WANG (1490 AM ) is a radio station licensed to Biloxi, Mississippi . Owned by Telesouth Communications , it broadcasts a commercial adult hits format. The station is simulcast on 1640 WTNI , as well as translator station W292GD on 106.3 FM.
123-499: WLOX announced its grand opening on May 27, 1948 as part of the Mutual Broadcasting System . In 2018, Alpha Media sold its Biloxi stations, including WANG, to Telesouth Communications. The sale was consummated on March 1, 2019, at a price of $ 2.5 million. On March 8, 2019, WANG ended its sports format simulcast with WTNI , and changed its format to classic country, branded as "103.5 The Possum". In June 2019, WTNI ended
246-429: A Day , which both started on Mutual radio in 1945. Referred to by some as a "misery show," Queen for a Day "awarded prizes to women who could come up with the most heart-stabbing stories told by the sick and the downtrodden .... On one show, a mother of nine requested a washing machine to replace one that broke when it fell on her husband and disabled him—and who, by the way, also needed heart surgery." In May 1947,
369-400: A conglomerate ( GenCorp, Inc. ) with holdings in tire manufacturing (General Tire, Inc.), rubber compounds (DiversiTech General), rocketry and aeronautics ( Aerojet ), and broadcasting ( RKO General ). The company's tire division was sold to Germany's Continental AG in 1987, becoming Continental General Tire Corp. before its re–incorporation again to its current name. The compounds division
492-666: A conspiracy "hindering and restricting Mutual freely and fairly to compete in the transmission in interstate commerce of nationwide network programs." The FCC's Supreme Court victory in 1943 led to the sale of the Blue Network and Mutual dropping its lawsuit. These developments appear to have been of more symbolic than practical value to Mutual—the transfer of the NBC Blue stations to the new American Broadcasting Company did little to help Mutual's competitive position. In 1945, it reached 384 affiliates, and by December 1948, Mutual Broadcasting
615-452: A contract to produce rocket engines to speed airplane liftoff, and formed a company named Aerojet . The group succeeded with liquid–fuel rockets, but needed additional materials science and manufacturing expertise to create more sophisticated solid–fuel rockets. Aerojet went into partnership with The General Tire & Rubber Company, using their capitalization, expertise with rubber binders, and chemical manufacturing facilities. The partnership
738-522: A failed bid for the group, claiming it violated Mutual bylaws stating no group could hold more than 25 percent of network stock. General Tire retained KHJ, KFRC and KGB, divesting the other stations. At the same time, Mutual acquired the television broadcast rights to the World Series and All-Star Game for the next six years. Mutual was likely re-indulging in TV network dreams or was simply taking advantage of
861-515: A few long-running features". This would characterize Mutual's essential approach for the next three and a half decades, through a further series of ownership changes. In July 1966, 3M sold the network to the privately held Mutual Industries, Inc., headed by John P. Fraim and Loren M. Berry , for $ 3.1 million (equivalent to $ 29.1 million in 2023); Fraim was vice president of Berry's Dayton, Ohio -based telephone directory publishing company. Upon Mutual Industries's acquisition of Mutual, it
984-508: A five-day-a-week afternoon show. Kate Smith returned in January 1958 for her final radio series, which ran until August. In June 1958, just a few months before the Scranton takeover, the network had launched a nightly 25-minute newscast, The World Today , hosted by Westbrook Van Voorhis , famous as the voice of The March of Time . Sports began to occupy an increasing portion of Mutual's schedule:
1107-529: A football game broadcast with a news flash reporting the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . It was the first public announcement of the attack heard on the U.S. mainland. The first bombs had dropped 63 minutes earlier. In May 1945, Sigrid Schultz reported from one of the last Nazi concentration camps to be discovered, Ravensbrück . The following month, Meet the Press premiered with Martha Rountree as moderator. For
1230-605: A governing interest in Mutual shareholder, Western Ontario Broadcasting, owner of CKLW in Windsor, Ontario , which served the Detroit market. When the deal closed, two of Western Ontario Broadcasting's directors were U.S. citizens. RKO Teleradio Pictures also purchased Washington, D.C. station WGMS-AM - FM in April 1956, with WGMS joining Mutual. Closing the movie studio a year and a half later,
1353-442: A group led by Dr. Armand Hammer bought the network later in the month. Limited sponsorship packages were also introduced, in which an advertiser could back a show for an abbreviated period rather than an entire season, but there was no reversing the trend of television usurping radio. The radio networks were left with the bills for an increasing number of sustaining programs , which had no sponsors. The loss of mainstay advertisers
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#17330862178601476-486: A group that involved Hal Roach Studios purchased Mutual from Hammer's group, the new executive team was charged with accepting money to use Mutual as a vehicle for foreign propaganda on behalf of Rafael Trujillo 's dictatorship in the Third Dominican Republic , while the network suffered significant financial losses and affiliate defections. Concurrently filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and selling twice in
1599-455: A horror anthology series whose "hunner-an'-thirteen-year-old" narrator invited listeners to "douse all [the] lights. Now draw up to the fire an' gaze into the embers ... gaaaaze into 'em deep! ... an' soon ye'll be across the seas, in th' jungle land of Africa ... hear that chantin' and them savage drums?" WGN contributed the popular comedy series Lum and Abner . Detroit's WXYZ provided The Lone Ranger , which had debuted in 1933 and
1722-502: A local New York station in 1932, "dedicated to helping the sufferers from an antiquated and outmoded domestic relations code." Anthony, whose real name was Lester Kroll, brought a wealth of relevant experience to his work—he had once been jailed for failing to make alimony payments. In July 1937 came the premiere of a seven-part adaptation of Les Misérables , produced, written, and directed by Orson Welles and featuring many of his Mercury Theatre performers—Mercury's first appearance on
1845-527: A long-standing business relationship; in either case, Mutual sold the broadcast rights to NBC in time for the following season's games at an enormous profit. Early in 1952, General Tire purchased General Teleradio from R.H. Macy and Company. With the deal, General Tire acquired the WOR radio and TV stations and the rights to the General Teleradio brand, under which the company merged its broadcasting interests as
1968-546: A month before NBC premiered the similarly themed Dimension X . The network picked up adventure series Challenge of the Yukon from ABC Radio, which originated at Mutual cofounder WXYZ in 1938 (but after the station left the network). Renamed Sergeant Preston of the Yukon , this show launched on Mutual on July 10, 1951. A partnership with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at the end of 1951 had the film studio supply up to six hours of programming per week starting in 1952 with The MGM Theater of
