Howard Tullis:

A Man who Built an Empire

Howard Tullis was connected with advertising and media people in Hollywood and Los Angeles. He and his own advertising agency in Hollywood and handled prestigious accounts such as Cutty Sark Scotch and Marc C. Bloom. He had also represented several other large car dealerships. Tullis also booked radio and television spots for the car dealerships. Someone said that it was Howard Tullis who came up with the idea of having cars “drive into” the live TV commercials, with the host describing the car and the low-low price. He had a working relationship with Chick Lambert who did the Maywood Bell Ford TV talking about the dog because, he said, Chick Lambert hated the dog but brought customers into the dealership.

Howard Tullis was a dynamo when it came to work. He was being frugal (cheap) but he valued his clients and the very generous income they provided.  He did many things by himself. Howard would buy billboards for Cutty Sark and Jose Cuervo Tequila all across the country and rather than rely on the words of others, he would personally go to the cities and locations to verify that he got what he ordered. Sometimes he would fly to New York after being assured that boards are up and where he wanted them -- only to find that they were not in place or were in the wrong locations.

Howard’s hands-on approach to almost every aspect of a business venture was seen as obsessive or fanatical. Most people are uncomfortable with a hands-on and in-your-face style of management. Howard was very outspoken and straight forward and not afraid to tell you his opinion or decision. In retrospect, the success of KFXM in both audience ratings and advertising revenue is greatly due to Tullis’ drive and commitment that he instilled in Roy Cordell and Norm Keats in the early days and later in Al Anthony and Bob Bunnell.  

Howard Tullis did not like to lose and he had the financial resources, plus tremendous negotiating and bargaining skills, intestinal fortitude and a whole lot of luck.

Tullis earned everything the hard way, in part because he had endured the depression. Like many others who survived those days, Tullis had a different outlook on life and tended to do whatever it takes to succeed.

George Lucas has Star Wars

KFXM & K/men had Car Wars

Back in the days of intense competition, KFXM and K/men were constantly coming up with contests and prizes to get better ratings than the other. Ever more imaginative, the stations were trying to out-think and out-spend one another. One of the big duels could be described with the term, "Car Wars"! Each station was giving away Corvettes, Jaguar XKEs, Mustangs, Barracudas and Oldsmobile Tornados.  Bob Bunnell would take the cars home at night for safe keeping and his neighbors always looked on in amazement. KFXM was airing Bill Ellis Ford spots constantly because we traded the advertising for new Mustangs.

Tullis was keeping track of the cost of all these cars and he decided to see if there was a way to stop the madness. Tullis proposed that Bob Bunnell arrange a private meeting with K/men Station Manager, Jerry Jolstead. (Jerry Jolstead had worked in sales at KFXM/KDUO previously for Bob Bunnell. Howard suggested that Bunnell ask Jerry if the two stations could make an agreement and put an end to the Car Wars. Howard told Bob that if Jerry decided to continue the car give-a-ways that Bob was to tell him that Howard Tullis has very deep pockets and it's going to cost K/men a whole bunch of money. Bob met with Jerry Jolstead a short time later in a discreet location as it was fairly unusual for the Managers of the fiercely competitive stations to meet. Jerry eventually agreed to the "pact" and that basically put an end to the massive car give away.

Howard Tullis steals

Jack Kent Cook's

Hollywood Hills Home

As mentioned before, Howard was a very hands-on type of radio station owner. He monitored both KFXM and KDUO constantly from his home high in the Hollywood Hills. Howard’s home was previously owned by Jack Kent Cook who was the owner of the LA Lakers and the LA Kings hockey team. Apparently, Howard had put the word out to his bankers and real estate people that he was looking for a new home. A banker called Tullis late one Saturday night telling him he could "steal" this house in the Hollywood Hills.

The banker explained that Jack Kent Cook was looking to liquidate as many assets that he could and the house was one of them. The banker, knowing how Tullis operated, had taken the liberty to draw up the loan papers ahead of time. When Howard asked, "Have you got the papers ready? The banker quickly replied, "Well of course Howard."

