George A. Richards

George A. Richards
Born	(1889-03-09) 9 March 1889 Crete, Illinois, U.S.
Died	28 May 1951(1951-05-28) (aged 62)
Occupation(s)	Radio station owner, automotive dealer, sports team owner
Known for	Ownership of radio stations WJR, KMPC, WGAR; owner of Detroit Lions (1934–1940); support for Father Charles Coughlin's broadcasts

George Arthur Richards (born March 9, 1889 – died May 28, 1951) was a prominent American figure in the radio industry, owning stations such as WJR in Detroit, KMPC in Los Angeles, and WGAR in Cleveland. Between 1934 and 1940, he also held ownership of the Detroit Lions franchise in the National Football League. Richards notably played a significant part in backing the nationally broadcast program of the politically active Catholic priest Charles Coughlin.

Early life

Born on March 9, 1889, in Crete, Illinois, Richards relocated to Chicago at fourteen years old, where he initially worked as an elevator operator. Over the following years, he undertook various occupations until 1911, when he began working as a tire salesman for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. By 1912, he was appointed manager of Firestone’s branch in Columbus, Ohio, becoming the youngest individual to hold such a position within the company.

In 1917, Richards transitioned to Firestone’s sales division based in Detroit. On February 22, 1922, he married Frances Stevenson after meeting her following a horseback riding accident.

Automotive dealer

G. A. Richards Oakland Company Service Department building, currently known as TechTown, TechOne.

In 1921, Richards departed from Firestone to establish the Cunningham-Richards Co., which quickly became one of the nation's top-selling dealerships for Cunningham cars. By 1924, he secured the role of dealer for the Oakland brand throughout the Metro Detroit area. He continued selling both Oaklands and Pontiac vehicles until relinquishing his dealership operations in 1929 to dedicate himself fully to his ventures in radio broadcasting.

Radio

Richards initially entered the radio industry through advertising, with his dealership among the earliest Detroit businesses to promote themselves on the airwaves. On December 25, 1926, he assumed control of the Detroit station WJR (officially operating under the combined license "WJR-WCX," where Richards owned "WJR" and the Detroit Free Press held "WCX"). This transition occurred after the original proprietor, Jewett Radio & Phonographic Co., declared bankruptcy; Richards was recognized for steering the station back to profitability.

Later that year, the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, a sweeping reallocation of radio frequencies, designated WJR-WCX as a clear-channel station. In December 1929, Richards relocated "WJR" to new facilities within the Fisher Building, while "WCX" continued broadcasting from the Free Press Building. By April 1929, Richards acquired "WCX" outright from the Free Press, leading to the discontinuation of the "WCX" call sign. WJR's transmitting power was enhanced to 50,000 watts in 1935.

In September 1930, Richards partnered with WJR colleagues Leo J. Fitzpatrick and P. M. Thomas to purchase two stations—WCSO in Springfield, Ohio and WFJC in Akron, Ohio. Both stations operated on a shared frequency under a time-sharing agreement. The trio consolidated these assets to establish WGAR in Cleveland, Ohio, named after Richards’ initials. WGAR debuted as Cleveland’s first affiliate of the NBC Blue. By September 1937, WGAR transitioned its affiliation from NBC Blue to CBS. As a CBS affiliate, WGAR became known for producing notable programs such as Wings Over Jordan and broadcasting performances by the Cleveland Orchestra. It also served as an early platform for comedian Jack Paar.

Initially operating with significantly lower power than WJR, WGAR underwent multiple upgrades over time. These included a frequency change to Template:Frequency in June 1944 and a power increase to 50,000 watts by July 1947. Both upgrades prompted legal disputes with Akron CBS affiliate WADC, which twice petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking control over WGAR’s facilities.

After securing an option to acquire Los Angeles station KNX—which he ultimately surrendered to CBS—Richards purchased rival Los Angeles station KMPC on May 5, 1937. Around this period, Richards experienced various health challenges, including a coronary thrombosis in 1938 that limited his capacity for strenuous activity and led him to establish a secondary residence in Beverly Hills.

