BILL CARALIS

Rags to riches don’t come any better than Bill Caralis, of Newtown.

A Greek migrant, Caralis, 81, died earlier this year after becoming a radio mogul for reasons difficult to define. Frugal comes to mind.

Anecdotally, once an employee was asked how he would get back pay and was told to try the “power of prayer”.

My association with Caralis was brief and memory dependant because any sign of a tape recorder or note book would have sent him into retreat.

Publicity shy? No doubt.

Around 20 years ago I was working on “Racing To The Max”, a radio program specialising in horse racing, produced by Glen Robbins and Craig (“Clocker”) Thomson, founders of Racenet, aired on the radio network, particularly 2SM in Sydney, owned and operated by Caralis.

A reclusive, Caralis was rarely seen outside his very spacious penthouse in the Pyrmont building, near the Star Casino, supposedly built for radio but the studio was more an adjunct of the personal mansion.

After the show one Saturday morning Caralis invited the Racing To The Max team to the top floor for coffee. As I was with the Sydney Morning Herald he related an enthralling tale about his experience with the media empire.

“I’d been in fruit shops (started on the bottom, delivering) and bottle shops but somebody told me there was a quid to be made out of country radio stations,” he explained.

“How would I get one? Making inquiries John Fairfax, the Herald people, had plenty. I rang the switchboard and told them I wanted to buy a radio station.

“They put me through to Bob Johnson. I told him I was Bill Caralis, from Newtown, and could I get a radio station off them? He quickly responded they didn’t have any on the market but he would take my name and details.”

(For a start to get through to Bob Johnson, a John Fairfax executive of substance, not fobbed off to a secretary and dismissed to the waste of time bin, was a rails run during a period when the company was possibly the largest media operation in Australia, encompassing newspapers, television stations and a radio network).

“Later Bob Johnston called me (due to a fire sale of Fairfax assets) asking if I was in still interested in a purchase and, if so, would I like to have lunch with Mr Fairfax (John B)?

“I accepted and arranged to meet them at Edna’s Table,” Caralis said. Edna’s Table was the favoured restaurant of the 2GB crowd, then part of the Fairfax conglomerate.

“When we got settled, Mr Fairfax said ‘Mr Coralis I believe you want to buy Channel Seven?’ No, I only want a country radio station I replied. That took the steam out of the conversation. We had a good lunch and Mr Fairfax said if something came up, they would get in touch.

“They departed and left Bill Caralis, from Newtown, with the bill.”

Shortly after in 1982 Johnson did contact Caralis and he gained 2RG Griffith. Forty-one stations followed on the eastern seaboard, including 2SM.

In recent years I was fortunate to lunch with Bob Johnson as well as other seasoned media giants and he confirmed every aspect of the Caralis story.

Johnson, 92, too, deceased earlier this year. He was a senior executive with John Fairfax newspapers, television and radio. But first and foremost, he was a newspaper man, the like of which the Sydney Morning Herald now lacks.

The Australian Financial Review in 2002 listed Bill Caralis, of Newtown, worth $200 million. Coralis never lost his passion for the Newtown, the Bluebags, when he was on the fruit and veg trail, later the Jets.