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George Putnam: R.I.P.

S

SuperRadioFan

Wow, a legend has passed away... Got a bulletin from Don Barrett around 7 am. No details... yet. I think George just celebrated his 94th? Rest in peace, George, you were one in a million!
 
...AFAIK Putnam was the last surviving broadcaster that was heard on the "Complete Broadcast Day" aircheck set recorded by CBS-owned WJSV Washington from September 21, 1939...
 
I first met George in person at KTLA, and then again at the KIEV studios in the old ARCO towers. George was down to earth, friendly person. Often when my dad was in George's office, he would be on the phone trying to find a stray dog or cat a home; If no home was available, he would end up adopting them. George also enjoyed his Fosters beer, sometimes having a sip or two before the show.




Steve
www.RadioBrandy.com
 
...back when Putnam was on KTLA, Harlan Ellison was writing his TV column The Glass Teat (later collected into a couple of books under that title) for the L.A. Free Press. Ellison once opened an installment by expressing astonishment that Putnam was a big fan of the column, while Ellison himself loathed Putnam ;-) ...
 
Another legend is gone. I remember George from both his KTLA & KTTV days as the #1 news anchor in Los Angeles. And of course, his long-running "Talkback" program on KIEV 870. Thanks, George, for honest, reliable reporting & commentary for over SEVEN decades on the airwaves. RIP, my friend. :'( :'(
 
MusicMaestro said:
Another legend is gone. I remember George from both his KTLA & KTTV days as the #1 news anchor in Los Angeles. And of course, his long-running "Talkback" program on KIEV 870. Thanks, George, for honest, reliable reporting & commentary for over SEVEN decades on the airwaves. RIP, my friend. :'( :'(
Click to expand...

No disrespect to you or George Putnam, Maestro - but to set the record straight..Putnam was a one-of-a-kind character, and a good person off air, from what I've read. But he was never the "#1 news anchor in Los Angeles" in terms of ratings. The network O&Os had higher ratings at 6:00 and 11:00. KNXT-2 was #1 for most of the 60s with Jerry Dunphy anchoring. By the late 60s, KNBC took the lead and held it into the 70s when they had Tom Synder, Tom Brokaw, and Jess Marlow anchoring.

Putnam was on KTTV, and later KTLA at 10:00 PM. KTLA gave him a second hour at 5:00 in the late 60s. Putnam was the highest paid anchor in the nation for a few years - reportedly making more money than Cronkite on CBS. That was because he would switch between Channels 11 and 5 when his contract would expire. Those bidding wars made him wealthy. Both stations knew they would dominate at 10:00 with Putnam as their anchor, but the 10:00 news in those days got lower ratings than the late 11:00 news after network prime time.
 
George anchored weekends on KTTV 1981-83 and I anchored sports. After the shows, we'd close down The Brown Derby and then to the Vine Street Bar and Grill if somebody was playing he wanted to hear...then...We'd head across the street to Koko's, the local belly dancing establishment.
We were the one's to first bring West and East together in friendship.

George was a force of nature and I think of him daily and when there's a Truth to be told on the air.

To his Gal Sal, I'm sorry and offer my condolences.

George- I love ya and as always------

"See you at 10, See you then.

Steve Day
 
:'( SRF hit it on the nail...Geo. Putnam was one of a kind. I was so fortunate to have interviewed him for a feature I wrote for the now-defunct L.A. Radio Guide back in 1994. What a class act - He was one of the most open & gracious broadcaster I've ever met (and people like George are truly hard to come by, he was in a class by himself) - I told him of my younger days in the early 70's watching his newscast on KTTV 11 (Metromedia) each evening with my parents and when visiting my grandparents in Redondo Beach, with my late-grandma and great-grandma. We went to the Hollywood Christmas Lane Parade in the '70's to see George Putnam ride his horse in the parade (My grandparents LOVED George Putnam, and had met him several times by way of the parade) After our interview he pulled out promo photos of himself (He was on KIEV 870 then) and signed each one, one for my grandma and one for my mom. When my grandma passed this past March (at 92) my uncle found Putnam's signed photo along her keepsakes - and my mom cherishes her signed photo. Yes, we are saddened by his passing, but he lived a good life. I hope we can lived a fulfilled life like George did. 'Til we meet again, George. Happy Trails. Joe G.
 
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