William Beaton Dies; Owner of Radio KIEV
William J. Beaton, patriarch of Southern California Broadcasting Co., which owns radio stations KIEV in Glendale and KNRY in Monterey, died Friday at home in Glendale. He was 80 and had been in ill health.
A former radio announcer in Cleveland and newspaper circulation executive in Los Angeles, Beaton in 1961 purchased KIEV (which first went on the air in 1933) for about $500,000 and expanded it into a 10,000-watt, 24-hour station with two studios. It remains one of the few family owned and operated stations in Southern California.
All-Talk Format
The station adopted an all-talk format and features such personalities as George Putnam, Buz Schwartz, Ron McCoy, Lou Edelberg and restaurant critic Paul Wallach.
Beaton, the only individual to be elected president of the Southern California Broadcasters Assn. four times, earlier had owned Pasadena’s KWKW and converted it into one of the nation’s first 24-hour Spanish stations.
He is survived by his wife, Claire; sons Fred, Ron and William Jr., who operate the family stations; daughters Tessie Damon and Barbara Edelman; 16 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
Rosary will be recited Sunday at the Mother of Good Counsel Church in Los Angeles, with a funeral service to be held in that church Monday.
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