Goodson

This profile considers Goodson Newspapers, absorbed by Journal Register Co group and Gannett

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It covers -

• introduction
• studies
• landmarks

Introduction

Goodson Newspapers was a counterpart of the Grundy group in Australia. It was founded by Mark Goodson (1915-1992) and Bill Todman (1916-1979), who had made a fortune producing radio and television game shows such as What's My Line, I've Got a Secret and Family Feud.

The two invested in newspapers, leaving day to day management to Ralph Ingersoll I. Ralph Ingersoll II assumed his father's role as manager of Goodson Newspaper Group during the 1970s but after Todman's death began aggressively acquiring titles in his own right, using junk bond finance from Michael Milken. The relationship deteriorated and Goodson shifted its alignment to the Singleton-Scudder Garden City Newspapers group. He is reported as commenting that Ingersoll was spending too much time on his own titles and not enough on Goodson's. "I knew we had a problem when someone asked me at a party, 'Oh, do you work for Ralph Ingersoll Jr.?'"

Ingersoll continued to expand following termination of the Goodson management contract. His US operations were ultimately acquired by backer Warburg Pincus and became the heart of Journal Register Co.

Goodson acquired Todman's interests following the latter's death. After his own death the Goodson family sold the rights to many of the shows (some had already been sold to CBS) to Interpublic subsidiary All American Television, which was subsequently acquired by Pearson Television - in turn acquired by Fremantle Media and now part of Bertelsmann subsidiary RTL.

In 1998 Journal Register acquired 25 titles from Goodson Newspapers. Gannett acquired the Morristown Daily Record, Ocean County Observer and weekly newspapers in Toms River and Manahawkin, N.J along with "total market coverage" products

Studies

There has been no major general study of Goodson Newspaper Group. Mark Goodson features in Producers on producing: the making of film and television (Jefferson: McFarland 2001) edited by Irv Broughton and more briefly in a range of memoirs.

For game shows see Morris Holbrook's Daytime Television Game Shows and the Celebration of Merchandise: The Price is Right (Bowling Green: Bowling Green State Uni Press 1993) and William Boddy's Fifties Television: The Industry & Its Critics (Urbana: Uni of Illinois Press 1999). There is a brief account of All American in Make It New: Essays in the History of American Business (New York: iUniverse 2004) by Paul Bodine.

Landmarks

1946 Mark Goodson and Bill Todman form Goodson-Todman Productions

1958 sell What's My Line to CBS

1958 acquire first daily, later form Goodson Newspaper Group

1959 sell I've Got a Secret to CBS

1984 Goodson acquires Todman's share of Goodson-Todman, rebadged as Mark Goodson Productions

1987 Ingersoll sells Morristown Daily Record to Goodson Newspaper Group for US$160m

1989 Goodson sells New Haven Register for US$255m

1989 Goodson ends alliance with Ingersoll

1990 sells Milford Citizen to Capital Cities/ABC

1990 Garden State Newspapers forms North Jersey Newspapers as partnership with Goodson Newspapers and Ingersoll

1990 Garden State buys out Goodson from North Jersey Newspapers

1994 Goodson joins with Sony's Merv Griffin Enterprises to launch the Game Show Channel, later withdraws

1995 All American Communications and Interpublic Group buy Mark Goodson Productions for US$50m

1995 All American buys Interpublic's stake in Mark Goodson Productions

1995 All American acquired by Fremantle (later acquired by Pearson)

1998 Journal Register buys most Goodson titles in Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio (inc Delaware County Daily Times, Pottstown Mercury, Kingston Daily Freeman, Oneida Daily Dispatch and Massilion Independent) for US$300m

1998 Gannett buys other titles, inc Morristown Daily Record