2091-468: A network staple through September 1955. From May 1943 through May 1946, Mutual aired The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce , reprising their roles from the Universal film series. An earlier incarnation of the show had run briefly on the network in 1936; a less starry version would return to Mutual from September 1947 through June 1949. The Mysterious Traveler ,
2214-583: A new contract with Mutual despite previously indicating the station would drop the network, becoming the lone RKO Teleradio station to renew ties as WGMS, KFRC, KHJ and WHBQ joined WNAC in independence. At the same time, WOR started to identify as "WOR-AM- FM , owned by RKO General," eschewing on-air mentions of Mutual after listeners mistakenly thought WOR was also in bankruptcy; concurrently, Mutual changed their station cue to "the Network of Independent Stations". A three-part reorganization plan resolving all debts
2337-619: A new division (Bamberger had previously sold its TV station in the nation's capital, WOIC, to CBS and the Washington Post ). Most importantly, WOR's founding shares in Mutual, when added to the Yankee and Don Lee holdings, gave General Tire majority control of the network. General Tire head Thomas F. O'Neil , who had already taken over as president of the Don Lee stations, became president of Mutual in an executive shakeup. While Mutual did not have
2460-653: A program featuring Cedric Foster joined Mutual's respected schedule of news and opinion shows. Foster's claim to fame was as the first daytime commentator to be heard nationally on a daily basis. The network aired that year's NFL Championship Game on December 8, the first national broadcast of the annual event. Over the following half-decade, Mutual's war coverage held its own with that of the wealthier networks, featuring field correspondents such as Henry Shapiro and Piet Van T Veer and commentators such as Cecil Brown , formerly of CBS. At 2:26 p.m. Eastern time, on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Mutual flagship station WOR interrupted
2583-472: A proto– Twilight Zone anthology series, aired every week on Mutual from December 1943 until September 1952. In February 1946, Mutual introduced a quiz show, Twenty Questions , that would run for more than seven years. In October, the detective series Let George Do It , starring Bob Bailey, launched as a Mutual/Don Lee presentation; it would also run into the mid-1950s. For two years, starting in 1946 as well, Steve Allen got his first network exposure on
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#17330862178602706-518: A radio station in Mississippi is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual ; sometimes referred to as MBS , Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network ) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama , Mutual
2829-535: A reported 130 stations ending their Mutual affiliations. In the wake of the Trujillo scandal and affiliate defections, Smith sold Mutual to Hurleigh for $ 1 on July 1, 1959, which was followed by a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Businessman Albert G. McCarthy took over operations, arranging to settle the network's over $ 3 million in debts (equivalent to $ 31.4 million in 2023) while seeking an owner interested in running it on an ongoing basis. WOR signed
2952-882: A respected news service along with a variety of lauded news and commentary programs. In the 1970s, Mutual pioneered the nationwide late night call-in talk radio program, introducing the country to Larry King and later, Jim Bohannon . In the 1970s, acting in much the same style as rival ABC Radio had splitting their network in 1968 , Mutual launched four sister radio networks: Mutual Black Network (MBN) (initially launched as "Mutual Reports Network" (MRN) ), which still exists today as American Urban Radio Networks (AURN); Mutual Cadena Hispánica (MCH; or in English, "Mutual Spanish Network", MSN; abandoned in 1973); regional outlet Mutual Southwest Network (MSWN; retired in 1983); and Mutual Progressive Network (MPN; later re-branded "Mutual Lifestyle Radio" (MLR) in 1980, then retired in 1983). Of
3075-468: A result of The General Tire & Rubber Company's increased investment in WOR). RKO/General also added Canadian 50,000 watt power house CKLW in Windsor to the family. The "Big 8" was No. 1 in the Detroit market. The company's final move into entertainment was the acquisition of RKO Radio Pictures from Howard Hughes in 1955 for $ 25 million. The General Tire & Rubber Company was interested mainly in using
3198-536: A secret for very long." In April 1938, the network picked up The Green Hornet from former member WXYZ. Mutual gave the twice-a-week series its first national exposure until November 1939, when it switched to NBC Blue. (The series would return very briefly to Mutual in the fall of 1940). Mutual also provided the national launching pad for Kay Kyser and his Kollege of Musical Knowledge radio show. Kyser's enormous success at Mutual soon allowed his show to move to NBC and its much larger audience. By May 1939, Mutual
3321-495: A series of regional and individual station acquisitions. Once General Tire sold the network in 1957 to a syndicate led by Dr. Armand Hammer , Mutual's ownership was largely disconnected from the stations it served, leading to a more conventional, top-down model of program production and distribution. Due to the multiple sales of the network that followed, Mutual was once described in Broadcasting magazine as "often traded". After
3444-477: A simulcast version began airing on the Don Lee system's experimental TV station in Los Angeles, W6XAO (later KTSL ). It was a smash hit, and by the turn of the decade, TV stations all along the coast were broadcasting it to high ratings. In the 1950s, Mutual would stare down NBC for four years as the mighty network sought to take control of the show. Offscreen, Mutual remained an enterprising broadcaster. In 1940,
3567-442: A television network, it held rights to one of the most profitable shows in the medium: an early adaptation of Queen for a Day on General Teleradio/Don Lee's KHJ-TV boasted an audience triple that of the city's six other television stations combined. It was also the largest U.S. radio network in affiliate numbers, by far—it had around 560, almost three times as many as its most powerful competitors, CBS (194) and NBC (191). Still,
3690-444: A three-hour-long weekly program combining music and interviews, a show Clark continued to host even after co-founding a competing syndicator, United Stations Radio Networks , earlier in the year. Sports commentaries were added, featuring the likes of Tommy Lasorda and Pat Summerall , along with hourly "Wide Weekend of Sports" sportscasts throughout the weekend; the network also held play-by-play rights to Notre Dame college football,
3813-431: A year and a half in the late 1940s, William Shirer came over from CBS to do current events commentary after his famous falling out with Edward Murrow . In 1948, Mutual's four-part series To Secure These Rights , dramatizing the findings of President Truman 's Committee on Civil Rights , outraged many politicians and the network's own affiliates in the segregated South . In the field of entertainment, Mutual built on
