Jerry, my memory isn't that great(that day was about two weeks before my tenth birthday, and I only vaguely remembered KSFO as 'that station everybody's parents listened to'); it's the airchecks at the Bay Area Radio Museum site that filled in the gaps. I do remember hearing about Don Sherwood's death shortly before that, and some talk about it on TV (and even at school) that day, but it was only because of the internet(and Ben Fong-Torres' column) that I pieced those memories together.JEREMIAH said:
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the worlds greatest radio station - and then some
- Thread starter krth101
- Start date
Does it seem odd that Gene & Ina were originally 51% owners of KSFO, with Bob Reynolds as the other principal owner (also running the entire Golden West show) -- but they had it set up that if Ina died (not Gene, not Bob) they'd have to sell the stations with the proceeds going to charity?
It seems doubtful to me, after reading Gene's bio, that he'd buy the station with his own hard-earned money, in partnership with Reynolds, but that he'd stipulate that they'd have to sell it and donate the proceeds to charity if Ina died. I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm just saying that's a very strange way to do things.
Ina died in 1980. Gene married Jackie (whom he'd known since 1963) in 1981.
In April 1983, according to the documents I have, KSFO became Gene Autry's sole property when he bought out all the stock; he sold off his interest in KTLA/5 as part of the transaction. It wasn't until October 1983 that the deal with King Broadcasting was announced. Does that mean that Ina's will directed that only her percentage of KSFO went to charity?
There's obviously a missing puzzle piece in there somewhere.
It seems doubtful to me, after reading Gene's bio, that he'd buy the station with his own hard-earned money, in partnership with Reynolds, but that he'd stipulate that they'd have to sell it and donate the proceeds to charity if Ina died. I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm just saying that's a very strange way to do things.
Ina died in 1980. Gene married Jackie (whom he'd known since 1963) in 1981.
In April 1983, according to the documents I have, KSFO became Gene Autry's sole property when he bought out all the stock; he sold off his interest in KTLA/5 as part of the transaction. It wasn't until October 1983 that the deal with King Broadcasting was announced. Does that mean that Ina's will directed that only her percentage of KSFO went to charity?
There's obviously a missing puzzle piece in there somewhere.
J
JEREMIAH
Guest
Boss:
You ask a lot of interesting questions. All I know is what I was told at the time.
Signal Oil also had been part owner..how much I don't know.
I believe it was JOHN Reynolds. He was running the GW show when I got there in '78.
Jerry
You ask a lot of interesting questions. All I know is what I was told at the time.
Signal Oil also had been part owner..how much I don't know.
I believe it was JOHN Reynolds. He was running the GW show when I got there in '78.
Jerry
Okay, here's the result of some research:
Gene Autry, Bob Reynolds, Lloyd Sigmon and Signal Oil all had money in Golden West Broadcasters.
Reynolds and Sigmon were at KMPC (Reynolds since 1938, Sigmon since 1942) under the previous owner when he died in 1951. They partnered with Autry and bought the station in 1952 for $800,000. That was the beginning of GWB. All the other stations (KSFO, KEX, KVI, KTLA) and the Los Angeles Angels came later.
Signal Oil bought a 49.9% stake in GWB in 1968. Not only did Autry get investment money, but the deal had Signal paying Autry $250,000 a year for the option to buy the rest of GWB upon Gene's death.
Ina's will required that Gene sell off her portion of the community property within 5 years of her death and put that money in the Autry Foundation. Somehow, KMPC was exempt.
Autry sold KTLA, and used his share of the proceeds to buy Signal Oil out from the rest of GWB. The other stations followed, except KMPC, which he held until the late 90s. There were even some post-Ina station acquisitions (KUTE-FM), but nothing ever on the scale of the stations GWB once owned. And by the early 90s, it was turning into estate planning for Gene.
Jerry, I don't know if John Reynolds was related to Bob or not.
Gene Autry, Bob Reynolds, Lloyd Sigmon and Signal Oil all had money in Golden West Broadcasters.
Reynolds and Sigmon were at KMPC (Reynolds since 1938, Sigmon since 1942) under the previous owner when he died in 1951. They partnered with Autry and bought the station in 1952 for $800,000. That was the beginning of GWB. All the other stations (KSFO, KEX, KVI, KTLA) and the Los Angeles Angels came later.
Signal Oil bought a 49.9% stake in GWB in 1968. Not only did Autry get investment money, but the deal had Signal paying Autry $250,000 a year for the option to buy the rest of GWB upon Gene's death.
Ina's will required that Gene sell off her portion of the community property within 5 years of her death and put that money in the Autry Foundation. Somehow, KMPC was exempt.
Autry sold KTLA, and used his share of the proceeds to buy Signal Oil out from the rest of GWB. The other stations followed, except KMPC, which he held until the late 90s. There were even some post-Ina station acquisitions (KUTE-FM), but nothing ever on the scale of the stations GWB once owned. And by the early 90s, it was turning into estate planning for Gene.
Jerry, I don't know if John Reynolds was related to Bob or not.
Historical note to Michael's post above for those who don't know: Lloyd Sigmon's name was immortalized by the Sigalert traffic system, which he is credited with inventing in 1955 by setting up a radio/tape alert system between LAPD and KMPC.
