Born in Memphis Tennesee on October 11, 1895, Lafayette Rogan Jones moved with his parents, Francis Goodbar Jones and Mary Rogan Jones to Boston in 1901, and then to Aberdeen, Washington in 1906. He attended private schools in Boston, public schools in Aberdeen and spent one year at Columbia University where he studied business. Jones lived in Aberdeen intermittently until 1930. Jones acquired his first radio station, KXRO, in Aberdeen, Washington in 1928, and purchased KVOS in Bellingham, Washington the following year. In addition to these stations, Jones owned KPQ radio in Wenatchee and KPCB in Seattle.
A pioneer in his field, Jones often generated conflict through his attempts to expand the interests and role of radio broadcasters and attract larger audiences. The legal case KVOS v Associated Press (circa 1934-1936) comprised one of the most noteworthy legal battles of his career. Responding to refusals by the Associated Press, the United Press, and the International News Service to sell news copy to radio stations, Jones and KVOS rewrote and then broadcast information found in newspapers. Accusing Jones of "news piracy", local newspapers such as the Bellingham Herald and national news organizations including the Associated Press filed suit against KVOS. In 1936, the US Supreme Court decided in favor of KVOS, allowing for greater access by radio broadcasters to news sources (including sporting events), and paving the way towards the sale of information by news organizations to radio.
During the 1950s, Jones attracted further controversy through his creation of International Good Music (IGM), a centralized service providing recorded music and radio shows for broadcast across the world. In 1964, the Amercian Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) sued IGM and recipient stations, arguing that IGM broadcast music without their permission or that of the artists. The case was decided in favor of the IGM and other defendents. Having established himself in radio, Jones soon expanded his professional interests to include television, creating one of the first commercial cable systems in Bellingham, Washington. His first TV station, KVOS-TV, aired its first broadcast on May 23, 1953. Jones also founded cable television station, KPQ-CA in Wenatchee in 1953, before selling the station the following year. The British Columbia company Wometco eventually bought KVOS in 1962. Rogan Jones died on 27 April, 1972 in Bellingham, Washington.
The Rogan Jones papers document the activities and interests of radio and television broadcasting pioneer Lafayette Rogan Jones. Records span the period 1912-1983, with the bulk of materials dating from circa 1930-1970. Alphabetical subject files generated and maintained by Jones reflect his interests and involvement in radio and television broadcasting on a regional and national level. Subject files include materials relating to the legal case KVOS vs. Associated Press (concerning broadcasters' rights to access and present news information to their audience), and Jones' conflicts with bodies such the American Society of Composers, Artists and Performers regarding the management, licensing and operation of his stations. A large number of the subject files pertain to the operation and programming for KVOS radio station in Bellingham, Washington. Jones' files also contain a small amount personal correspondence, dated 1912-1959 (the bulk of Jones' personal and family records were removed before their donation to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies).
The collection contains clippings and scrapbooks compiled by Jones through the period circa 1930-1958, documenting issues relating to radio broadcasting and also to news events affecting the Bellingham area. The bulk of material in the scrapbooks is compiled from Bellingham newspapers. The collection also includes reel-to-reel tapes containing select KVOS radio interviews and broadcasts (dated 1938-1940) and a small amount of photographic material.
The Rogan Jones Papers was organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:
The collection is open to the public. Most reel-to-reels are temporarily unavailable.
Rogan Jones Papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
Catherine Jones donated her late husband's papers to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 1975.
The KVOS Film Records at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies includes reel to reel films of KVOS Channel 12 programs filmed in the early to mid 1960s.
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