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3936-518: The Sears Radio Theater after CBS Radio dropped it, renaming it Mutual Radio Theater . While a number of well-regarded episodes were produced, the series ended on December 19, 1980, and was Mutual's final radio drama. The Mutual Southwest Network also closed at the end of 1980; in both cases, Mutual Radio Theater and Mutual Southwest suffered from a lack of advertising support. In 1981, Mutual launched Dick Clark 's National Music Survey ,
4059-764: The Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies . In September, WXYZ dropped out to join NBC Blue, though contractual obligations kept The Lone Ranger on Mutual, airing three times a week, through spring 1942. The hole in the Detroit market was immediately filled by CKLW in Windsor, Ontario , just across the river. In October, the network began a decades-long run as broadcaster of baseball's World Series, with airtime responsibilities shared between WGN's Bob Elson and Quin Ryan and WLW's Red Barber (NBC and CBS also carried
4182-859: The Don Lee Broadcasting System , a well–respected regional radio network on the West Coast, in 1950. Among other stations, it added KHJ-AM – FM in Los Angeles, California and KFRC-AM-FM in San Francisco, California to its stable from the New York Yankees acquisition. In 1952, it bought WOR / WOR-FM / WOR-TV in New York City and merged its broadcasting interests into a new division, General Teleradio (purchased from R. H. Macy & Company alongside WOR & Bamberger Broadcasting; named as
4305-667: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the sale of the Yankee Network—with WNAC, its three other owned-and-operated stations, its contracts with 17 additional affiliates, and its Mutual shares—to the Ohio-based General Tire and Rubber Company . By 1940, Mutual was already on par with the industry leaders in terms of affiliate roster size. Still, because Mutual affiliates were mostly in small markets or lesser stations in large ones,
4428-544: The Lindbergh kidnapping "trial of the century" in 1935, heard over Mutual, were highly regarded; Heatter soon had his own regularly scheduled newscast, which aired nationally five nights a week. In 1936, also via WOR, Mutual began broadcasting the reports of news commentator Raymond Gram Swing , who became one of the country's leading voices on foreign affairs. In November 1937, conservative commentator Fulton Lewis Jr. , heard five nights weekly from Mutual affiliate WOL , became
4551-663: The Mutual Black Network (MBN) and the Mutual Spanish Network (MSN; Mutual Cadena Hispánica, or MCH), on May 1, 1972. Targeting Black audiences, MBN supplied 100 five-minute-long news and sports reports weekly along with other programming, with MCH featuring similar fare aimed at Spanish-language listeners. By July 1972, Mutual had 550 affiliates, MBN had 55 and MCH had 21. While MCH lasted only six months, by 1974, MBN had grown to 98 affiliates. Another change in July 1974
4674-876: The PGA Tour , the LPGA , the United States Tennis Association and regional rights for four NFL teams. General Tire Continental Tire the Americas, LLC , d.b.a. General Tire , is an American manufacturer of tires for motor vehicles , and semi trucks . Founded in 1915 in Akron, Ohio by William Francis O'Neil, Winfred E. Fouse, Charles J. Jahant, Robert Iredell, and H.B. Pushee as The General Tire & Rubber Company using funding from Michael O'Neil, William Francis O'Neills' father, who owned Akron's O'Neil's Department Store . The company later diversified by 1984 into
4797-515: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Hal Roach Jr. took over as president, but the SEC labeled him "a Guterma puppet" due to how he assumed Guterma's shares and questioned his ability to run the network. A week after resigning, the SEC indicted Guterma on federal securities fraud charges, which led Roach to be removed as president of the film studio, though he retained his position as Mutual president. The SEC also ordered stock trading for
4920-507: The United Network . The network and its only offering, The Las Vegas Show , folded after only a month on the air. When ABC Radio "split" into four demographically targeted networks on January 1, 1968, Mutual unsuccessfully sued to block the move. Meanwhile, the network was undergoing some management instability, with frequent changes at the top. For example, Matthew J. Culligan was Mutual's president from October 1966 to June 1968. He
5043-483: The 'exclusive affiliation' clauses of their agreements with these stations, and as a result, thousands of people in many sections of the country were unable to hear the broadcasts of the games." This was the first instance of "abuses" committed by the two major broadcast companies given in the ruling. Mutual also began building a reputation as a strong news service, rivaling the industry leaders in quality, if not budget. The broadcasts of WOR reporter Gabriel Heatter from
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5166-486: The 1940s and early 1950s, moved to Mutual in October 1955. In November 1957, the final episodes of Counterspy and Gang Busters aired, ending the network's last two remaining half-hour original dramatic shows. Mutual had forsworn the genre and would not broadcast a new dramatic series until 1973 with the short-lived Rod Serling vehicle The Zero Hour . In 1955, the famous comedy team Bob and Ray came over from NBC for
5289-403: The 1940s, there was a brief exploration into the idea of launching a Mutual-branded television network, serious enough to prompt talks with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a potential source of programming talent. Plans for the proposed Mutual-branded network advanced far enough that, at the annual meeting of Mutual stockholders in April 1950, network president Frank White made an official announcement of
5412-948: The 1978 launch of the Mutual Southwest Network, a regional "mininetwork" that handled distribution for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network and featured Southwest Conference football games. In 1976, 49 percent of MBN ownership was sold to the Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation followed by the remaining 51 percent in 1979, at which point MBN was renamed the Sheridan Broadcasting Network and later merged into National Black Network to create American Urban Radio Networks . Fraim and Berry initially had control over Mutual Broadcasting Corp., but investor Benjamin D. Gilbert and his wife quietly bought out their stakes as well as those of
5535-776: The Air as its centerpiece, but the programs lasted for only one year. Another established drama, Phillips H. Lord 's Counterspy , moved to Mutual in 1953 after a prior run on ABC. The network's other new offerings in 1953 were a further sign of the times— transcription reruns of Coke Time with Eddie Fisher (utilizing soundtracks from Fisher's NBC-TV show) and an audio simulcast of CBS-TV's Perry Como Chesterfield Show . The Shadow ' s long run finally ended in December 1954, followed by Sergeant Preston in June 1955. Gang Busters , another Lord serial that ran on ABC, CBS, and NBC throughout
