Harry Pappas, Pappas Telecasting Companies founder/president/CEO, died April 24 at age 78. He was surrounded by his family when he passed. He had battled illness for several months.
Growing up in Modesto, California, Pappas’s twin brothers were teen radio stars, the hosts of Pete and Mike’s Dance Time on a local station. They hosted dances at a local ballroom, and Harry sold sodas at the snack bar.
Years later, the twins launched AM radio station KVEG in Las Vegas for Golden Pacific Group, and Harry, a student at UNLV, worked both on the air, as Harry Holiday, and off.
With a desire to own a broadcast property, Mike found a bankrupt radio station in Tulare, California. The twins had $30,000 and Harry kicked in $5,000 more, which he had saved for college.
The brothers bought AM radio station KGEN in 1964. They next launched FM station KBOS, also in Tulare, and began thinking about television. KMPH Visalia, the MPH short for Mike, Pete and Harry, launched in 1971.
The brothers bought more radio properties in Modesto, while Harry was increasingly focused on TV. He sold his shares of the trio’s radio stations to his brothers, and purchased their stakes in KMPH.
Harry formed Pappas Teleproductions, and by the mid ‘80s, launched WHNS Asheville (N.C.) and KPTM Omaha, both independents.
In the late ‘80s, Pappas was approached by Fox executives intent on expanding their network. KMPH, WHNS and KPTM affiliated with Fox. Pappas was awarded Fox’s Outstanding Affiliate Award for his idea to launch Fox Children’s Network.
After his brothers died, Pappas moved a.m. station KTRB from Modesto to San Francisco. He grew Pappas Telecasting to over 30 TV stations. It was the largest privately-held, commercial television broadcast group in the United States, in terms of U.S. household coverage, as defined by Nielsen.
Amidst the harsh economic climate in 2008, 13 Pappas stations filed for bankruptcy protection. New World TV Group ended up acquiring the bulk of the group.
Pappas was inducted into the B+C Hall of Fame in 2006.
He married Stella in 1969, and their children are John and Mary Katherine.
