History of Learfield: Groundbreaking
We broke ground for our new headquarters building in Jefferson City in the late August of 1988 (I've posted a few photos after the jump). The three shoveling dirt at the new site are brothers Dan and Darrell Gordan, my partners in the building venture. Look closely and you'll see some early Learfielders — a few still around today.
Recall that we'd been on Dunklin Street, in Centertown, at 216 East McCarty Street and now we were building a custom, thirty-thousand square foot facility on Jefferson City's west edge. It was an exciting time for us.
–clyde
History of Learfield: In Broadcasting Magazine
Broadcasting Magazine was radio and television management's weekly journal. I was a subscriber and read it cover-to-cover each week. When I was a kid doing weekend gigs at KLIK or KWOS in Jefferson City, I'd steal it from the manager's desk and devour everything in it; particularly the "Changing Hands" section that told of sales/purchases of properties across America.
When we made Broadcasting it was a big deal. (August 1, 1988. Download PDF) –clyde
History of Learfield: Good Press in Kansas City
The Kansas City Times did a nice piece on us in 1986 that highlighted our company, but particularly our farm programming and Derry Brownfield. You'll enjoy reading this, I think, because it quotes Derry many times; and he is one quotable fella. My favorite:
"When your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep becomes your downfall"
–clyde
Former MU AD Dave Hart dead at 83
Word has come of the death of an old friend, Dave Hart, who was our "first" athletic director at the University of Missouri (Kansas City Star story).
He was a visionary and one of a new generation of AD's who realized the financial potential of college sports. He canceled the "old" contract we'd enjoyed with the university and forced us to bid. We lost to an up-start (written as if we weren't) company from St. Louis who was in for two years before we began to understand what this was going to take re-winning in 1980. He pushed us.
While in Columbia, Dave lost his wife, Patty, to cancer. He remarried Earlyn during his Mizzou tenure. We love them both.
Since leaving MU we have remained good friends. I talked to him less than a month ago. I'll miss him. His son, Dave Hart, Jr. is the Executive Athletic Director at Alabama and his grandson, Rick Hart, is AD at our Chattanooga property.
History of Learfield: The Iowa Hawkeyes
We'd established a beachhead in Iowa. We had grown Brownfield to some 40 Iowa affiliates by the mid-80s. We had the radio rights to Iowa State, and who couldn't win with Gardner and Brown leading that charge. We had plans to start Radio Iowa in '87, so it seemed to make sense to handle the Iowa Hawkeye Radio Network.
Thing was: Iowa didn't have an exclusive radio networker. Anyone who wanted to, and who could pay the paltry "booth fee" could hook up a broadcast. It was a "Laissez Faire" attitude the athletic department there embraced. Their media coordinator was a nice fellow named George Wine, who persisted on telling me how it was best for Iowans to have many outlets for their broadcasts and further, that the panoply of broadcast outlets served up a variety of play-by-play guys from WHO's Jim Zabel, and Bob Brooks to Frosty Mitchell and Ron Gonder, every Saturday.
Basketball was another thing with many fewer originators. I kept telling Wine the school would be better offering out for an exclusive arrangement for play-by-play, but I didn't get anywhere. So, we joined the crowd inking an arrangement with Cedar Rapid's KHAK to take their guy, Bob Brooks, and to build a statewide radio network (audio below). The manager of the stations was a smart and classy lady named Mary Quass. Brooks had a good following and called an outstanding game. And besides, he was and is a true gentleman.
In 1996, Bob Bowlsby, who five years previously had taken over for Bump Elliott as Athletic Director, made the decision to offer the radio rights exclusively and ultimately chose us to handle the broadcasts. Our selection as the exclusive radio operator was not a foregone conclusion, to say the least. In fact, it was sort of assumed by many in the media that WHO would prevail, primarily because of its heritage and dominant clear channel signal. After we were selected we quickly put together the network, with WHO signing up as our most significant affiliate (and that continues today).
The rights picture changed again in 2005 when the University offered its “bundled” or multi-media rights to the marketplace. Though our position was stronger, it was a battle to prevail, nevertheless. Gary Barta is now the AD at Iowa and we work with Bowlsby at Stanford.
Listen/Download Bob Brooks play-by-play (2 min)
History of Learfield: Venture Magazine Article
Venture Magazine featured our company in their June, 1986 issue. The subject was increased profitability in this industry — something we had difficulty achieving then and sometimes even now.
We did a little digital cutting and pasting because the article spanned several pages. Here's the article (PDF)
–clyde
History of Learfield: Radio Iowa, Part 2
The enthusiasm we all felt after the Bonnot’s Mill meeting subsided. Things got quiet. Whenever I checked in, Shannon seemed cool. A month later he declined doing anything with us; intending, I believe, to start his own operation. It was probably a mistake on his part. Our December 1, 1986 corporate minutes reflect a resolution “it is in the best interests of the Corporation to develop the news network for Iowa to be called “Radio Iowa.” We borrowed $200,000 to start the new business.
