Hi, Jim Hilliker of Monterey, California here. Quite an interesting discussion on why there never was a radio station owned and operated by NBC in Los Angeles. But, I still didn't see a reason listed that I believe is the correct answer. The answer is simply that Mr. Anthony refused to sell KFI at any price to anybody, including NBC!
Earle C. Anthony (1880-1961) was the founder and owner of KFI radio in Los Angeles from April 16, 1922 until his death in 1961. Anthony was the California distributor for Packard automobiles up until his death, also. Anthony had a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California/UC Berkeley. He had built an early electric car in L.A. when he was 17 and also built the first KFI transmitter, 50 watts. From 1922 until 1939, KFI-640 (and later its sister station KECA-1430) were located on the upper floors and roof of his Packard Dealership Building at 1000 South Hope Street in L.A. (corner of 10th and Hope). KFI was at first programmed to attract listeners/people that Anthony hoped would buy his cars, but the programming soon expanded to a variety of music, talk, news, drama, comedy, etc. KFI gradually increased power each year until it had a 5,000 watt transmitter in 1927, which was considered high-power at the time. Power went up to 50,000 in 1931, when I believe there were only about a dozen or so stations with 50 kw. in the USA.
KFI became an affiliate of the new National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in 1927. In fact, KFI helped originate the very first NBC coast-to-coast network broadcast. It was the New Year's Day Rose Bowl football game from Pasadena on 1-1-1927. KFI sales manager Carl Haverlin had pitched the idea to NBC executives in New York, and they liked it. KFI's remote equipment was used for the broadcast.
In November of 1929, Earle C. Anthony bought a small Los Angeles station, KPLA and changed the calls to KECA for his initials. KFI later became the NBC Red Network station in Los Angeles and KECA-1430 with only 1,000 watts, was the NBC Blue Network affiliate. Wanting to increase coverage for KECA for many years, in 1938, Anthony finally was able to buy KEHE-780 with 5,000 watts day/1,000 at night from Hearst Radio for $400,000, and moved KECA from 1430 to 780 in 1939 when the deal was finalized. KFI and KECA also moved into the former KEHE modern broadcast studios and offices in 1939 at 141 N. Vermont and out of the cramped quaters at 10th and Hope.
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) tried many times to buy KFI from Mr. Anthony. But, ECA did not want to sell his prized possession. Niles Trammel was president of NBC from 1940 to 1949. Whenever Trammel brought up the topic of trying to buy KFI for NBC, Anthony would tell him firmly, but politely, "Now Niles, I wouldn't sell my wife! Why would I sell KFI?"
Sadly, Earle C. Anthony was forced by an FCC ruling in 1943 to give up his beloved KECA-790 (moved from 780 to 790 in 1941), which said that nobody could own 2 radio stations in the same market! KECA was sold to the Blue Network, which soon became ABC.
As for broadcasting farm news, agriculture was a huge industry all over California in the 1930s, '40s and '50s. L.A.'s population didn't hit 1-million until 1930, but much of LA County was still rural and agricultural, as were Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. When KFI virtually stopped NBC network shows each night at 8 pm during the winter season for the fruit frost warnings from the U.S. Weather Bureau in Pomona, citrus ranchers from the Central Valley to Orange County tuned to KFI to see if they needed to take action to save their crops. Weather forecaster turned broadcaster, Floyd B. Young became a radio star giving the frost forecasts each winter starting around 1928 on KHJ, but KFI began using Young's services in 1940. He was so famous from his KFI broadcasts from November thru March that Time magazine featured a story about him in 1945. Here's the link, if you're interested to see a short preview of the article:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,791874,00.html?promoid=googlep
There are other references to Young on the internet. For more details about how important this broadcast was the the California agriculture industry, read a fascinating story by retired KFI engineer Newcomb Weisenberger, who was with the station from 1947 until the 1970s. He tells about why KFI pulled the plug on the NBC network nightly at 8 pm each winter.
http://www.earthsignals.com/Newcomb/SmudgePot_Radio.html
By the way, during some 25 years seriously researching Los Angeles radio broadcasting history, I will go on the record and say that I have not found any evidence that the FI in the KFI call letters ever stood for "Farm Information." Certainly the call letters were not chosen to stand for anything. They were issued at random by the government. It is true that KFI had a farm director and had farm news in the morning and at noon in the '30s, '40s and '50s to serve the So. Calif. ag community. But, according to people I know, including Newcomb who was with KFI in the '40s, KFI did not stand for Farm Information and we couldn't find any promotional or printed material in magazines or newspapers of the say to confirm this urban legend. Possibly, somebody at KFI may have come up with this slogan later on, but I've found no proof of when this slogan was used by the station, if it was used at all and I have no idea how this alleged slogan story about Farm Information got started.
