Ralph Story papers, 1940-2007

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Summary

Creators:
Story, Ralph
Abstract:
Ralph Story was a broadcast journalist and television host for more than four decades, hosting programs such as Ralph Story's Los Angeles-- an Emmy-winning weekly magazine series that ran on KNXT-TV from 1964 to 1970, The $64,000 challenge, Ralph Story's A.M., the KNXT Channel 2 Evening News and numerous prime time specials. Renowned especially for his local interest reporting, Story served as correspondent, reporter and anchor for radio and television news from the 1940s to the 1980s, and was a prolific lecturer on the media and California history. The collection consists of scripts and professional documentation spanning Story's career.
Extent:
33.0 Linear Feet (66 document boxes and 9 oversize boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Ralph Story Papers (Collection 867). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection documents the activities of Ralph Story, a broadcast journalist and television host. An original donation of 208 scripts for Ralph Story's Los Angeles was supplemented in 2008 with approximately 40 more scripts from Ralph Story's Los Angeles, and scripts, research and production materials spanning Story's career. The bulk of the collection consists of broadcast scripts, clippings, contracts, correspondence, financial and legal material, production records, photographs, research material, draft chapters of a guidebook, miscellaneous printed matter and ephemera.

Biographical / historical:

Ralph Story (August 19, 1920 - September 26, 2006) was born Ralph Bernard Snyder in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In high school and at Western Michigan College, he worked part time as a radio announcer, and eventually left college to pursue a career in radio full time first in Grand Rapids, Michigan and then Buffalo, New York. His career was interrupted when he joined the Air Force during World War II. Already a licensed pilot, he served first as a flight instructor and then flew 63 missions over Europe as a P-51 fighter pilot. After the war, he returned to Buffalo to work as an announcer and program director for CBS radio affiliate WGR. In 1948, CBS radio transferred him to Los Angeles. There, he served as program director and morning DJ at KNX and changed his name to Ralph Story. While at KNX, the Military Air Transport Service invited Story to visit and interview for broadcast servicemen and civilians from California stationed around the world. The result was California Around the World, broadcast on CBS radio.

After a brief stint as host of the game show What Do You Have in Common?, Story moved to New York City to emcee The $64,000 Challenge from 1956-1958, when it was cancelled in the wake of the quiz show scandal. Story returned to Los Angeles and for the next forty years hosted, wrote and produced for radio and television, exploring and shaping such formats as talk radio, news broadcasting, human interest and local color reporting, and the magazine show. The bulk of his broadcast career was spent at KNX radio and its sister television station KNXT, both CBS affiliates. However, Story also worked for KABC, KNBC, KCET, KCAL, and independent production companies including National General and O'Connor radio.

In addition to his serialized weekly and daily programs and radio spots, Story hosted a variety of special programs, including prime-time specials, award ceremonies, and local events such as the Tournament of Roses Parade and Hollywood Bowl concerts. He was also a prolific producer, writer and lecturer on local and California history, and prepared but did not publish a guidebook to Los Angeles. Story was active in civic and professional groups, hosting celebrity tennis events and serving as grand marshal for numerous local festivals and functions. He was a fundraiser for Public Television stations KCET and KOCE and a frequent speaker at community and educational meetings.

Story is best remembered for his detailed research and his wry and witty observations about life in California and especially in Los Angeles. Television work includes: the "Human Predicament" on KNXT's The Big News, Ralph Story's Los Angeles, Ralph Story's AM, The Channel 2 News, It's a Nice Place..., The Sunday Show, On the Road Again, The Wine Game, Things That Aren't Here Anymore and More Things That Aren't Here Anymore.

Story's radio titles include: The Ralph Story Show, Top of the Morning, Storyline, Hollywood Today, Dimension in Hollywood, Meet the Cook, Food News, You're the Judge and an annual Christmas Morning special.

In 1984, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded Story their highest honor, the Governors Award. Other awards Story received throughout his career include numerous Los Angeles Area Emmys and Golden Mikes, two Directors Guild of America Awards, and many local and professional honors.

Ralph Story died on September 26, 2006 after a long battle with emphysema at the age of 86 in Los Angeles, California.

Acquisition information:
Ralph Story's Los Angeles scripts, donated ca. 1965 Addition, and bulk of the collection, gift of Diana Story, December 2008 Addition, predominantly photographs, clippings, and albums, gift of Diana Story, November 2009
Processing information:

Processed by Ellen Mulligan in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) with assistance from Kelley Wolfe Bachli, 2009. Additions to collection processed by Heather Lowe, 2010.

Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.

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Arrangement:

Creator's original order has been retained and arranged into the following series:

  • 1. Broadcasting
    • 1.1 Radio
    • 1.2 Television serial programming
    • 1.3 Television special programming
  • 2. Print projects
  • 3. Personal Appearances-lectures and speeches, cameos, hosting gigs, commercials
  • 4. Professional Career/History
    • 4.1 Correspondence
    • 4.2 Awards
    • 4.3 Contracts
    • 4.4 Biographies and clippings
    • 4.5 Research, uncategorized
  • 5. Photographs
    • 5.1 Ralph Story
    • 5.2 Studio press kits for various films
  • 6. Personal

Physical location:
Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Ralph Story Papers (Collection 867). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Website