5658-553: The CBS TV show See It Now , hosted by Edward R. Murrow . In his radio interview, McCarthy dismissed Murrow as "the extreme left-wing, bleeding-heart element of television." In 1957, Mutual refused to air an episode of Clarence Manion 's Manion Forum featuring Herbert V. Kohler Sr. due to controversy over the Kohler strikes . Mutual began the 1950s by entering the realm of adult science fiction with 2000 Plus on March 15, 1950, almost
5781-761: The Colonial Network in New England, the Don Lee System on the Pacific Coast, and the group of stations owned by the Cleveland Plain Dealer , participated in responsibility for running expenses. A new contract effective February 1, 1940, provides for contributing membership by all the above group[s] plus station CKLW in Detroit-Windsor. These groups now agree to underwrite expenses and become stockholders in
5904-629: The Depression was particularly hard on manufacturing, The General Tire & Rubber Company bought several Ohio radio stations on which it advertised. In 1943, it diversified the core business strategy, purchasing the Yankee Network and the radio stations it owned from Boston 's Shepard Stores, Inc. Thomas F. O'Neil , son of the founder William F. O'Neil, served as New York Yankees chairman with Shepard's John Shepard III serving as president. The company continued its move into broadcasting by acquiring
6027-400: The F. L. Jacobs Company suspended. Scranton was under pressure to sell Mutual. The March 9, 1959, issue of Broadcasting magazine stated Mutual had a deficit of $ 1.05 million (equivalent to $ 11 million in 2023) and was losing up to $ 100,000 a month. AT&T threatened to cut off Mutual's telephone service within 24 hours if all outstanding charges were not paid, which would sever
6150-510: The March 21, 1977, issue of Broadcasting magazine, publisher John P. McGoff disclosed he had been in talks to purchase Mutual. A bidding war followed between Amway , a multi-level marketing company known for selling home care products, and Columbus, Georgia -based insurer American Family Corp. , which dropped out after the asking price approached $ 20 million (equivalent to $ 101 million in 2023). On September 30, 1977, Amway bought
6273-590: The Mutual affiliate roster. WGAR dropped both their Mutual and NBC Blue affiliations on September 26, 1937, to take CBS exclusively; in turn, WJAY (co-owned with WHK by the United Broadcasting Company, part of The Plain Dealer business) joined Mutual and changed calls to WCLE. The Mutual affiliation in Cleveland moved again in the fall of 1942 from WCLE to WHK, temporarily displacing Blue programming from
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#17330862178606396-591: The Mutual/Don Lee morning show Smile Time , out of Los Angeles's KHJ . In February 1947, the religiously oriented Family Theater premiered; with frequent appearances by major Hollywood stars, the series aired on Mutual for ten and a half years. That March, Kate Smith , a major star on CBS since 1931, moved over to Mutual. During most of her initial run at the network, which lasted until September 1951, she had two distinct weekday shows, each 15 minutes long: Kate Smith Speaks , at noon, and Kate Smith Sings , later in
6519-717: The Quality Network. Five years later (in 1934), a similar or identical group of stations founded the Mutual Broadcasting System. Mutual's original participating stations were WOR in Newark, New Jersey , just outside New York (owned by the Bamberger Broadcasting Service , a division of R.H. Macy and Company ; in 1949, WOR-TV would begin broadcasting and Bamberger would be renamed General Teleradio, due to General Tire & Rubber 's increased investment in
6642-542: The RKO film library to program its television stations, so it sold the RKO lot at Sunset and Gower in Hollywood, California to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz 's Desilu Productions in 1956 for $ 6 million. The remaining assets of RKO were merged with General Teleradio, and the new company became known initially as RKO Teleradio Pictures , then RKO Teleradio , before eventually becoming RKO General . The radio stations became some of
6765-676: The TV station ), WGN in Chicago (owned by WGN Inc., a subsidiary of the Chicago Tribune ), WXYZ in Detroit (owned by Kunsky-Trendle Broadcasting), and WLW in Cincinnati (owned by the Crosley Radio Company). The network was organized on September 29, 1934, with the members contracting for telephone-line transmission facilities and agreeing to collectively enter into contracts with advertisers for their networked shows. WOR and WGN, based in
6888-406: The affiliates, some of which saw it as an attempt by Mutual to make money at their expense; by the time of the next affiliates' conference in January 1954, O'Neil called the barter plan "dead". In 1955, General Tire expanded its media holdings by acquiring RKO Pictures from Howard Hughes , renaming General Teleradio as RKO Teleradio Pictures. The next year, a Canadian subsidiary of RKO purchased
7011-489: The air. September 26, 1937, proved a particularly momentous date: that evening, The Shadow came to Mutual. The show would become a mainstay of the network for more than a decade and a half and one of the most popular programs in radio history. For the first year of its Mutual run, Welles provided the voice of The Shadow and his newly created alter ego, Lamont Cranston. He played the part anonymously at first. But, as one chronicler put it, "nothing to do with Welles could remain
7134-634: The broadcasting division was renamed RKO Teleradio in 1957, and again to RKO General in 1958. The "Mutual Dealer Plan", another attempt to revamp the network's operations containing elements of the barter-style "Cape Cod Plan", was unveiled to affiliates at an April 1956 conference to favorable reception. The plan, however, could not prevent two remaining minority shareholders in Mutual from leaving: United Broadcasting's WHK switched to NBC in July, while founding station WGN became an independent on August 31, 1956, with ABC/ Prairie Farmer -owned WLS becoming Mutual's Chicago affiliate. By this point, Mutual
7257-440: The country had already signed with them before Mutual's emergence (the exceptional, and soon departed, WLW aside), the cooperative network would be at a permanent disadvantage. On the programming front, 1936 saw Mutual launch the first network advice show, The Good Will Hour , hosted by John J. Anthony and sponsored by physical culture guru Bernarr Macfadden . The program was a new take on Ask Mister Anthony , which had aired on
7380-415: The country, while another story about Castro allies planning attacks against the Trujillo regime was read by Fulton Lewis Jr.; assorted "news releases" were also sent intended for newscasts but never broadcast. Outraged over the arrangement, Hurleigh went to the U.S. Justice Department , which also received a complaint from a Trujillo lawyer after Guterma failed to give the money back. By September, Guterma
7503-642: The decided-on branding for the Mutual-branded network. However, the 5-station Mutual network failed in short time, and Mutual became the only one of the "Big Four" U.S. radio networks to not be long-term connected to (and eventually lose its dominance to) a television network. While the Mutual TV network was short-lived, this did not mean the group did not have an influence over commercial television's early development. Several Mutual radio affiliates launched their own television stations that would often be affiliated with