Finally, I'll close with this little-known story told in 1985 by a biographer of Earle C. Anthony in a newsletter for Packard car club history enthusiasts. We know that Anthony ran KFI his way for nearly 40 years and refused to sell KFI to NBC. But, in his final years, Anthony was known to have changed his will several times about the possible sale of KFI it the station lost money for 3 consecutive years. In 1961, this amendment to his will was revoked. Earle C. Anthony began working on a deal with the former singing cowboy of movie and TV fame, Gene Autry, who bought radio station KMPC-710 in late-1952.
The plan the two worked on together was for Autry to sell KMPC to the NBC network and for Anthony to sell KFI to Gene Autry! The two planned on getting together after Anthony returned from a trip to San Francisco. But, ECA's health was failing and he died on 6 August 1961. The pioneer radio station he started in 1922 went off the air for one hour during his funeral service. (KFI also went off the air for one hour in 1954, when Anthony's wife died at age 69).
His estate, Earle C. Anthony, Inc. ran KFI for the new several years, but executives at the top were old fashioned and slow to change. They finally agreed to sell KFI radio to Cox Broadcasting in 1972 for $15.1 million, shortly after KFI's 50th Anniversary. In 1973, with FCC approval certain for the KFI sale, Earle C. Anthony, Inc. was officially dissolved on 30 May 1973 and the sale of KFI was made final the next day.
KFI moved out of its historic Vermont Ave. studios in 1975.
Anyway, hope that this gave you some more detailed insight into why KFI did not become an NBC owned station while Earle C. Anthony was in charge of this pioneer radio station, while also giving you a bit of KFI history.
Jim Hilliker
Los Angeles radio historian
Earle C. Anthony (1880-1961) was the founder and owner of KFI radio in Los Angeles from April 16, 1922 until his death in 1961. Anthony was the California distributor for Packard automobiles up until his death, also. Anthony had a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California/UC Berkeley. He had built an early electric car in L.A. when he was 17 and also built the first KFI transmitter, 50 watts. From 1922 until 1939, KFI-640 (and later its sister station KECA-1430) were located on the upper floors and roof of his Packard Dealership Building at 1000 South Hope Street in L.A. (corner of 10th and Hope). KFI was at first programmed to attract listeners/people that Anthony hoped would buy his cars, but the programming soon expanded to a variety of music, talk, news, drama, comedy, etc. KFI gradually increased power each year until it had a 5,000 watt transmitter in 1927, which was considered high-power at the time. Power went up to 50,000 in 1931, when I believe there were only about a dozen or so stations with 50 kw. in the USA.
KFI became an affiliate of the new National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in 1927. In fact, KFI helped originate the very first NBC coast-to-coast network broadcast. It was the New Year's Day Rose Bowl football game from Pasadena on 1-1-1927. KFI sales manager Carl Haverlin had pitched the idea to NBC executives in New York, and they liked it. KFI's remote equipment was used for the broadcast.
In November of 1929, Earle C. Anthony bought a small Los Angeles station, KPLA and changed the calls to KECA for his initials. KFI later became the NBC Red Network station in Los Angeles and KECA-1430 with only 1,000 watts, was the NBC Blue Network affiliate. Wanting to increase coverage for KECA for many years, in 1938, Anthony finally was able to buy KEHE-780 with 5,000 watts day/1,000 at night from Hearst Radio for $400,000, and moved KECA from 1430 to 780 in 1939 when the deal was finalized. KFI and KECA also moved into the former KEHE modern broadcast studios and offices in 1939 at 141 N. Vermont and out of the cramped quaters at 10th and Hope.
