| overview
landmarks
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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
1873 Charles Phelps Taft buys Cincinnati newspaper Spirit
of the Times, later acquires Chronicle and Evening
Star
1879 becomes owner and editor of Cincinnati Times-Star
1905 finances Charles Murphy's purchase of Chicago Cubs for
US$125,000
1914 Murphy sells Cubs to Taft
1916 William Wrigley Jr and Charles Weeghman buy the Cubs
for US$500,000
1939 CBS sells WKRC to Taft family's
Radio Cincinnati and Times-Star Co
1940 Lindner family founds United Dairy Farmers
into television
1957 Wometco sells WBRC-TV to Taft
1957 Taft buys Hanna-Barbera Productions
1958 Scripps buys Cincinnati Times-Star
1959 Lindner and Charles Keating Jr found American Financial
Corp
1963 launch of WGHP
1964 Transcontinent Television Corporation (inc WDAF-TV) acquired
by Taft
1969 Taft acquires WIBF-TV (later WTAF)
into parks
1969 acquires Coney Island park
1970 merger of United Fruit and AMK-John Morrell as United
Brands
1972 launch of Kings Island amusement park
1974 Hamlyn group acquires 51% of Hanna Barbera Australia
1975 Taft and Top Value buy Carowinds theme park for US$16m
1979 buys WDCA from Grant Broadcasting
1981 Taft buys Ruby-Spears Productions
1983 swaps WGR-TV (now WGRZ) for Coral Television's WCIX
1983 MBO of Taft theme park division results in Kings Entertainment
Company (KECO) - Kings Dominion, Carowinds in Charlotte, Kings
Island in Cincinnati and Canada's Wonderland in Toronto
1983 WGR (Buffalo) sold to General Cinema
1984 Taft launches Hanna Barbera Land in Texas
1984 Taft acquires KEX (Portland) for US$8.1m
1984 Lindner gains control of United Brands
1985 Australia's Wonderland launched
1987 sells WTAF-TV and other stations to TVX Broadcasting
1987 buys WGHP, KTSP Phoenix, WGHP Greensboro/High Point,
WTSP Tampa, KTXH and KTXA from Gulf Broadcasting
Great American takeover
1987 Lindner's Great American Communications acquires control
of Taft Broadcasting
1987 Dudley Taft forms new Taft Broadcasting, acquires WPHL-TV
(Philadelphia)
1988 Balnaves leads $11m MBO of Taft-Hardie in Australia,
forms Southern Star
1989 TVX stations acquired by Paramount
1989 United Brands becomes Chiquita Brands
1990 Chiquita has est. 33% of global banana market
1992 Tribune acquires WPHL (later
WB17) from second Taft Broadcasting, Dudley Taft Jr later
becomes Tribune director
1992 Ted Turner buys Great American
production arm (inc Hanna-Barbera)
1992 World Vision Distribution acquired by Spelling (later
purchased by Viacom)
1992 WGHP Greensboro sold
1992 Australia's Wonderland sold
1992 Paramount buys KECO
Citicasters
1994 Great American Communications emerges from Chapter 11
as Citicasters Inc
1994 Citicasters sells tv stations to New
World
1994 Dudley Taft and associates buy US Playing Card from Frontenac
for US$140m
1995 Fox acquires New World stations
Jacor
1996 Jacor pays US$774m for Citicasters ten FM and four AM
radio stations
1998 Jacor acquired by Clear Channel
1998 controversy after Gannett's Cincinnati Enquirer
exposes Chiquita's questionable business practices
1999 Lindner and associates buy control of Cincinnati Reds
team
2000 Citicasters radio stations in Newport Beach and Santa
Monica sold to Entravision for
US$85m
2001 Chiquita declares bankruptcy and files for Chapter 11
2002 Chiquita sells main interests in US Midwest
2004 Jarden Corp buys US Playing Card for US$232m
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