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#17330862178607626-422: The difficult business climate of World War I , in 1917, O'Neil established a dealership network and began an advertising campaign. By 1930, the company had 14 retail stores and about 1.8% of the tire market. During the depression, as competitors failed, The General Tire & Rubber Company bought out Yale Tire and Rubber Company, and India Tire and Rubber Company. By 1933, it had increased market share to 2.7%. This
7749-489: The end of 1950, the executors of the estate of Thomas S. Lee (the son of Don Lee, who had died in 1934) liquidated the estate's broadcasting interests. The Don Lee Broadcasting System and its shares in Mutual were sold to General Tire for $ 12.3 million (equivalent to $ 156 million in 2023), which already had a sizable stake in Mutual via the Yankee Network. The sale prompted a challenge by Edwin W. Pauley , who led
7872-589: The end of every episode. While not directly from Mutual, it was made available to the network's over 600 stations, with 126 carrying it by July. The Anti-Defamation League alleged the Mutual connection came as the Gilberts personally contributed thousands of dollars to the Liberty Lobby since 1966. After refusing to transmit two specific episodes in November, Mutual cancelled the Liberty Lobby contract at year's end. In
7995-617: The end of the year and Mutual then hired a virtually unknown local talk show host at WIOD in Miami : Larry King . On January 30, 1978, the Larry King Show made its national debut on Mutual. Initially broadcast over 28 stations, by late 1979, King's increasingly popular all-night program was being carried by nearly 200 stations. With a nightly audience of around 2 million listeners, the Larry King Show continued to attract new affiliates to
8118-637: The exclusive broadcaster in 1968, which would remain a cornerstone for the rest of the network's existence. In the spring of 1960, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) stepped in, purchasing Mutual for about $ 1.3 million and restoring much-needed stability to the operation. Despite the late 1950s Guterma scandal, Mutual still had 443 affiliates, easily the most of any network. By this time, as historian Jim Cox describes, both Mutual and ABC "had largely wiped their slates clean of most of their network programming—save news and sporting events and
8241-402: The fall of 1936, Mutual lost another of its founding members when WLW departed. The network, however, was in the midst of a major expansion: the first outside group of stations to sign on with Mutual was John Shepard 's Colonial Network with its Boston flagship station , WAAB , and thirteen affiliates around New England. There was good reason for this affiliation: Shepard had been involved with
8364-608: The first national news personality to broadcast out of Washington, D.C.; he would remain with the network until his death almost three decades later. In 1938, Mutual started rebroadcasting news reports from the BBC and English-language newscasts from the European mainland. The network also began employing its own reporters in Europe as the continent headed toward crisis, including John Steele, Waverley Root , Arthur Mann, and Victor Lusinchi. Among these
8487-555: The first time in years that the network featured a regularly scheduled live music program. Jamboree USA also became the first music program on radio to be transmitted by satellite; the new technology now further enabled Mutual to offer additional music programming to affiliates, including anthologies and concerts. With their purchase of WCFL still pending, Amway acquired a second station for Mutual with New York City's WHN from Storer Broadcasting on February 26, 1979, for $ 14 million (equivalent to $ 58.8 million in 2023), at
8610-443: The first time, the network founded by radio stations directly owned a station of its own, and in one of the country's largest markets. Mutual also reached its greatest number of affiliates that year with 950, fewer than ABC—whose multipronged approach had proven very successful—but far in front of NBC and CBS. Outside of news and sports, one of the few primary network programs initiated by Mutual during this era rapidly became one of
8733-416: The founding of Mutual, and served on its board of directors. Cleveland's WGAR also became an affiliate, albeit a dual one, as they also held a primary NBC Blue hookup. WGAR was joined by five other Midwestern stations: KWK in St. Louis, Mo.; KSO in Des Moines, Iowa; WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; KOIL in Omaha, Neb.; and KFOR in Lincoln, Neb. The big prize came in December, when the Don Lee Network ,
8856-440: The four national networks of American radio's classic era, Mutual had for decades the largest number of affiliates but the least certain financial position (which prevented Mutual from expanding into television broadcasting after World War II, as NBC , CBS and ABC did). For the first 18 years of its existence, Mutual was owned and operated as a cooperative (a system similar to that of today's National Public Radio ), setting
8979-458: The hour. The network gave an outlet to radio dramatist Wyllis Cooper and his highly regarded suspense anthology Quiet, Please , which ran on Mutual from June 1947 to September 1948. It also aired actor Alan Ladd 's similarly lauded drama about a crime-solving mystery novelist, Box 13 , which ran for precisely a year. Mayfair Productions, Ladd's own business, produced its 52 episodes, which began airing every Sunday on August 22, 1948. Toward
9102-513: The incomparable success of The Shadow . WGN's Chicago Theater of the Air , featuring hour-long opera and musical theater productions before a live audience, was broadcast for the first time in May 1940. By 1943, the weekly show was being recorded in front of houses 4,000 strong, gathered to see performances featuring a full orchestra and chorus. Chicago Theater of the Air would run on Mutual through March 1955. Mutual provided an early national outlet for
9225-563: The influential, iconoclastic satirist Henry Morgan , whose show Here's Morgan began its network run in October 1940. Though The Lone Ranger moved over to NBC Blue in May 1942, within a few months Mutual had another reliable, and no less famous, action hero. The Adventures of Superman , picked up from WOR, would run on the network from August 1942 to June 1949. In April 1943, Mutual launched what would turn into one of its longest-lasting shows. Debuting as The Return of Nick Carter and later retitled Nick Carter, Master Detective , it would be
9348-505: The late-evening and overnight hours. The Larry King Show also won a Peabody Award for Mutual in 1982. Mutual made additional ventures beyond talk programming and newscasts. Along with the network's existing sports coverage, Mutual was the national radio broadcaster for Monday Night Football from 1970 through 1977. Mutual began nationally distributing Jamboree USA from WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia , on February 23, 1979, marking
9471-467: The leading broadcasters in the world, but the division was dragged down by unethical conduct at its television stations. This culminated in the longest licensing dispute in television history, eventually forcing RKO General out of the broadcasting business by 1991. In the late 1930s, the United States Army became interested in rockets. A group of California Institute of Technology engineers won