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) tried many times to buy KFI from Mr. Anthony. But, ECA did not want to sell his prized possession. Niles Trammel was president of NBC from 1940 to 1949. Whenever Trammel brought up the topic of trying to buy KFI for NBC, Anthony would tell him firmly, but politely, "Now Niles, I wouldn't sell my wife! Why would I sell KFI?"
Sadly, Earle C. Anthony was forced by an FCC ruling in 1943 to give up his beloved KECA-790 (moved from 780 to 790 in 1941), which said that nobody could own 2 radio stations in the same market! KECA was sold to the Blue Network, which soon became ABC.
As for broadcasting farm news, agriculture was a huge industry all over California in the 1930s, '40s and '50s. L.A.'s population didn't hit 1-million until 1930, but much of LA County was still rural and agricultural, as were Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. When KFI virtually stopped NBC network shows each night at 8 pm during the winter season for the fruit frost warnings from the U.S. Weather Bureau in Pomona, citrus ranchers from the Central Valley to Orange County tuned to KFI to see if they needed to take action to save their crops. Weather forecaster turned broadcaster, Floyd B. Young became a radio star giving the frost forecasts each winter starting around 1928 on KHJ, but KFI began using Young's services in 1940. He was so famous from his KFI broadcasts from November thru March that Time magazine featured a story about him in 1945. Here's the link, if you're interested to see a short preview of the article:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,791874,00.html?promoid=googlep
There are other references to Young on the internet. For more details about how important this broadcast was the the California agriculture industry, read a fascinating story by retired KFI engineer Newcomb Weisenberger, who was with the station from 1947 until the 1970s. He tells about why KFI pulled the plug on the NBC network nightly at 8 pm each winter.
http://www.earthsignals.com/Newcomb/SmudgePot_Radio.html
By the way, during some 25 years seriously researching Los Angeles radio broadcasting history, I will go on the record and say that I have not found any evidence that the FI in the KFI call letters ever stood for "Farm Information." Certainly the call letters were not chosen to stand for anything. They were issued at random by the government. It is true that KFI had a farm director and had farm news in the morning and at noon in the '30s, '40s and '50s to serve the So. Calif. ag community. But, according to people I know, including Newcomb who was with KFI in the '40s, KFI did not stand for Farm Information and we couldn't find any promotional or printed material in magazines or newspapers of the say to confirm this urban legend. Possibly, somebody at KFI may have come up with this slogan later on, but I've found no proof of when this slogan was used by the station, if it was used at all and I have no idea how this alleged slogan story about Farm Information got started.
Finally, I'll close with this little-known story told in 1985 by a biographer of Earle C. Anthony in a newsletter for Packard car club history enthusiasts. We know that Anthony ran KFI his way for nearly 40 years and refused to sell KFI to NBC. But, in his final years, Anthony was known to have changed his will several times about the possible sale of KFI it the station lost money for 3 consecutive years. In 1961, this amendment to his will was revoked. Earle C. Anthony began working on a deal with the former singing cowboy of movie and TV fame, Gene Autry, who bought radio station KMPC-710 in late-1952.
The plan the two worked on together was for Autry to sell KMPC to the NBC network and for Anthony to sell KFI to Gene Autry! The two planned on getting together after Anthony returned from a trip to San Francisco. But, ECA's health was failing and he died on 6 August 1961. The pioneer radio station he started in 1922 went off the air for one hour during his funeral service. (KFI also went off the air for one hour in 1954, when Anthony's wife died at age 69).
His estate, Earle C. Anthony, Inc. ran KFI for the new several years, but executives at the top were old fashioned and slow to change. They finally agreed to sell KFI radio to Cox Broadcasting in 1972 for $15.1 million, shortly after KFI's 50th Anniversary. In 1973, with FCC approval certain for the KFI sale, Earle C. Anthony, Inc. was officially dissolved on 30 May 1973 and the sale of KFI was made final the next day.
KFI moved out of its historic Vermont Ave. studios in 1975.
Anyway, hope that this gave you some more detailed insight into why KFI did not become an NBC owned station while Earle C. Anthony was in charge of this pioneer radio station, while also giving you a bit of KFI history.
Jim Hilliker
Los Angeles radio historian