Steve Mays led the charge, establishing a newsroom and studio in Des Moines and hiring the first news crew: Dennis Sutterer, Kay Henderson, Todd Kimm. And, we set up a sales organization:
And on June 3rd, 1987, we had a reception at the Savory Hotel to announce the new operation, our 27-station line-up, our new staff and our plans (“Gala Reception” news release PDF). A quick, funny, story about the reception itself. It was a flop. Roger Gardner and Steve Mays were there and share (what are now funny) their recollections. Damn good thing this wasn’t a harbinger of our operation there.
History of Learfield: Radio Iowa, Part 1
We had served as the network and distribution system for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 70's utilizing our land lines. The rights holder was Kansas City's KCMO and the manager there was a guy named Steve Shannon. We hit it off right from the start and became friends. Shannon then moved on to Des Moines' WHO.
WHO was the state's undisputed broadcast news leader and one of several originating the Hawkeye broadcasts. I knew there might be a way to work together, but didn't have a clue just what it would be. So in September, 1986 I went twice to Des Moines to meet with Shannon and executives from WHO. Seemed to me a joint venture between the great WHO and Learfield could bring both a broader Hawkeye Network and a model state news network. Together we could both win. Shannon was enthusiastic.
Then I invited Steve to mid-Missouri and nine of us huddled up for a couple of days at a rustic old hotel–The Dauphine–in the little Missouri River town of Bonnot's Mill 20 miles or so from Jefferson City. That meeting went very well; we hammered out operational plans and set things in motion for the Hawkeye Network and some initial thinking about a news network. Here are the minutes of that meeting (PDF). Anyone reading these would just assume everything was decided and the venture was a go. But, it just wasn't to be. Stay tuned.
–clyde
History of Learfield: The Missourinet Poll
In 1984 we got into polling. The idea was to determine public perceptions about candidates and relevant issues. It served our purposes from three angles: (1) It was both interesting and valid news; (2) As such, it was carried by other media and wire services crediting the Missourinet; thus securing strong promotional benefit. And (3) it sociologically was of interest, particularly when analyzing detailed breakdowns such as race; rural v. metropolitan; age; and geography.
The survey itself was credible because it was conducted by the Public Policy Extension Program of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
But it was tremendously expensive. So we sought a sponsor, securing the Centerre Bancorporation of St. Louis, changing the name to The Centerre-Missourinet Poll. But in doing so we got into trouble with our own newsroom and others; journalists who didn't want to credit a bank every time the poll was referenced. The bank too had some misgivings because it couldn't appear that the bank was supporting particular positions or candidates. Of course that wasn't the case, but tell that to the bank. Eventually, Centerre pulled its money.
We got into trouble in other ways too. Former Governor Mel Carnahan went to his grave believing the Missourinet Poll–and thus the Missourinet, and Bob Priddy and me–were to blame for an election loss he suffered. And, he may have had a point, arguing that any candidate behind in the poll has a harder time raising much-needed cash than the leader. If the electorate doesn't know who is leading, fund raising is thus easier. [Download PDF of Poll news release]
–clyde
History of Learfield: Texas A&M
I'm not sure how we learned about Texas A&M putting their radio rights up for bid, nor can I recall how it was that we decided to do it in a joint venture with an old friend, Gene Ashcraft. Gene and I met in 1973 as he was one of the organizers of the state network association and manager of the Texas State Network; one of the real giants of our industry. He was available, having left the TSN and knew every radio station owner/manager in Texas–so he was a natural in our venture.
Gene, Greg and I went to College Station to meet with the school's AD, Jackie Sherrill. The meeting in itself showed me something about "Coach Sherrill". We were escorted into the top floor conference room in the athletic administration's campus tower. Everyone was around this imposing conference table–general counsel, associate athletic director, John David Crow, etc. As if on cue, the door opened, Jackie Sherrill entered, and everyone rose to their feet. He had them trained.
At that meeting we sought assurrance from the school that they had the authority from the Conference to undertake this RFP. For as long as anyone could remember, the Southwest Conference had run its own network, often with the label of its official sponsor, such as the Humble Oil Network. The question was: Is the conference giving up its official radio network? Sherrill, their legal counsel, and everyone agreed they DID have the authority. We'd put more money on the table than anyone and we won the radio rights.
We opened an office–painted with Crimson and Creme. We drafted affiliate contracts, hired a secretary, and Gene began travelling around the state signing up stations. We were off and running until….the Athletic Department called and told us the deal was off. They didn't tell us why, of course. Truth was the Conference had told Sherrell that A&M would be removed from the Conference if the school persisted in setting up its own radio network. But that was the beginning of the end. It wasn't long before the Conference threw in the towel on its radio operation, freeing member schools to do their own thing. By that time, John David Crow (formerly of the St. Louis Football Cardinals) was A&M's Athletic Director. A true gentleman, and remembering the past, Crow invited us back and we began operating their radio network. But we lost it again when Regent, former student, and Clear Channel executive, Lowry Mays, was successful in winning it for his radio stations. But we re-won it again several years ago–this time as a full-media property.
–clyde
PS: Can you name the nine schools of the Southwest Conference of Sherrill's era? Click below for the answer.
