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landmarks
This chronology is indicative only.
It covers -
Context
is provided by the broader communications and media timeline
on this site.
beginnings
1926 Wolfson-Meyers Theater Co (later Wometco) founded
1927
Storer Broadcasting, Inc. incorporated in Ohio
1933
Central Vermont Airways founded by Central Vermont Railroad
1940
Central Vermont Airways becomes Northeast Airlines
1945
WFTL renamed WGBS
1949
Wometco launches WTVJ-TV Florida
1953
buys WBRC-TV for US$2.3m
1957
launches WHYY-TV and WIBG-TV Philadelphia
1957
buys WPFH-TV for US$5.6m
1957
sells WBRC-TV to Taft Radio &
Television
1958
relinquishes licence for WHYY-TV
1958
sells KPTV Portland
1958
buys WITI Milwaukee
1960
buys WINS radio in New York city for US$10m
1960
Wometco buys Miami Seaquarium
1962
Storer buys WMGM (later WHN) New York from Loews for US$10.95m
after failed acquisition by Crowell-Collier
Northeast
1962
Hughes Tool Company (owner of TWA, former owner of RKO)
agrees to buy Northeast for US$16.5m
1962
Wometco buys KVOS-TV, Bellingham
1963 Storer begins buying cable tv systems
1964
Storer buys WIHS-TV (later WSBK) Boston
1964
Hughes relinquishes control of Northeast and transfers
55% of stock to trustee
1965
Storer gains 55% of Northeast Airlines from trustee
1966
buys WIHS-TV for US$2.7m
1966
George Gillett becomes business manager and part-owner
of Miami Dolphins
1967
invests in Harlem Globetrotters and creates Globetrotters
Radio Network with stations in Cleveland, Detroit and
Chicago
out of airlines
1970
New World Pictures founded by Roger Corman
1972 Northeast Airlines acquired by Delta Airlines
1975
Storer sells Boston Bruins and Boston Gardens for US$10m
1976
Wometco sells billboard operations
1977
Storer buys WLYF and WGBS radio
1977
WBTB (later WTVG) acquired by Wometco
1977 unsuccessful bid by Storer to buy Viacom
for US$55.7m
1978
Gillett buys Packerland Packing, US largest meat processor
1978
launches Gillett Communications with three small tv stations
1978
WZZM acquired by Wometco
1979
Storer sells WLYF and WGBS radio
1979
buys CATV Service Co
1981
Gillett buys WSM TV Nashville
1981 Marvel Comics buys DePatie-Freleng animation studio
1983
Storer Broadcasting becomes Storer Communications (SCI)
1983 Ronald Perelman's MacAndrews & Forbes buys Technicolor
for US$125m
1983 IPO of New World Pictures after acquisition by Sloan,
Kupin and Thompson
1984
SCI buys Post Corp.'s eight tv stations, 22 newspapers
and printing plant
1984 KKR funds buyout of Wometco
1984
SCI sells Appleton Post-Crescent to Thomson
1985 Gillett buys Vail and Beaver Creek resorts
1985 Arthur Hertz and associates buy some Wometco assets
from KKR
1985 Wometco's bottling operations sold to Coca-Cola Bottling
Co
SCI sale
1985 KKR funds Gillett buyout of SCI for US$2.43bn
1986 MacAndrews & Forbes buys Revlon
1986 New World acquires Highgate Pictures
1986 New World Learning Corporation of America and Marvel
Entertainment Group
1988
Hertz buys Wometco name
1988 Storer cable operations sold for US$3.1bn
1988 MacAndrews & Forbes sells Technicolor to Carlton
1989 New World acquires Four Star International television
production
1989 Perelman buys Marvel Entertainment Group for US$83m
1989 New World sold for US$145m after financial crisis
(shareholder Sloan establishes scandinavian broadcaster
TV1, later SBS)
1989 Marvel floated
Gillett collapse and revival
1992 Gillett files for corporate bankruptcy, loses Vail
and communications holdings
1993
Gillet Communications merges with Wometco, becomes New
World Communications under control of Perelman
1993
SCI buys WSBK
1993
WJBK sold to New World Communications
1994
US West buys Atlanta cable tv operations (466,000 subscriptions)
from Wometco Cable and Georgia Cable for US$1.2bn
1994 Murdoch pays for US$500m
for 20% stake in New World Communications and affiliate
agreements from its 12 current network affiliates
1995
Gillett's Booth Creek repurchases Packerland Packing with
support from John Hancock Life Insurance and Canadian
Imperial Bank of Commerce
1995 WSBK acquired by Viacom
1996 Marvel files for bankruptcy protection
1997
forms Corporate Brand Foods America
1997 Murdoch's News buys remaining 80% of New World Communications
for US$2.5bn
1998 Marvel taken over by partner Toy Biz, becomes Marvel
Enterprises
2000 Corporate Brand Foods America acquired by Iowa Beef
Processors (IBP) for US$550m
2001
Gillett buys 80% of Montreal Canadiens hockey team and
Molson arena for US$185m
2002
Gillett and Hicks Muse Tate
& Furst buy ConAgra's beef operations (Swift &
Co) for US$1.4bn
2007 Gillett and Tom Hicks buy Liverpool Football Club
for £174.1m
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