George Arthur Richards (March 9, 1889 – May 28, 1951) was an American radio executive who owned stations WJR in Detroit, KMPC in Los Angeles, and WGAR in Cleveland.

[17] It was as a CBS affiliate that WGAR began producing multiple influential programs, including Wings Over Jordan[18][19] and Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts[20] over the network, and became a starting point for comedian Jack Paar's career.

[21] Originally operating under facilities much weaker than WJR by comparison,[22] a series of upgrades followed, including a frequency switch to 1220 kHz in June 1944[23] and a power increase to 50,000 watts in July 1947.

[27] The purchase came as Richards began suffering varied health ailments, including a coronary thrombosis in 1938 that left him unable to do much heavy exercise, and necessitated his taking up a second residence in Beverly Hills.

[4][28] When Richards acquired WJR in Detroit in 1929, he encouraged Father Charles Coughlin to continue his weekly broadcasts and to focus on politics instead of religious topics.

[30] In 1931, with backing by Richards, Coughlin established his own independently financed radio network for the Golden Hour of the Shrine of the Little Flower, with flagship WJR and WGAR in Cleveland, Ohio as core stations.

[37] Former KMPC newscaster Clete Roberts, accused Richards of firing him on insubordination grounds after refusing to omit unflattering details on a profile of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

[38] Roberts also stated Richards encouraged favorable reports on MacArthur and unfavorable coverage towards members of the Roosevelt family, Henry A. Wallace, the Truman administration and the New Deal, along with any stories on Palestine to be spiked so as not to "give aid and comfort to Jews and Communists".

[36] Maurie Starrels, another former KMPC staffer, charged that Richards demanded multiple news figures, including Bugsy Siegel, have their Jewish backgrounds heavily emphasized, and ordered the fabrication of a story regarding Edwin W. Pauley pursuing a Truman cabinet post.

[50] Hearings commenced in Los Angeles on March 13, 1950, with FCC chief counsel Frederick W. Ford's opening statement accusing Richards of "slanting" and distorting news on his stations to "substantiate his personal dislikes".

[53] Roberts stated Richards insisted at a KMPC news staff meeting that there was "a plot afoot, a Jewish plot" involving CBS's William S. Paley, NBC's David Sarnoff and ABC's Robert E. Kintner, with Richards firing him after his news story about Gen. MacArthur denoted graying hair and a quivering hand.

[54] A third former KMPC newscaster claimed Richards insisted "the CIO, Negroes, Jews, the Roosevelt family, and the New Deal never be presented in a favorable light".

[56] (Jack Paar later corroborated a ban on "swing music" by Richards existed in his memoir, detailing a directive for WGAR to temporarily drop out of CBS programming whenever they played any selections.

[64] KMPC manager Robert O. Reynolds—who was on the witness stand for over a month—stated Richards' prior thrombosis left him physically unable to walk or climb steps,[28] which was countered by an x-ray specialist who saw little evidence existed of an abnormal enlargement on his heart.

[73] 13 days after the ruling, and before en banc oral arguments could take place,[75] Richards died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm at age 62.

[79] Widow Frances S. Richards was bequeathed all three stations[80][81] and assured the FCC that they would adhere to a code eschewing bias in news reporting.

[90] Richards's son-in-law, F. Sibley Moore, became a WJR executive in the early 1950s and became vice president of Capital Cities, a role he held until his death in June 1967.