Golden West Broadcasters
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| Company type | Defunct |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcast Television Broadcast Radio |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Founder | Gene Autry (1907-1998) Bob Reynolds (1914-1997) |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Fate | Liquidation of television and radio assets |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Golden West Broadcasters was an umbrella investment company founded and co-owned by late actor/singer Gene Autry (1907-1998) and late two-time All-American and former Detroit Lions tackle Bob Reynolds (1914-1997). Headquartered in Hollywood, California, in addition to broadcast television and radio, Autry and Reynolds also invested in real estate as well as ownership stakes in the Hollywood Stars baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. The company owned and operated several television and radio stations from 1951 to 1982, and also provided services to and for other third-party, non-owned stations through the Golden West Radio Network.
History
In 1951, Autry and Reynolds formed Golden West Broadcasters with their acquisition of KMPC (now KSPN) 710 AM in Los Angeles, while Reynolds served and worked as the station's manager. They followed that up by taking its first ever television station, KOPO-TV (now CBS affiliate KOLD-TV) in Tucson, Arizona to the air in two years later, and then with additional acquisitions including most importantly, KTLA in Los Angeles, which continues to operate from the very same site at which the company and the station co-existed on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood to this very day. Over time, Autry took control of the company with other co-investors in later years. Golden West also operated several cable television systems across the country during the 1970s and into the 1980s. Autry began their gradual exit from the broadcasting industry beginning in 1982 with the sale of KTLA to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, culminating with the sale of KSCA 101.9 FM in Glendale, California -- within the Los Angeles area, to Heftel Broadcasting Corporation in 1997.
Broadcast Properties
Television
- 1 Operated in facilities shared with the company.
- 2 Stations built and signed onto the air by either Golden West or by Gene Autry personally.
- 3 A late acquisition, Autry kept the station even after the company folded.
| DMA | Market | Station PSIP (RF) |
Years Owned | Sold To | Present Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | KTLA1 5 (35) | 1964-1982 | Kohlberg Kravis Roberts - 1982 | CW network affiliate owned and operated by Nexstar Media Group |
| 11 | Phoenix - Mesa, AZ | KOOL-TV2 10 (10) | 1953-1982 | Gulf Broadcasting - 1982 | Fox network owned and operated KSAZ-TV |
| 43 | Oklahoma City, OK | KAUT-TV3 43 (19) | 1979-1985 | Rollins Communications - 1985 | Once again an independent station, now owned and operated by Nexstar Media Group |
| 65 | Tucson - Sierra Vista - Douglas - Nogales, AZ | KOPO-TV/KOLD-TV2 13 (32) | 1953-1969 | Universal Communications - 1969 | CBS network affiliate owned and operated by Gray Television |
Radio
AM Stations
| RMS Rank | Market | Station | Years Owned | Sold To | Present Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | KMPC 710 | 1952-1994 | Capital Cities/ABC - 1994 | ESPN Radio owned and operated KSPN |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | KSFO 560 | 1956-1983 | King Broadcasting - 1983 | Talk radio owned and operated by Cumulus Media |
| 12 | Seattle - Tacoma, WA | KVI 570 | 1959-1994 | Fisher Communications - 1994 | Conservative Talk owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| 13 | Detroit, MI - Windsor, ON, CAN | WCAR/WCXI 1130 | 1977-1986 | Shamrock Broadcasting - 1986 | All-News WDFN owned and operated by iHeartMedia |
| 14 | Phoenix, AZ | KARZ/KOOL 960 | 1956-1985 | Adams Radio Group - 1985 | Talk Radio owned and operated by Salem Media Group |
| 23 | Portland, OR | KEX 1190 | 1967-1984 | Taft Broadcasting - 1984 | News-Talk owned and operated by iHeartMedia |
| 62 | Tucson - Sierra Vista - Douglas - Nogales, AZ | KOPO 1450 | TBD | TBD | Fox Sports Radio network affiliate owned and operated by iHeartMedia |
FM Stations
| RMS Rank | Market | Station | Years Owned | Sold To | Present Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | KUTE/KMPC-FM/KLIT/KEDG/KSCA 101.9 | 1985-1997 | Heftel Broadcasting - 1997 | Regional Mexican owned and operated by Univision Communications, licensed to Glendale |
| 12 | Seattle - Tacoma, WA | KETO-FM/KVI-FM/KPLZ-FM 101.5 | 1976-1994 | Fisher Communications - 1994 | Hot Adult Contemporary owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| 13 | Detroit, MI - Windsor, ON, CAN | WCAR-FM/WTWR/WCXI-FM 92.3 | 1977-1986 | Shamrock Broadcasting - 1986 | Urban Adult Contemporary WMXD owned and operated by iHeartMedia |
| 14 | Phoenix, AZ | KOOL-FM | 1956-1985 | Adams Radio Group - 1985 | Oldies owned and operated by iHeartMedia |
| 23 | Portland, OR | KQFM/KKRZ 100.3 | 1978-1984 | Taft Broadcasting - 1984 | Top 40 owned and operated by iHeartMedia |
References
Category:Defunct companies Category:Defunct companies of the United States Category:Companies based in California