Rupert Murdoch by then-head of Paramount Pictures’ international distribution arm, Bruce Gordon, and renamed WIN Corporation. WIN Corporation, which is privately held by Gordon’s Oberon Broadcasters, is now comprised of several successful and diverse business operations, including television and radio broadcasting, pay television, film and television production, telecommunications, transmission services, media sales, film exhibition and land development. Employing more than 1,400 staff in Australia, WIN Television was the first regional broadcaster to transmit in high definition digital service (SD Digital Channel 8 and HD Digital Channel 80), one year in advance of Government regulatory requirements. Along with its local programming, WIN-4 had increased its viewership to 63 percent of the coverage area, only to be sold in 1979 to Bruce Gordon. By the time he was 50 and decided to purchase WIN, Gordon had already spent 23 of his 35 years at Paramount Pictures as head of its international sales division and knew how to create and schedule programming for a network, not to mention his plethora of programming contacts. Under Gordon’s leadership, WIN expanded, and in 1984, became the first regional television station to transmit in stereophonic sound. In 1989, WIN V I D E O • A G E SE P T E M B E R/ OC T O B E R 2 0 0 9 50 BRUCE GORDON, THE LEADER A self-made man, Bruce Gordon had very humble beginnings from the time he was born in 1929 as the only child of Madge and Ted Gordon. Leaving the Cleveland Boys High School in Surry Hills, Sydney,Australia at age 14 to join the Gang Show, a group of artistically gifted Boy Scouts who traveled around Australia, Gordon performed the magic tricks he’d learned, perfected and improved upon as a child.Years later, upon landing a gig at Sydney’s Tivoli Circuit theater (“Bruce Gordon’s Magical Moments” in Gaieties of 1952), he soon moved on to handling the advertising and promotion, and later stage, house and business management, for the theater.At the time, Gordon was friends with several soon-to-be moguls, including Kerry and Clyde Packer, sons of Sir Frank Packer (owner of Channel Nine), and Rupert Murdoch, who then owned the Adelaide News and was instrumental in helping Gordon promote his shows in Adelaide. From managing a theater to having one named after him took a few years, but in 1988, the “Bruce Gordon Theatre” was introduced at the Illawarra Perforning Arts Centre inWollongong by the Prince and Princess ofWales. However, his career might have ended there at age 26 were it not for a budding friendship between Gordon and Bruce Gyngell, who worked at Channel Nine and persuaded Sir Frank Packer to recommend Gordon for a position at Desilu Studios in California. In 1962, Richard Dinsmore, v.p. of Desilu Studios (which produced I Love Lucy), was looking to hire a regional sales executive in Australia, and hired Gordon because of Sir Frank Packer’s recommendation. Knowing little about the burgeoning television era, Gordon took the job and Gyngell coached him on the television business.When Desilu was sold to Paramount in 1968 (then under Gulf &Western’s parent company), Gordon stayed on, becoming the studio’s managing director for the Far East. Having been elected to the board of the TV corporation a year later, Gordon was working for the same company that ran the Channel 9TV stations and the company’s theaters in Sydney and Melbourne. In addition, Gordon also served as director for the Board of Academy Investments, which controlled a Perth theater chain and was in charge of building the Perth Entertainment Centre. By 1972, Gordon had been promoted to v.p. of International TV Sales for Paramount Studios, where, in 1974, he became president of International TV Sales and re-located his family to NewYork under Barry Diller’s ownership until 1985, when Gordon’s office was moved to Bermuda. Gordon remained with Paramount until 1997, after Sumner Redstone had purchased Paramount from Diller. Now let’s take a look back at how Gordon came to own theWIN Corporation. In the mid-1960’s, Gordon began purchasing shares of Channel Ten as a family investment. When Rupert Murdoch decided to divest his company of theWIN-4TV station in 1979 in favor of taking full control of Channel Ten, Gordon traded his stock in Channel Ten to Murdoch for WIN-4. From its base in Wollongong and using the knowledge he’d gained over the past years, Gordon built the WIN Corporation empire. WIN Corporation holds a 24 percent stake in the football club, the St. George Illawarra Dragons, and a 50 percent stake in the Australian Poker League. Carrying on the family legacy, Gordon’s son Andrew was hired as the manager of i98 FM in the mid-1990’s, an adult contemporary station inWollongong, and has now progressed to become chairman of WIN Corporation. When he’s not traveling around the world or managing his business properties, Gordon enjoys being an accomplished sailor and attending Dragons’ games when in Australia. Gordon is married to Judith Bland, owner of Eaton Films London.Their daughter Genevieve begins her first year at university in England in October. One anecdote that exemplifies Bruce Gordon’s leadership comes from VideoAge’s editor Dom Serafini:“During the L.A. Screenings — which years ago were more relaxed and leisurely than the hectic event that is today —I’d invite Bruce to Italian restaurants in Westwood. I’d make sure that the restaurant had a few good Australian red wine labels, knowing how fond he is of such wines. Upon looking at the bottle he’d invariably send it back, saying that it was too expensive and, instead, he’d order a more affordable one, with a great relief for my budget.” (Continued from Page 48) (Continued on Page 52) Bruce at two years old With Queen Elizabeth II With his father Ted at Coogee Beach With his mother Madge in their garden at Surry Hills With Lady Diana
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