Support for Father Coughlin

Main article: Charles Coughlin

Upon acquiring WJR in Detroit in 1929, Richards encouraged Father Charles Coughlin to maintain his weekly radio broadcasts, urging him to emphasize political commentary rather than religious subjects. For many years, Richards acted as Coughlin’s primary financial supporter and trusted advisor. In 1931, with Richards’ assistance, Coughlin launched an independently funded radio network to air the Golden Hour of the Shrine of the Little Flower, with WJR as the flagship station and WGAR in Cleveland, Ohio serving as another principal outlet. At his peak, Coughlin’s broadcasts attracted between 16 million and 30 million listeners weekly, accompanied by a daily influx of approximately 10,000 letters.

During the 1930s, Coughlin’s perspectives evolved alongside his expanding audience. Ultimately, he became "openly antidemocratic," as described by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, advocating for the elimination of political parties and expressing skepticism about the legitimacy of elections. His ideology was perceived as reflecting the conservative and reactionary views held by Richards himself. Leo Fitzpatrick, who had originally provided Coughlin with airtime on WJR in 1926 and retained part ownership after Richards’ acquisition, remained a close confidant and counselor to Coughlin.

Detroit Lions

In 1934, Richards acquired the Portsmouth Spartans for around $15,000 and relocated the franchise to Detroit. Leveraging his network, he arranged for NBC to air Lions games on Thanksgiving Day via its Blue Network. This broadcast not only set a new attendance record for the team but also provided crucial national visibility for the emerging league.

Investigation into bias

In 1948, Richards became embroiled in controversy due to accusations regarding news directives at KMPC that allegedly promoted bias and manipulation under his authority. The March 6, 1948 edition of Billboard published memos linked to Richards that suggested antisemitic and anti-communist sentiments, repeatedly asserting that Jews were "all Communists" and urging news staff to "keep hammering away at the Jews". Former KMPC newscaster Clete Roberts claimed he was dismissed for insubordination after refusing to exclude unfavorable information from a profile on Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Roberts further alleged that Richards directed favorable coverage of MacArthur while suppressing stories about the Roosevelt family, Henry A. Wallace, the Truman administration, and the New Deal. Additionally, reports concerning Palestine were reportedly censored to avoid aiding "Jews and Communists". Another former KMPC employee, Maurie Starrels, accused Richards of insisting on emphasizing the Jewish heritage of figures such as Bugsy Siegel and fabricating a story about Edwin W. Pauley's pursuit of a cabinet position under Truman.

These allegations prompted responses from various quarters including multiple members of Congress, the American Jewish Congress (AJC), the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), the Radio News Club of Hollywood (RNC), and James Roosevelt, all urging the FCC to initiate an inquiry. The AJC's petition charged Richards with inciting hatred among minorities by openly violating the Mayflower doctrine. Based on evidence presented in Billboard, the RNC's petition led the FCC to commence a preliminary review of all three stations on March 25, 1948. Subsequently, a public hearing was scheduled for November 16 amid concerns regarding Richards’s fitness as a license holder.

Throughout 1949, proceedings were postponed as Richards proposed transferring ownership of all three stations to three trustees, citing his health as a reason for deferring personal appearances before the FCC; his doctors warned that any hearing could be fatal due to his heart condition. The National Community Relations Advisory Council (NCRAC) criticized this trusteeship plan because none of the proposed trustees resided in Cleveland, Detroit, or Los Angeles, and two held strongly conservative views.

Hearings began in Los Angeles on March 13, 1950, with FCC chief counsel Frederick W. Ford accusing Richards of intentionally skewing news content on his stations to reflect personal animosities. Roberts testified that Richards instructed him to downplay President Harry S. Truman's speeches, present Republican editorials without identification as such, and associate prominent Democrats with Communism. He also recounted Richards’s claim at a KMPC news meeting of "a plot afoot, a Jewish plot" involving CBS's William S. Paley, NBC's David Sarnoff, and ABC's Robert E. Kintner; Roberts was terminated after reporting on General MacArthur’s graying hair and trembling hand.