Tullis and the banker immediately drove into the Hollywood Hills Sunday morning to look at the House. He liked the house and the papers were signed on the hood of his car in the driveway of his new home.  He paid just $ 98,000 for it.  Tullis literally got the steal of a lifetime.  Other neighbors of Howard Tullis were Diana Ross, the Sister of the Shah of Iran and next-door neighbor, comedian Jan Murray.

Bernie Schwartz

(the unofficial sherriff)

at KFXM/KDUO

Tullis was also known for some very sneaky things when it came to bringing "spies" to his stations.  One was Bernie Schwartz.  Howard sent him from LA to keep an eye on everything. Bernie would review all incoming contracts from the sales people and make sure there were checks with the contracts. He would run credit checks on all the existing and new clients and was almost dictatorial when it came to approving a client's credit. I don't think he was counting the pens and paper clips but I understand that he kept track of just about everything else.

Eventually, Bernie Schwartz earned the nickname, “the sheriff with no power.” He started sticking his nose into the programming part of the station and Al Anthony started sparring with Bernie. One day Al had taken enough. Bob Bunnell got a call from the Bookkeeper (Norine Dixon) saying, " Bob, you better get back to the station because Al has had it with Bernie and I he says he wants to kill him." Bob asked Norine to get Al on the phone. When Al got on the phone,

Bob pleaded, "Now Al, relax.  Go to your office, lock the door and cool off.  You’ve got high blood pressure and you don't want to have a heart attack." Bob jokingly asked Al, “Oh and Al, what are we going to do with Bernie’s body?” Bernie as usual had this puzzled look on his face when he spoke with Bob about the incident. Bernie always talked to you in riddles and frequently couldn't be understood with regards to his motives.  But as usual, Tullis liked it when the pot was getting stirred. He liked competition, jealousy, tattle-tales and anything else that kept things stirred-up between managers, disc jockeys, and salespeople,  However, Tullis loved hard working people on his staff and would back them all the way. Counter to the popular belief of many people, Tullis was compassionate and caring. He also appreciated and rewarded honesty from his employees.

Bunnell & Anthony

are let go after

over 20 loyal years

Al Anthony and Bob Bunnell were "let go" after both of them had over 20 years working to build the Howard Tullis fortune empire. As early as 1980 Howard told Al and Bob that he was sending bankers out to look at the station and implied that he was getting some financing worked around. Little did Anthony or Bunnell know that the bankers were actually prospective radio station buyers!

They toured the facilities and gave everything the once over. Several months later in 1981 on what has now been termed "St. Valentine's Day Massacre Number Two," Howard called a meeting with Al and Bob at the Holiday Inn dining room. It was at that meeting that Howard told them that he was extremely pleased with the job they had done for him and how loyal they had been. In the next statement, he announced that he was going to have to let them go because he was selling the radio station. He also said, "You two make very generous salaries and commissions and the new owner won't want that.  They will bring in their own people."  As a gesture of his grief over dismissing his two top executives, Tullis gave them each a one-week trip with their ladies to Puerto Vallarta.  Both Bob and Al while still in shock graciously accepted the trips and thanked Tullis.

Tullis apparently though putting the older regime of Al and Bob “out to pasture” was a good business decision. Tullis was able to hire a new General Manager with a salary that was more than half the cost of Anthony and Bunnell.

Howard hired a man by the name of Dewey Hewey to be the new General Manager. Almost right from the beginning there were changes and problems. Bernie Schwartz was still there keeping track of everything to make sure Tullis was apprised of everything.

Howard Tullis Dies

of a Heart Attack

in Hawaii

Things were deteriorating and it seemed that the radio station would never be the same after Bob Bunnell and Al Anthony’s departures. Nineteen months after the firing of Bob and Al, Tullis died of a heart attack while vacationing in Hawaii.

Al Anthony Returns

to Manage KFXM/KDUO

Ruthie, the widow of Howard Tullis, contacted Al Anthony and realizing things needed to change.  She asked Al if he would come back to run the radio stations. She told Al that Howard had deeply regretted firing him and Bob Bunnell.  After some serious soul searching, Al decided to accept Ruthie Tulllis’ offer and return to be the new General Manager of KFXM and KDUO.