9594-650: The leading regional web on the West Coast, left CBS to become a central participant in Mutual. Don Lee brought its four owned-and-operated stations — KHJ in Los Angeles, KFRC in San Francisco, KGB in San Diego, and KDB in Santa Barbara—along with six California affiliates and, via shortwave hookup, two more in Hawaii. Mutual now had a nationwide presence. During 1936, as well, an offer by Warner Bros. to purchase
9717-410: The market entirely. By the end of 1938, Mutual had 74 exclusive affiliates; though the two leading radio network companies discouraged dual hookups, Mutual shared another 25 affiliates with NBC and 5 with CBS. The total of 104 affiliates put Mutual not far behind the leaders. Because of the corporate strength behind NBC and CBS, however, and the fact that the lion's share of the most powerful stations in
9840-616: The most successful in its history—the first nationwide, all-night call-in talk radio program, which launched on November 3, 1975, with Herb Jepko as host. Jepko's show, which originated from KSL in Salt Lake City in 1964 as Nitecap , was fed by Mutual for eight hours beginning at midnight ET , allowing for stations on the West Coast to carry it live. Mutual also signed up 12 high-powered AM stations to ensure coast-to-coast reception. Jepko so determinedly avoided controversial topics on
9963-449: The network apart from its corporate-owned competitors. Mutual's member stations shared their own original programming, transmission and promotion expenses, and advertising revenues. From December 30, 1936, when it debuted in the West, the Mutual Broadcasting System had affiliates from coast to coast. Its business structure would change after General Tire assumed majority ownership in 1952 through
10086-480: The network began regularly airing a Major League Baseball Game of the Day, every day except Sunday. This expansion into daily sports programming would run well into the 1960s. While baseball's World Series and All-Star Game would go to rival NBC in 1957, Mutual secured national radio rights to Notre Dame Fighting Irish football in 1954. The rights would switch between networks over the following decade before Mutual became
10209-760: The network during the early 1980s. King, like Jepko, generally steered clear of contentious topics and gave regular callers to the program pseudonyms or nicknames. Originally a five-and-a-half hour program, the last half hour was relaunched as America in The Morning , a morning news magazine hosted by WCFL alumnus Jim Bohannon , in September 1984. King continued with his Mutual call-in show until 1994, long after his move to television in 1985 as host of Larry King Live for CNN . King's success soon prompted NBC Radio and ABC Radio to launch NBC Talknet and ABC TalkRadio, respectively, both featuring call-in shows airing into
10332-401: The network from its affiliates. An attempt to sell the network to Max Factor collapsed after the cosmetics manufacturer could not find a way to create a tax advantage from the existing financial losses. When AT&T made another threat to disconnect phone service, network news director Robert F. Hurleigh engineered a last-minute deal with businessman Malcolm Smith, whose transaction to buy
10455-573: The network included $ 1 million of advertising time and payment of the outstanding AT&T phone bill, which totaled over $ 400,000. The deal, however, failed to stop KALL in Salt Lake City and its 41-station regional "Intermountain Network" from switching to ABC. The Don Lee Network folded on April 26, with all 20 affiliates switching from Mutual to ABC and ABC purchasing Don Lee's remaining programming. Yankee Network lead station WNAC severed ties with Mutual in August to become independent, but Mutual
10578-607: The network lagged way behind in advertising revenue—NBC took in eleven times as much as Mutual that year. In 1941, the FCC, calling for NBC to divest one of its two networks, observed that the company "has utilized the Blue to forestall competition with the Red ;.... Mutual is excluded from, or only lamely admitted to, many important markets." On January 10, 1942, Mutual filed a $ 10.275 million suit against NBC and its parent company, RCA , alleging
10701-510: The network was apparently made and rejected. In January 1937, ownership of WAAB was consolidated with that of another Boston station controlled by Shepard: WNAC was flagship of the Yankee Network , a circuit of New England radio stations whose membership partially overlapped with that of Colonial. Yankee flagship WNAC had been an affiliate of CBS Radio, changing affiliation to NBC Red later in 1937 when CBS purchased WEEI in that city. The Texas Network soon added twenty-three more stations to
10824-546: The network. After the purchase, Mutual began to develop what would become the first nationwide commercial broadcast satellite network, leading to the end of decades of reliance on telephone lines for the broadcast industry's transmission capacity. This proposal received FCC approval in late 1979. The biggest change to Mutual happened in 1978, when Amway purchased WCFL from the Chicago Federation of Labor for $ 12 million (equivalent to $ 56.1 million in 2023); for
10947-443: The network.... An operating board for the network is comprised of representatives from each of these groups, together with additional representation appointed by other affiliated stations. The new cooperative structure was also joined by the owners of WKRC in Cincinnati, which had replaced Mutual cofounder WLW in that market. The Mutual corporation now had 100 shares, apportioned as follows: In 1941, WOR's official city of license
11070-414: The networks operations. Throughout the 1990s, Mutual was gradually assimilated into Westwood One's operations. The Mutual name was finally retired in April, 1999. Attempts at establishing cooperatively owned radio networks had been made since the 1920s. In 1929, a group of four radio stations in the major markets of New York City, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Detroit organized into a loose confederation known as
11193-459: The other investors, becoming the group's principal owners. The Gilberts would attract unwanted attention for themselves over one particular program. In 1974, the Liberty Lobby , a think tank and lobby group that espoused far-right views and antisemitism , purchased airtime for a daily five-minute show, This Is Liberty Lobby , which also offered the organization's "America First" pamphlet at
11316-493: The planned creation of a limited five-station Mutual network ( Boston - WNAC , New York City - WOR , Washington, D.C. - WOIC , Chicago - WGN , and Los Angeles - KHJ ). At that same time Mutual radio station KQV in Pittsburgh , which was engaged in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to get a television license, was reportedly hoping for their station to be a Mutual television affiliate. "Mutual Television Network" ended up being
