Edward L. Gaylord
| Edward Gaylord | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Edward Lewis Gaylord May 28, 1919 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Died | April 27, 2003 (aged 83) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Thelma (m. 1950) |
Edward Lewis Gaylord (May 28, 1919 – April 27, 2003) was an Oklahoma 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 the defunct Opryland USA theme park and a bankrupt airline, Western Pacific Airlines.
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 University 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, remained being controlled by the family until the sale in 2012; the news features and editorial position of the paper reflects affiliation with The Washington Examiner, which has the same owner. Gaylord's daughter, publisher Christy Gaylord Everest, now remains as a board member along with her sister, Louise Gaylord Bennett. Both sought an updated the look for the paper and seemed to present more frequent opposing viewpoints of issues of public concern.
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