Read about the St. Louis Booking Office here.



In 1950, St. Louis was only receiving wrestling on television one night a week, Saturdays
from Chicago, and promoter Sam Muchnick indicated that it had "helped to create
interest in St. Louis," in an NWA Bulletin dated July 3, 1950.




In a letter to Jack Pfefer dated September 12, 1950, Muchnick explained that Fred Kohler
had booked a Thesz-Bill Longson match on television.  "That match could draw a lot of
money here later," Muchnick wrote.  "That's what television does.  They want to stay at
home and want to see good matches for nothing.  Sure glad we don't have it here."
Needless to say, Muchnick's attitude toward TV was going to change as years passed,
and by the end of the decade, it was a staple in his empire.



In trying to iron out all of the details for the pending television deal for St. Louis,
Muchnick wrote a letter to George Burbach of KSD-TV on April 9, 1953.  He enclosed
estimated figures "on what it would cost to operate a weekly wrestling show in a building
seating between three and four thousand people.  The matches to be televised in the
local area."

Muchnick explained that "main event wrestlers usually wrestle on a percentage basis,
and sometimes get a minimum guarantee." It would be easier to get better talent if they
sold out the facility on a regular basis, and meet the financial requirements of the
wrestling stars.  He talked to a builder about the construction of a building that would only
feature boxing and wrestling, and was told that it could be done for $400,000,
"underwritten over a ten-year period," and seating 4,000.  Muchnick then said that he'd
give the station their larger shows for free "provided they were sell-outs or near sell-outs."

In some places, for a local telecast, the promotion would receive about $800 an hour.  
Muchnick wrote:  "Some cities have found it practical to put on studio wrestling
programs.  A ring is set up in the studio - there are two or three hundred invited guests
who are wrestling fans, in order to lend atmosphere.  Personally, I am not a believer in
studio shows.  However, I could put on such a program much cheaper then in a building
where admissions are charged."

The estimated figures Muchnick believed necessary to put on a TV show added up to
over $2,800 a week.  That included $500 for the rental of a building, $250.00 to pay for
ushers, ticket takers, building help (set up the ring), $1,500 for talent (10 wrestlers for
between $1200-$1500, not including "top flight stars against each other"), $150 for
publicity, office help, $100 for matchmaking expenses (telephone, stationary), $37.50 for
printing the tickets, $150 for referees, doctors, timekeepers and seconds, $31.80 for
"one advance ticket seller in building where matches will be held at $10.60 per day,
$9.00 for ticket supervisor and auditing, and $63.80 for "one advance ticket seller
downtown at $10.60 per day."

Muchnick also indicated that they had approximately 10,000 names for a mailing list and
postage would be $150.  $325 for printing pamphlets and $65 for cost of addressing
those pamphlets.  The grand total would be $3,372.90 a week.

In 1953, Muchnick stated that he wasn't "a believer in studio shows," as indicated in the
above letter.  However, by February 1959, he was admitting that studio wrestling had
been a "boon to the business," according to the Dallas Morning News (2/11/59).

Muchnick announced to Fred Kohler on May 4, 1953 that "we have closed our television
deal here, and will run weekly shows every Saturday night." Kohler's Saturday night show
was also being shown in St. Louis on the Belleville channel, for which Muchnick said the
two shows will "create a lot of competitive interest." He also stated that there was no
reason why they couldn't use each other's talent, and hoped Kohler "would drop in here
some Saturday and see our set-up.  Your knowledge of the situation through five-years
of television experience should be very helpful."

To handle the television enterprises, in 1953, Muchnick created SAMAR Television
Wrestling, which was billed as a "Cooperative of the Sam Muchnick Sports Attractions
and the Mississippi Valley Sports Club."

With the sponsorship of Stag Beer, wrestling on television in St. Louis on KSD-TV was
broadcast for 104 straight weeks (May 9, 1953 to April 30, 1955) from the St. Louis
House (2345 Lafayette Avenue).  At that point, however, they lost their sponsor, and
needed one to resume television from that facility, or any other.  Basically, what they
needed was a sponsor to put up the money for the television rights, to include cable
costs (if broadcast on a network), station time, and payment to announcers.  Even a sold
out St. Louis House would not allow Muchnick to cover all expenditures, so he required a
sponsor to cover some of the financial burden of producing a television show.

St. Louis wrestling television would resume in the Fall of 1955 if these aspects could be
worked out.





In 1954, Muchnick had television on KSD-TV in St. Louis and also programming in
Champaign, Illinois and Memphis.




The legendary "Wrestling at the Chase" was launched in May 1959 on KPLR-TV
(channel 11) and one of the earliest matches was Rip Hawk vs. Ray Spindola with the
former getting the victory. Over the next 20-years, the commentators for the show
included Sam Menacker, George Abel, Don Cunningham, Joe Garagiola, and Larry
Matysik.  Garagiola was the original host of the show, and sometime after it debut, the
show's name was changed to "Championship Wrestling." On August 5-6, 1972, the title
reverted back to "Wrestling at the Chase" again.

The show was filmed in the Khorassan room at the Chase Hotel and the room sat around
900 people.

Mickey Garagiola was the ring announcer in St. Louis.

St. Louis KPLR-TV station owner was Ted Koplar, and in honor of Muchnick's 20th
anniversary of the wrestling program in 1979, Koplar presented him with a special plaque.





George Abel was the host in 1964 when the show was featured every Saturday night
from 8:30 to 10:00 p.m. on KPLR-TV, channel 11.  The same show was replayed the next
afternoon on tape from 3-4:30 p.m.








Research by Tim Hornbaker
St. Louis Wrestling Television History