20 Facts About Cecil Heftel

Cecil Landau Heftel was an American politician and businessman from Hawai'i.

Cecil Heftel attended Roosevelt High School in Albany Park, Chicago, then obtained his bachelor's degree from the Arizona State University in 1951.

Cecil Heftel then attended the University of Utah and New York University for graduate work.

Cecil Heftel owned KGMB-AM-FM-TV and several other television and radio stations across the country.

From 1943 to 1946, Cecil Heftel served in the United States Army.

In 1957 Cecil Heftel was a pioneer for what was then called Top 30 programming, when he purchased KIMN in Denver.

Cecil Heftel sold the station in 1960, returning to Hawaii, but in 1973 re-entered the mainland with the purchase of WHYI-FM, Ft.

In 1974, Cecil Heftel hired consultant John Rook, who secured the services of Jackson, Mississippi programmer Bill Tanner, who crafted a Top 40 format described by Tanner as being "predictable unpredictability" that propelled the station to the top of the south Florida ratings, where it stayed for several years.

Cecil Heftel had a knack for getting in and out of station ownership in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Cecil Heftel's mostly AM group of Top-40 stations was sold in the late 1970s.

The next group of stations Cecil Heftel purchased consisted of FM stations which were coming into their own in the early seventies.

The last Cecil Heftel Broadcasting accumulation of stations consisted of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Miami.

In 1970, Cecil Heftel was the Democratic nominee for US Senate, but lost narrowly to incumbent Republican Hiram Fong.

Cecil Heftel became a delegate to the 1972 Hawai'i State Democratic Convention.

In 1976, Cecil Heftel was elected to Congress from the First District and was reelected four more times.

Cecil Heftel voted for the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981.

However, Cecil Heftel voted against the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981.

Cecil Heftel resigned on July 19,1986, to run for governor, but lost the Democratic primary to John Waihee.

Cecil Heftel blamed the loss on a smear campaign against him.

Cecil Heftel died on February 4,2010, from natural causes in San Diego, California.