Famous People Who've Owned TV Stations

[Gregg]

Yes, I forgot about Channel 7 in Austin TX, owned by the wife of Lyndon Johnson.

While I don't doubt that Channel 7 was run well and the news department was not interfered with by Johnson, there is the story about how the capital city of one of the biggest states only was allocated ONE VHF station. I've read that LBJ made sure the FCC never granted any VHF TV licenses that could have competed with Channel 7. Nearby San Antonio got four VHF stations, so ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS all had VHF stations there. But Austin only got Channel 7 which affiliated with all the commercial networks.

OK, you might say that Austin is hemmed in by many other TV markets. But does San Antonio deserve four VHFs and Austin only one?

Johnson also owned the first cable TV company in the Austin area, and put KTBC on Channel 2 on the cable system.


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[only1moore]

Didn't/doesn't Pat Boone own KDOC 56 Anaheim?

cd

Yes, Boone helped put KDOC on the air in 1982 as part-owner of parent company Golden Orange Broadcasting, up until its sale to Ellis Communications in 2006.

 

[desertv]

Gene Autry was co-owner of KOOL and KOLD (the other partner was Tom Chauncy)...and yes, there was "Gene Autry Theatre" every Saturday on KOOL TV-10.

 

[Smittian]

Yes, I forgot about Channel 7 in Austin TX, owned by the wife of Lyndon Johnson.

While I don't doubt that Channel 7 was run well and the news department was not interfered with by Johnson, there is the story about how the capital city of one of the biggest states only was allocated ONE VHF station. I've read that LBJ made sure the FCC never granted any VHF TV licenses that could have competed with Channel 7. Nearby San Antonio got four VHF stations, so ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS all had VHF stations there. But Austin only got Channel 7 which affiliated with all the commercial networks.

OK, you might say that Austin is hemmed in by many other TV markets. But does San Antonio deserve four VHFs and Austin only one?

Johnson also owned the first cable TV company in the Austin area, and put KTBC on Channel 2 on the cable system.


Gregg
[email protected]

KLRN, Channel 9 was originally licensed to Austin AND San Antonio. The studios were actually in Austin, with transmitter located between New Braunfels and San Marcos. Austin didn't get a full-time NBC affiliate until 1966 (KHFI, channel 42) and ABC affiliate until 1971 (KVUE, channel 24)

 

[landtuna]

Gene Autry was co-owner of KOOL and KOLD (the other partner was Tom Chauncy)...and yes, there was "Gene Autry Theatre" every Saturday on KOOL TV-10.

KOLD in Tucson went on-air as KOPO (in '53 IIRC) and had a sister AM station with the same call. A few years later the call changed to KOLD which was a double-play on the co-ownership with KOOL in Phoenix and also on the nickname of the City of Tucson which is the "Old Pueblo".

 

[oldiesfan6479]

...and yes, there was "Gene Autry Theatre" every Saturday on KOOL TV-10.

No doubt preceded by an ID slide and booth announcer who said:

"K-O-O-L T-V channel 10 Phoenix, on film"

Or maybe they even "blessed" preceding the legal.

(You older Phoenix TV geek folks should get the references.)

 

[landtuna]

I dunno about the "blessed" part as I lived in Tucson in those days but I do remember that I cringed every night at 8 PM when the TV announcer said "It's eight o'clock. Do you know where your children are?".

 

[Stanislav]

I dunno about the "blessed" part as I lived in Tucson in those days but I do remember that I cringed every night at 8 PM when the TV announcer said "It's eight o'clock. Do you know where your children are?".

The catchphrase, as originally conceived (by New York's WNEW-TV, IIRC) was "It's ten o'clock. Do you know where your children are?" I guess kids in Tucson were expected to be home two hours earlier than those in New York. ;D

 

[landtuna]

The catchphrase, as originally conceived (by New York's WNEW-TV, IIRC) was "It's ten o'clock. Do you know where your children are?" I guess kids in Tucson were expected to be home two hours earlier than those in New York. ;D

Yeah. Not as many hubcaps in Tucson as NYC. ;D

 

[KeithE4]

...and yes, there was "Gene Autry Theatre" every Saturday on KOOL TV-10.

No doubt preceded by an ID slide and booth announcer who said:

"K-O-O-L T-V channel 10 Phoenix, on film"

Or maybe they even "blessed" preceding the legal.

(You older Phoenix TV geek folks should get the references.)

The full ID, with a slide of the American flag with the station call letters and COL at the bottom (IIRC, with the CBS eye between them) was "Blessed is the nation who's God is the Lord. KOOL-TV Channel 10 Phoenix, on film." (or tape, as the case may be).

This lasted at least through the mid '70s, possibly until Autry sold the station and it became KTSP-TV in '82. Unfortunately, no photos exist on the interwebs that I can find.

 

[Ultimajock]

I dunno about the "blessed" part as I lived in Tucson in those days but I do remember that I cringed every night at 8 PM when the TV announcer said "It's eight o'clock. Do you know where your children are?".

The catchphrase, as originally conceived (by New York's WNEW-TV, IIRC) was "It's ten o'clock. Do you know where your children are?" I guess kids in Tucson were expected to be home two hours earlier than those in New York. ;D

...Milwaukee's WTMJ-TV/4 also set the mark at 10:00 P.M. Then again, on those cold Wisconsin winter nights, 8:00 would have done just as well ;-) ...

 

[oldiesfan6479]

The full ID, with a slide of the American flag with the station call letters and COL at the bottom (IIRC, with the CBS eye between them) was "Blessed is the nation who's God is the Lord. KOOL-TV Channel 10 Phoenix, on film." (or tape, as the case may be).

The American flag slide was typically used with "normal" IDs. When KOOL-TV
"blessed" it was a slide with an illustration of two hands praying (referred to as
the "hands" ID). I believe it also had the verse in addition to the legal stuff.

Don't know if there's any truth to the rumor that, to some of the more
conservative channel 10 staffers, the "hands" ID was also known as the
"(bleep) you, ACLU" ID. ;D

The "on tape" tag on the ID was used before every CBS show aired on
tape delay, along with syndicated tape shows (Merv, Mike, etc.), while
"on film" before local movies, syndie film reruns, and going way back, a
CBS show that aired on 16mm film. Apparently Tom and Homer weren't
satisfied with just making a mech rep announcement once a day.