11439-638: The program that some callers simply talked about the weather where they lived. Fellow broadcaster Hilly Rose said of Jepko, "he is the exact opposite of Joe Pyne and 99% of the successful talk show hosts in America. If (he) were any nicer, he would make Mary Poppins look like a witch." In May 1977, Mutual dropped Jepko's show, replacing it with the husband-and-wife team of Long John Nebel and Candy Jones from WMCA in New York City, whose program fared little better than Jepko's. Nebel and Jones left Mutual by
11562-583: The radio industry started to feel effects of major advertisers abandoning radio for television, with commercial rates being cut among all four networks, Mutual included. O'Neil proposed a barter -style restructuring at a July 1953 affiliates' conference in Cape Cod, Massachusetts , called "The Cape Cod Plan": the network would provide five hours of sponsored programming daily and 14 hours of additional programming weekly that affiliates could sell commercial time for. The "Cape Cod Plan" eventually met with resistance from
11685-700: The remaining sports programming and also flipped to classic country, by resuming its simulcast of WANG. On December 22, 2020, translator station W278CE moved to 106.3, and WANG and WTNI flipped to a tourist information format as 106.3 Casino Radio . The stations primarily carry segments and advertising highlighting local casinos, restaurants, and other attractions in the Biloxi area. On October 10, 2021 WANG and WTNI changed their formats from tourist information to adult hits, branded as "Bob 106.3". 30°23′38″N 88°59′58″W / 30.39389°N 88.99944°W / 30.39389; -88.99944 This article about
11808-518: The series that year; the Fall Classic would air on all three networks through 1938). Mutual broadcast its first Notre Dame football game that autumn as well, beginning another relationship that would last for decades. As an income-generating business, the Mutual network was a modest endeavor at the start: in the first eleven months of 1935, the cooperative garnered $ 1.1 million in advertising, compared to NBC's $ 28.3 million and CBS's $ 15.8 million. In
11931-470: The situation, featuring the commentary of Major George Fielding Eliot , military analyst for CBS during World War II. Six correspondents, more than NBC or ABC, were working for Mutual in Korea by August 1950. On occasion, Mutual's commentary programs made the news: On March 11, 1954, Fulton Lewis Jr. featured Senator Joseph McCarthy as his guest, two days after the senator's ethics had been called into question on
12054-546: The span of four months for purposes of raising enough money to remain operational, the network's reputation was severely damaged but soon rebounded under its succeeding owner, 3M Company . Sold to private interests in 1966 and again to Amway in 1977, Mutual purchased two radio stations in New York and Chicago in the 1980s, only to sell them after Amway's interest in broadcasting began to fade. Radio syndicator Westwood One acquired Mutual in 1985 and NBC Radio in 1987, consolidating
12177-453: The television networks of ABC, NBC , CBS or DuMont . The cooperative also held the rights to a number of valuable radio properties that made the transition to the new medium possible, including two of the era's most popular variations on what would later become known as the tabloid talk show and "reality" programming : the crabby gabfest Leave It to the Girls and, in particular, Queen for
12300-659: The territories of its earlier franchisees. Dissatisfied, O'Neil decided to compete with Firestone instead, using the expertise he had gained with Western Tire and Rubber. He went into partnership with four other men, using funding gained from his father, and formed The General Tire & Rubber Company on September 29, 1915 using $ 200,000 USD in capital borrowed from the store. O'Neil & his associates hired away some Firestone managers. Initially, they focused on repair materials, as with Western Tire & Rubber Company, but in 1916 they expanded into tire manufacturing, focusing on high–end products. Early products included: Despite
12423-453: The time the second-highest purchase price for a radio station. Supplanting WMCA as Mutual's New York outlet, the deal closed on March 3, 1980. Re-branded "Mutual/CFL", WCFL was relaunched in August 1979 as the flagship for Mutual Lifestyle Radio , a form of talk radio oriented towards light conversation. On a Country Road , a country music show hosted by WHN's Lee Arnold, was given national distribution. Also in March 1980, Mutual picked up
12546-623: The two largest markets and providing the bulk of the programming, were the acknowledged leaders of the group. On October 29, 1934, Mutual Broadcasting System, Inc. was incorporated, with Bamberger and WGN Inc. each holding 50 percent of the stock—five each of the ten total shares. The three national radio networks already in operation—the Columbia Broadcasting System and the National Broadcasting Company 's Red and Blue —were corporately controlled; programming
12669-425: Was Sigrid Schultz , the first accomplished female foreign correspondent to appear on American news radio. According to scholar Cornelia B. Rose, at the beginning of 1940, Mutual's corporate structure expanded its inclusivity: Until January, 1940, six groups bore the expense of the network operation in varying degree: stations WGN and WOR owned all the stock of the corporation and guaranteed to make up any deficit;
12792-462: Was a relatively large number, considering that the company limited its product line. In the post–war years, The General Tire & Rubber Company gradually ceased to be exclusively a tire manufacturer and marketer. It entered the entertainment business, followed by tennis ball, wrought iron, and soft drink production, as well as chemicals and plastics manufacturing; in the early 1980s General Tire even began motion picture and video production. Because
12915-498: Was accompanied by what historian Ronald Garay describes as the "mass desertion of network radio talent, management and technicians for television .... [and] these people were taking with them the programming that had popularized the radio networks." The network soon changed hands again: in September 1958, it was acquired by the Scranton Lace Company for $ 2 million (equivalent to $ 21.1 million in 2023). Scranton
13038-775: Was allowed to affiliate with the other Yankee stations individually. Mutual apparently refuses to believe that we have disaffiliated. We are sympathetic to their problem, but we have definitely affiliated with ABC Radio. The troubles with Mutual worsened. While on a press junket to Ciudad Trujillo in May 1959, Hurleigh received confirmation that Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo secretly provided money to Guterma, Roach and Scranton Corp. vice president Garland Culpepper. Guterma accepted up to $ 750,000 from Trujillo, and in turn, Mutual newscasts were to have up to 425 minutes of puff pieces favorable to Trujillo's regime broadcast per month. One story read by Walter Winchell regarded plans by Hal Roach Studios to film future movies in
13161-513: Was already in demand. It is often claimed that Mutual was launched primarily as a vehicle for the Western serial, but Lum and Abner was no less popular at the time. What WLW brought was sheer power; billing itself as "The Nation's Station," in May 1934 it had begun night broadcasting at a massive 500,000 watts, ten times the clear-channel standard. On May 24, 1935, the network aired its inaugural live event—the first-ever night baseball game, between