Another former KMPC announcer stated that Richards mandated negative portrayals of groups including the CIO, African Americans ("Negroes"), Jews, the Roosevelt family, and New Deal policies. Additionally, an announcer testified that Richards prohibited playing be-bop music due to its perceived "communistic influence". Jack Paar later confirmed in his memoir that Richards enforced a ban on "swing music", instructing WGAR to temporarily cease CBS programming whenever such music was aired. On the Senate floor, Senator Styles Bridges called for an investigation into the FCC itself over its inquiry into Richards, viewing it as retaliation for his political stance.

Representatives Anthony F. Tauriello and Harry J. Davenport criticized Roberts on the House floor based on previous remarks he made about southern Italians, while Representative Stephen M. Young considered the hearings an overextension of FCC authority. Richards’s attorney Hugh Fulton accused the commission of attempting censorship due to Richards’s opposition to the Truman administration.

Following the death of presiding examiner J. Frederick Johnson Jr., hearings resumed under James D. Cunningham on June 15. The FCC requested 7,000 news scripts from KMPC and indicated similar demands would be made for WJR and WGAR. A subpoena was issued for Richards at Benedict Cottone's insistence, but health issues again prevented compliance. KMPC manager Robert O. Reynolds testified that Richards’s previous thrombosis left him physically incapable of walking or climbing stairs, although an x-ray specialist found minimal evidence of heart enlargement.

The prosecution phase concluded at August’s end after 34 witnesses provided testimony amounting to two million words across 8,000 pages over thirteen weeks. In defense, Los Angeles mayor Fletcher Bowron commended Richards for KMPC’s public service during wartime, while legal counsel cited articles from People's World and The Nation arguing that Communist Party influence motivated the hearings.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) condemned the inquiry as an infringement upon Richards’s free speech rights and privacy; NCRAC responded by criticizing NAB’s misunderstanding regarding FCC’s essential regulatory role. The hearings concluded mid-December 1950 after Richards withdrew his trusteeship proposal in favor of advisory councils for each station; Examiner Cunningham ruled further hearings unnecessary for WGAR.

Death and Dispersals

On May 15, 1951, Benedict Cottone, the chief counsel of the FCC, advised that Richards' broadcasting outlets be closed due to their use for partisan purposes. He cited repeated breaches of FCC regulations and failure to fulfill the public interest mandate. Cottone also criticized Richards' disdain toward the commission. Less than two weeks after this recommendation and prior to any en banc oral hearings, Richards passed away at 62 from an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Among those present at his funeral was Father Coughlin. The eulogy was delivered by Reverend James W. Fifield Jr., who denounced the FCC's inquiry, asserting that Richards had been "murdered ... by those who sought to destroy freedom." On June 14, 1951, all related proceedings were dismissed as moot, with the legal battle having ultimately cost Richards $2 million.

Richards' widow, Frances S. Richards, inherited all three stations and pledged to the FCC that they would maintain impartiality in news coverage. Subsequently, on November 28, 1951, the FCC approved the renewal of all three licenses and authorized their transfer into her name.

At the beginning of 1952, Goodwill submitted applications for several television stations, including UHF channels in Cleveland and Detroit and VHF channels in Toledo, Bay City, and Flint, aiming to build a regional TV network. Meanwhile, a June 30, 1952 report in Broadcasting indicated that NBC had been intermittently negotiating with Richards and his estate over several years regarding a potential acquisition of KMPC; NBC had recently sold its Denver radio station KOA to facilitate this purchase.

In November of that year, KMPC was sold for $800,000 to a consortium led by Gene Autry. WGAR and WGAR-FM were acquired on December 4, 1953 by Peoples Broadcasting Corp., a subsidiary of Farm Bureau Mutual (the predecessor of Nationwide Insurance), for $1.75 million—a record sum for a radio station at that time.

WJR remained under the control of the Richards estate and operated under the Goodwill name. It launched Flint's WJRT-TV in 1958 and later acquired WSAZ-AM-TV in 1961. The Goodwill Stations were eventually sold as part of a $21 million group transaction to Capital Cities Broadcasting in 1964. Richards’s son-in-law, F. Sibley Moore, joined WJR's management in the early 1950s and served as vice president of Capital Cities until his death in June 1967.