Edward Gaylord
Encyclopedia
Edward Lewis Gaylord was a billionaire businessman and media mogul who built the Gaylord Entertainment Company
empire that included The Oklahoman
newspaper/ Oklahoma Publishing Co., Gaylord Hotels, the Nashville Network TV Channel (later renamed "SpikeTV" after being sold off); the Grand Ole Opry
, and the Country Music Television
Channel (CMT) as well as now defunct and bankrupt airline, Western Pacific Airlines
.
with a degree in business and continued his studies at Harvard Business School
, his education interrupted by World War II
.
Gaylord increased the family fortune to $2 billion by the time he died in 2003. He also purchased the Grand Ole Opry
in Nashville
, Tennessee
, when it was in dire financial straits and kept it operating. He created The Nashville Network
TV Channel, as well as Country Music Television, or CMT, which is similar to MTV
, and owned Hee Haw
a long running country and western variety show.
The Daily Oklahoman, renamed The Oklahoman
, still remains in the family; the editorial tone of the paper now is more accurately described as mostly economic conservative, not unlike "The Wall Street Journal". Gaylord's daughter, publisher Christy Gaylord Everest
, now manages the property. Everest, assisted by her sister, Louise Gaylord Bennett
, updated the look of the paper and presented opposing viewpoints of issues of public concern.
During the management by Edward Gaylord, the newspaper has been regularly accused of having an ultra conservative Republican
/conservative
bias in both its news coverage and particularly on its editorial pages. The January/February 1999 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review
contained an article, titled "The Worst Newspaper in America," which made a case for that designation.
The Gaylord family of Oklahoma City
helped found the world-famous National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
in Oklahoma City and has given the University of Oklahoma
contributions totalling over $50 million in the last three decades, and founded the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
. Edward Gaylord and his family were actively involved in the formation of the now-defunct and bankrupt Western Pacific Airlines
. Recently, the home field of the University of Oklahoma
Sooners
football team was renamed Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
due to their contributions.
in Oklahoma City, while Gaylord Entertainment was then a 19.9% shareholder of Bass Pro stock. The Oklahomans reporting on this topic again drew criticism from the Columbia Journalism Review.
Gaylord Entertainment Company
The Gaylord Entertainment Company operates a number of hotel, resort, and media companies that were built by Edward Gaylord. It was previously a subsidiary of the Oklahoma City-based Oklahoma Publishing Company, which is owned by the Gaylord family and publishes the Daily Oklahoman newspaper...
empire that included The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma and is the only daily newspaper that covers the entire Oklahoma City area.-Ownership:...
newspaper/ Oklahoma Publishing Co., Gaylord Hotels, the Nashville Network TV Channel (later renamed "SpikeTV" after being sold off); the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
, and the Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
Channel (CMT) as well as now defunct and bankrupt airline, Western Pacific Airlines
Western Pacific Airlines
Western Pacific Airlines, or WestPac, took up service on April 28, 1995 using eight Boeing 737-300 jets. The low-cost airline was formed in 1994 under the name Commercial Air but the name was changed to Western Pacific for marketing reasons. Edward Gaylord of Gaylord Entertainment Company was...
.
Media
Gaylord was the leader of the family which inherited the major Oklahoma City metro newspaper, Daily Oklahoman and other family assets worth $50 million in 1974. Gaylord graduated from Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
with a degree in business and continued his studies at Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, his education interrupted by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Gaylord increased the family fortune to $2 billion by the time he died in 2003. He also purchased the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, when it was in dire financial straits and kept it operating. He created The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
TV Channel, as well as Country Music Television, or CMT, which is similar to MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, and owned Hee Haw
Hee Haw
Hee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being...
a long running country and western variety show.
The Daily Oklahoman, renamed The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma and is the only daily newspaper that covers the entire Oklahoma City area.-Ownership:...
, still remains in the family; the editorial tone of the paper now is more accurately described as mostly economic conservative, not unlike "The Wall Street Journal". Gaylord's daughter, publisher Christy Gaylord Everest
Christy Gaylord Everest
Christy Gaylord Everest is the chair and chief executive officer of Oklahoma Publishing Company, which publishes The Oklahoman, a major metro newspaper that has been owned by her family since before Oklahoma statehood in 1907. She is the daughter of Edward L. Gaylord and the grand-daughter of...
, now manages the property. Everest, assisted by her sister, Louise Gaylord Bennett
Clayton Bennett
Clayton "Clay" Ike' Bennett is an American businessman and chairman of the Professional Basketball Club LLC, the ownership group of the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA franchise that was formerly the Seattle SuperSonics...
, updated the look of the paper and presented opposing viewpoints of issues of public concern.
During the management by Edward Gaylord, the newspaper has been regularly accused of having an ultra conservative Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
/conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
bias in both its news coverage and particularly on its editorial pages. The January/February 1999 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
contained an article, titled "The Worst Newspaper in America," which made a case for that designation.
The Gaylord family of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
helped found the world-famous National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
in Oklahoma City and has given the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
contributions totalling over $50 million in the last three decades, and founded the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
The Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication is the journalism unit of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. It is located in Norman, a quaint town located 40 miles south of Oklahoma City...
. Edward Gaylord and his family were actively involved in the formation of the now-defunct and bankrupt Western Pacific Airlines
Western Pacific Airlines
Western Pacific Airlines, or WestPac, took up service on April 28, 1995 using eight Boeing 737-300 jets. The low-cost airline was formed in 1994 under the name Commercial Air but the name was changed to Western Pacific for marketing reasons. Edward Gaylord of Gaylord Entertainment Company was...
. Recently, the home field of the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
football team was renamed Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma. The official capacity of the stadium, following recent renovations, is 82,112, making it the 16th largest college stadium in the United States and the third...
due to their contributions.
Controversy
Under Edward Gaylord, The Oklahoman consistently took conservative political positions in opposition to government spending, but at the same time the paper was sometimes accused of improperly dealing with conflicts of interests created by Gaylord's personal financial interests. One example was the paper's editorial support for the city to use public funds to promote the building of a new Bass Pro ShopBass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops is a privately held retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise. Bass Pro Shops is known for a large selection of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor gear.-History:The owner, John L...
in Oklahoma City, while Gaylord Entertainment was then a 19.9% shareholder of Bass Pro stock. The Oklahomans reporting on this topic again drew criticism from the Columbia Journalism Review.