13284-577: Was approved in bankruptcy court on December 23, 1959, allowing Mutual to emerge from Chapter 11; a network spokesperson commented, "this means we start out with a clean slate; we are now divorced from any previous managements." Before the Guterma fiasco, the network had maintained its reputation for running a strong and respected news organization. As the conflict on the Korean peninsula began to escalate in mid-1950, Mutual began airing two special nightly reports on
13407-545: Was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow . For many years, it was a national broadcaster for Major League Baseball (including the All-Star Game and World Series ), the National Football League , and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football . From the 1930s until the network's dissolution in 1999, Mutual ran
13530-491: Was broadcasting the Indianapolis 500 . That autumn, Mutual won exclusive broadcast rights to the World Series. As described in a 1943 Supreme Court ruling upholding the regulatory power of the Federal Communications Commission , Mutual "offered this program of outstanding national interest to stations throughout the country, including NBC and CBS affiliates in communities having no other stations. CBS and NBC immediately invoked
13653-509: Was changed to New York. Within two years, the Colonial Network's affiliate roster and shares in Mutual had been fully absorbed into the Yankee Network by John Shepard III ; WNAC was the sole flagship, WAAB having been moved to Worcester , in central Massachusetts, to avoid duopoly restrictions. With WBZ taking over the slot as the NBC Red affiliate in Boston, WNAC switched to Mutual. In January 1943,
13776-445: Was foundering. Even with the "Mutual Dealer Plan" and staff cutbacks, the network suffered a loss of $ 400,000 (equivalent to $ 4.34 million in 2023) in 1956. In early July 1957, advertisers were notified the network could end operations at the end of the month, one of three options General Tire was considering for Mutual. Another option—spinning off Mutual while retaining the stations that had given it control—was ultimately taken, as
13899-472: Was heard on more than 500 stations in the United States. But this growth did not reflect any ability on Mutual's part to attract leading stations from the corporate-controlled networks. Rather, the FCC had eased its technical standards for local stations, facilitating the establishment of new outlets in small markets. Between 1945 and 1952, the number of AM stations rose from around 940 to more than 2,350. It
14022-399: Was indicted for failing to register as a foreign agent , with Roach and Culpepper as defendants. Guterma, who pleaded no contest to the charge, was sentenced to federal prison for stock fraud, but it was never proven that he actually fulfilled his part of the deal and arranged for slanted coverage. Nonetheless, the incident, combined with the network's precarious financial position, led to
14145-533: Was more subtle—Mutual began using the distinctive two-toned "Mutualert" network cue tones at the beginning and end of newscasts and programs, between commercials and during network identification breaks. For the rest of its existence, Mutual would use these cue tones, dubbed "bee-doops" by listeners. The youth-oriented Mutual Progressive News was launched for Top 40 and country outlets and was also made available for non-commercial educational stations in markets without an existing Mutual affiliate. Little later oversaw
14268-477: Was produced by the network (or by advertising agencies of program sponsors that purchased airtime on the network) and distributed to affiliates, most of which were independently owned. The Mutual Broadcasting System, on the other hand, operated as a true cooperative enterprise, with members creating and sharing programming. The majority of the early programming, from WOR and WGN, consisted of musical features and inexpensive dramatic serials. WOR had The Witch's Tale ,
14391-627: Was renamed Aerojet General. General Tire's restructuring plan went forward; General Tire and its industrial products, and chemicals, and plastics divisions, along with Aerojet General and RKO General, Inc., became subsidiaries of the holding company GenCorp, Inc. in 1984. In 1987, GenCorp, Inc. underwent large–scale restructuring, in part to ward off a hostile takeover attempt by General Acquisition, Inc. GenCorp, Inc. sold its flagship tire division General Tire to German tire manufacturer Continental AG in 1987. General Tire still exists today as part of Continental Tire of North America. General Tire
14514-439: Was renamed to "Mutual Broadcasting Corporation". The following month, after the death of Mutual stalwart Fulton Lewis Jr., his son Fulton Lewis III took over his nightly 7 p.m. slot. Another Ohio businessman, Daniel H. Overmyer , sought a merger with Mutual in 1967 amid plans to start his own TV network. The offer was rebuffed, but three Mutual stockholders joined eleven other investors to buy Overmyer's hookup and rename it
14637-558: Was replaced by Robert R. Pauley , who came over from the ABC radio division, where he had served as president for nearly seven years. But Pauley only lasted a year, and resigned after clashes with the board over the need for cost-cutting, and other decisions with which he disagreed. His replacement was Victor C. Diehm, owner of several Mutual-affiliated radio stations and active on the Mutual Affiliates Advisory Council. Diehm
14760-623: Was spun off & became OMNOVA Solutions Inc. The rocketry and aeronautics business was kept and expanded, and after a couple company name changes, the parent company eventually became Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. William Francis O'Neil owned a Firestone Tire and Rubber Company franchise in Kansas City, Missouri . He started a small manufacturing facility for tire repair products, and called it The Western Rubber & Supply Company initially, then The Western Tire & Rubber Company. As Firestone grew, it sold additional franchises, reducing
14883-439: Was succeeded early in 1972 by C. Edward Little , a former executive and owner of Hollywood, Florida , Mutual affiliate WGMA . Little arrived in the position with a commitment to expand Mutual's news service and program offerings, conceding that Mutual had long been fourth among the legacy "big four" radio networks. Taking a page from ABC's move to split its radio network years earlier, Little launched two additional news services,
15006-513: Was these new, relatively weak stations that Mutual kept picking up. Though by now it had many more affiliates than any other U.S. radio network, for the most part they remained "less desirable in frequency, power, and coverage," as the Supreme Court had put it. For instance, in the postwar era, CBS and NBC covered all of North Carolina, each with only four stations. Mutual needed fourteen affiliates to deliver comparable statewide coverage. Late in
15129-403: Was under the control of the F. L. Jacobs Company, whose chairman, Alexander Guterma , envisioned a media empire uniting Mutual with another purchase that year, Hal Roach Studios . Guterma's tenure as Mutual president was brief: he resigned on February 13, 1959, amid increasing financial shortfalls, overdue payments to affiliates, unpaid phone bills with AT&T , and an ongoing investigation by
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