The other story I've always heard, but never had confirmed, about Autry was the Dodgers were on KMPC the first couple of years after they moved from Brooklyn, then switched over to KFI. When the Angels were created, Autry's sole purpose in going to the meetings was to make sure KMPC got radio rights, but he ended up becoming the owner.
DavidKaye said:
No doubt. Actor, singers, and star athletes in those days certainly had large incomes compared to most Americans, but they just didn't get the stratospheric money typical for stars today - or in the last few decades.
The smart ones invested well. Growing up in SoCal, the big legend was Bob Hope, who was rumored to have bought huge land parcels in the San Fernando Valley during the 30s and 40s, which he sold off in the post-war decades during the housing boom.
Another recent example is Wayne Rogers, who, despite only moderate success as an actor, has become very wealthy from business and investments.
SCV_Ears said:
True. The Dodgers' owner moved to KFI when he found he couldn't get night games on KMPC at his place up at Big Bear.
What almost happened was very interesting. KFI's owner, Earle C. Anthony, was being pestered by NBC to sell them the station. Anthony was ready to get out, but thought KFI should stay local, and was friends with Autry. So he pitched Gene on the idea of selling KFI to Autry and Autry selling KMPC to NBC. The network gets a 50kw station in L.A., the stronger station stays local and Autry gets to own the Dodgers' flagship station.
But Anthony died before a deal could be done and his estate held onto the station (as it turned out, for 13 years after his death). So Autry pursued broadcast rights for the Angels and in the course of the meetings, became convinced it would be better to own the team.
Smart move. The Dodgers left KFI after only 14 years. Autry had the Angels and KMPC together for 35...and only a one-season gap (1960-61) where he didn't have MLB on KMPC.
During the '80s Jim Lange did a syndicated game show called Bullseye for two producers who were major figures in the quiz scandal of the 1950s: Jack Barry and Dan Enright. In the mid '80s Barry and Enright got the idea to revive their most popular show from the rigged-quiz era, Twenty One, and they tapped Jim to emcee a pilot. Twenty One worked best when it was rigged and had a somewhat convoluted format, making it not an easy show to emcee. Unlike the '50s, the game was not rigged and the pilot did not sell. I have seen it and Jim was absolutely masterful; his performance was as smooth as silk. As best I can tell the pilot was done live to tape (I don't detect many edits in it). He may have worked largely off of cue cards, not uncommon for a pilot, but you couldn't tell. It is a tribute to Jim's professionalism.
chris319 said:
Jim's great. I was very happy when he moved to KMPC in '69...and sorry to see him head back to KSFO two years later, which I couldn't hear at the time.
I visited San Francisco in the late 70s and heard Jim Lange on KSFO doing color on a 49ers broadcast with Lon Simmons on pxp. I only knew Jim Lange from The Dating Game! It sure was strange to me visiting from NY to hear Jim Lange on a football game! 
onairb said:
It was a pre-season game in 1977. Don't know if Jim Lange was doing fill-in or if he was full-time that season.
J
JEREMIAH
Guest
I started there in '78 and never knew that Jim had done football color.
So it couldn't have been the late '70s.
Nelson did a few games. My memory is fuzzy on whether it was '78 or '79.
Jerry Gordon KNUU Las Vegas
So it couldn't have been the late '70s.
Nelson did a few games. My memory is fuzzy on whether it was '78 or '79.
Jerry Gordon KNUU Las Vegas
A 'Radio Waves' column by Ben Fong-Torres in the Chron a year or so back said Nelson did 49er games in 1979, when they followed a 2-14 season with...another 2-14 season, and the station just wanted SOMEBODY to listen. Nelson said that, in that regard, his role was somewhat similar to Dennis Miller's on 'Monday Night Football' a few years back-although Nelson followed football much more closely than Miller had before ABC hired him. Nelson said he was there to provide the perspective of a season-ticket holder with an above-average knowledge of the game(which he was), while leaving the really technical terminology to the 'experts'.
As for Lange, I'm not sure if he traveled with the team, or just did home games as a third announcer, in the late '60s. Gordie Soltau, and later Wayne Walker, had long runs as the analysts/'color guys' with Lon Simmons. Both Lange and Nelson apparently did good work on thebroadacsts; they certainly weren't 'experts' about the game, but they knew what they were talking about, and when to keep from dominating the broadcasts.
As for Lange, I'm not sure if he traveled with the team, or just did home games as a third announcer, in the late '60s. Gordie Soltau, and later Wayne Walker, had long runs as the analysts/'color guys' with Lon Simmons. Both Lange and Nelson apparently did good work on thebroadacsts; they certainly weren't 'experts' about the game, but they knew what they were talking about, and when to keep from dominating the broadcasts.
Talking about Lange doing football reminded me of another great story I heard one. The Giants were playing the Mets in New York in a doubleheader in 1964 (Mets had just moved to Shea Stadium from the Polo Grounds). Lange watched some of the first game, hopped on a plane back to SFO, turned on the radio when he got in his car and heard ... baseball, still. It wasn't a replay, like he first thought. The second game of the doubleheader was still going on. This was a 20something inning game where, legend has it this is when Gaylord Perry first threw the spitter. Due to a series of position changes, Willie Mays ended the game as shortstop! And, yes, I believe the Giants did win.
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