

For years, KUTV artists have been the keepers of the tale of the hippo meat banquet. They have preserved it, in form of an old black binder filled with photographs and newspaper clippings stuffed in the back of a file cabinet...basically, by not throwing it out.

One December long, long ago (1962), when KUTV was part of a family-owned mini-media empire that included KALL radio, a story came over the wire at that radio station. Uganda wanted to bolster its economy with the export of hippopotamus meat. DJ Will Lucas told listeners that might make the perfect Christmas gift. And telegrammed Uganda's U.N. delegation.

URGENT! THE INTEREST IN YOUR COUNTRY'S EXPORT OF HIPPOPOTAMUS MEAT IS BUILDING RAPIDLY. URGENT REQUEST INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON HOW I CAN OBTAIN ANY AMOUNT OF HIPPO MEAT.

The reply came three days later:

SIX TINS HIPPO MEAT SAMPLES DISPATCHED AIRFRIEGHT FROM ENTEBBE.

KALL invited the Ugandan Ambassador to attend a hippo meat banquet. And he accepted.

"It was Panicsville,” said former program director Bruce Miller, “because it was just a great funny story and this country was taking this thing rather seriously."

So a semi-formal affair was planned at the Hotel Utah. The Ambassador arrived and received a key to the city, a sit-down with the Governor, and hippo stroganoff, served over wild rice with a pineapple garnish.

The story was carried in newspapers across the nation.

And how did it taste?

"How can I put this politely,” replied Steve Hale, former Deseret News reporter. "I don't think the hippopotamus will ever be an endangered species."

Despite Will Lucas' best efforts, hippo meat did not catch on.

Lucky for the hippo.