‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ featured locals Gary Sandy and Gordon Jump

The show was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards over its four seasons and featured two Daytonians among its ensemble cast.

Gary Sandy played Andy Travis, WKRP’s new program manager and Gordon Jump played Arthur Carlson, the general manager who’s mom owned the station.

Gary Sandy

In eighth grade at Dwight L. Barnes in Kettering, Sandy did a Bob Newhart monologue for the school talent show, which drew a very big response.

Afterward, a music teacher called him aside and told him “You have a thing called comedic timing. That might be very valuable to you some day.”

Kettering Fairmont drama teacher Leah Funk remembered Sandy, who graduated from the school in 1964.

Funk, who was a teacher for 51 years, said, “I’ve had quite a few promising actors and actresses who ended up as engineers or doctors. But one thing was for sure, when Gary was a young man, he had all of the tools to be an actor.”

After winning an all-state actor award his senior year, Sandy attended Wilmington College until his drama teacher, Hugh Heiland, urged him to go to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

He began his acting career in daytime drama working on “As The World Turns,” “Another World,” “Somerset” and “The Secret Storm.” In all, he spent over six years doing soap operas in New York.

Then, Sandy landed his role on “WKRP in Cincinnati.” He played WKRP’s new program director, Andy Travis, a friendly, laid-back guy in a cowboy hat who moved from Santa Fe to take over the Cincinnati station and rescue it from failure. Travis was the glue that held the station together.

On his Andy Travis character, Sandy said, “I took that character and laid him out as close to myself as possible.”

After the show ended, Sandy was the guest star on a couple of TV shows, but found most of his work in theater.

Earlier this month, Sandy was Kettering’s Holiday at Home festival’s honorary celebrity parade grand marshal.

He also this month received an Honorary Plaque from The Dayton Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame for his positive portrayal of the Broadcast Industry. The enshrinement took place on Sept. 5, at the NCR Country Club.

Gordon Jump

Gordon Jump grew up being heavily involved in the church.

He was baptized at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakwood, and joined the Centerville Methodist Church as a teenager.

At Centerville High School, “I was notorious,” he said. “It got so the girls couldn’t stand me. I was always cracking jokes or making smart-aleck remarks.”

After graduating from Centerville High School, Jump went away for college and a stint in the military before returning to Dayton in 1962 to take a job as manager of special broadcast services at WLWD-TV in Dayton.

Before long he was hosting and producing “High Time,” a teen variety show that won national honors for TV 2.

After several years as a struggling character actor with odd jobs including as a substitute teacher and doing public relations for Forest Lawn Cemetery, Jump was ready for success.

In 1977 Jump snagged the best role of his life, a role as an off-the-wall police chief named Tinkler on the ABC comedy series “Soap.”

The show was controversial at times, and Jump wasn’t always comfortable with the subject matter because of his religious views.

After marrying his wife, Anna, the two of them became Mormon. Jump later became an elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He taught Sunday school and performed many ministerial tasks within the church.

Jump then landed the role of Arthur Carlson, station manager on “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Jump’s character was not the most talented executive in the business and often appeared to be afraid of his own shadow. He milked the role of the spineless, stuffed-shirt station boss.

Jump also was well known as the lonely Maytag repairman, appearing in a series of commercials for the company. The message conveyed in the commercials was that he never had to do any work because Maytag products were so dependable. He appeared in Maytag commercials from 1989 until he retired in 2003.