Kinney National Service, Inc. (later known as Kinney Services, Inc.) was an American
conglomerate company
A conglomerate () is a multi-industry company – i.e., a combination of multiple business entities operating in entirely different industries under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries. Conglomerates ...
from 1966 to 1972. Its successors were
National Kinney Corporation
National Kinney Corporation was a parking, property management services, and real estate development company based in New York City. It was established on August 7, 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets due to a f ...
and
Warner Communications
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
,
Time Warner
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
,
AOL Time Warner
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
, and
WarnerMedia
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
and its current successor is
Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at 230 Park Avenue South in New York City. It was formed after the spin-off of WarnerMedia by AT&T, and its merger with Di ...
. Kinney National's predecessors were Kinney Service Corporation and National Cleaning Contractors, Inc., whose merger began in January 1966 and was completed in August of the same year. National Cleaning Contractors had been founded in 1886 by Louis Frankel and Max Sweig as National Window Cleaning & House Renovating Co., and was later known as National House Cleaning Contractors, Inc.
History
Formation and expansion
The company was formed on August 12, 1966, as Kinney National Service, Inc., when the
Kinney Parking Company
Kinney Parking Company was a New Jersey parking lot company owned by Manny Kimmel, Sigmund Dornbusch, and mob figure Abner Zwillman.
History
Kinney Parking Company was incorporated in 1945 by Manny Kimmel. In 1961, Kinney reached an agreement ...
and the National Cleaning Contractors, Inc. were merged. The new company was headed by Steve Ross.
Kinney National Company (later, National was removed from the company title in February 1971) was known for purchases and sales:
* On July 21, 1967, Kinney National expanded by acquiring
National Periodical Publications
National Comics Publications, Inc. (also known as NCP or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company, and the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics.
History
The corporation was originally two companies: National Allied P ...
(more commonly, but not yet officially, called
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
, which would occur in 1977) which owned
Mad (magazine)
''Mad'' (stylized as ''MAD'') is an American humor magazine first published in 1952. It was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines, launched as a comic book series before it became a magazine. It was widely imitated and ...
of E. C. Publications. The acquisition was completed on August 25 of the same year.
* On November 13, 1967, Kinney bought Hollywood talent agency Ashley-Famous.
Ted Ashley
Ted Ashley (August 3, 1922 – August 24, 2002) was the chairman of the Warner Bros. film studio from 1969 to 1980 and founder of the Ashley-Famous talent agency.
Biography
Ashley was born to a poor Jewish family in Brooklyn in 1922 as Theodore ...
(the founder of Ashley-Famous) suggested to Ross that he buy out the cash-strapped film company
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc. was a short-lived American entertainment company active from 1967 until 1969.
History
Seven Arts Productions acquired Jack L. Warner's controlling interest in Warner Bros. Pictures for $32 million in November 19 ...
, which had purchased
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
that same month.
* In February 1968, Kinney acquired Panavision, Inc.
* On October 8 of the same year, Kinney National sold its subsidiary Kinney System Rent-A-Car to Sandgate Corporation for about $11-million in cash and notes.
* On January 28, 1969, it was announced that Kinney National would acquire
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc. was a short-lived American entertainment company active from 1967 until 1969.
History
Seven Arts Productions acquired Jack L. Warner's controlling interest in Warner Bros. Pictures for $32 million in November 19 ...
. The acquisition was completed on July 4. On April 20, Ashley-Famous was sold because of
antitrust
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
laws prohibiting a company from owning both a production studio and a talent agency. In August, Ted Ashley became a chief of the film company. On December 16, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Inc. was rebranded as Warner Bros. Inc. Beginning with the unexpected success of the concert documentary ''
Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
'' (1970),
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
started scoring box office hits again and became a major studio, and created the original Warner Cable Pictures , which was renamed Dimension Pictures in 1971 .
* In 1970, Kinney National bought
Jac Holzman
Jac Holzman (born September 15, 1931) is an American music businessman, best known as the founder, chief executive officer and head of record label Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records. Holzman commercially helped launch the CD and home video form ...
's
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
and
Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...
.
On June 10, 1971, Kinney sold Riverside Memorial Chapel to
Service Corporation International
Service Corporation International is an American provider of funeral goods and services as well as cemetery property and services. It is headquartered in Neartown, Houston, Texas, and operates secondary corporate offices in Jefferson (New Orle ...
. Kinney also announced that it would form a new separate company focused on its parking and cleaning businesses;
National Kinney Corporation
National Kinney Corporation was a parking, property management services, and real estate development company based in New York City. It was established on August 7, 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets due to a f ...
was formally founded in September 1971.
On November 22, 1971, Kinney Services also bought Television Communications Corporation (which renamed as Warner Cable in 1973), including its recording studio operations of 1,210,500 common shares.
Kinney National also owned wood flooring manufacturer Circle Floor from
Seymour Milstein
Seymour Milstein (July 21, 1920 – October 2, 2001) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist.
Early life and education
Milstein was born to Jewish familyPaul Milstein
Paul Milstein (May 12, 1922 – August 9, 2010) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist.
Early life and education
Milstein was born to a Jewish familyNew York Times: "Milstein Opens Throttle as Builder" October 18, 1981
Financial scandal
Due to a financial scandal involving price fixing in its parking operations, Kinney National spun off its non-entertainment assets in September 1971 as the
National Kinney Corporation
National Kinney Corporation was a parking, property management services, and real estate development company based in New York City. It was established on August 7, 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets due to a f ...
Garden State National Bank Garden State National Bank ("Garden State") was a mid-size commercial bank located in northern New Jersey that enjoyed success in the increasingly wealthy New Jersey suburbs of New York City during the 1970s. The significant media coverage it receiv ...