Talking With Giants of Broadcasting: Gary Sandy

Though best known as Andy Travis on WKRP in Cincinnati, Gary Sandy never set out to become America’s favorite Program Director, but he brought him to life on TV in such a way that he inspired a generation of aspiring radio talent and managers.

This November, the actor will be honored by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation as a 2025 Giant of Broadcasting, recognized for portraying one of television’s most enduringly authentic representations of the medium.

In this conversation with Radio Ink, Sandy reflects on his path from Ohio theater student to Broadway leading man to radio icon, his memories of Gordon Jump and the WKRP cast, and why he believes the human side of broadcasting deserves to be preserved.

Radio Ink: What does being named a Giant of Broadcasting by the LABF mean to you?

Gary Sandy: Well, I think it’s an honor. I’m honored to be surrounded by these legends and to be thought of as a Giant of Broadcasting. I think it’s just terrific.

When I announced to my dad that I wanted to leave college and go to acting school in New York, he about had a hemorrhage. And I didn’t know this, but he went up to the director of the theater department and cornered him and said, “You tell my boy not to leave school.”

At the same time, a girl I was dating, her father was in radio. He had a nationally syndicated radio program. So the director of the theater department and this girl’s dad talked me into going to a broadcasting school in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the first of its kind. John Cameron Swayze and Westbrook Van Voorhis started it.

So when I came to WKRP, it was really wild because I was always a fan of music, a fan of acting, and a fan of radio. And so here I am doing this thing.

It was really the role of a lifetime. It was just fantastic. And it felt particularly good because I had done six or seven years of soap operas in my 20s, and I was always the heavy – the bad guy. So when it came to this KRP thing, I thought, “Okay, now here’s a chance for me to play the straight man, the good guy.”

It was really fun. I enjoyed it. It was a great, great show.

Radio Ink: I get that this is a big comparison, but I confidently believe it’s apt – what Tom Cruise did for fighter pilots and Harrison Ford did for archaeology, you did for Program Directors. You took a cool job, made it cooler, and inspired a generation. How do you look back at the legacy of what you built with WKRP in that regard?

Gary Sandy: You know, I’ve been to countless radio stations throughout my life, and I hear that a lot: “I’m in radio because of you.” It’s very much of a compliment. I’m very proud of that.

I had talked to several program directors in the Los Angeles area. And as a matter of fact, one of the creators of KRP hired a guy who actually quit his job at one of the biggest stations in LA to join the writing staff. So that was a guy who really knew what it was like to be a Program Director.

The show was just terrific. All the actors were perfect for their parts.

Radio Ink: I think a lot of times when we’ve seen radio portrayed on television or in other media, it’s very one-dimensional. It’s the wacky morning zoo with all the clichés. And I think one of the things that WKRP did really beautifully – and kudos to you and the cast and the writers – was the portrayal of radio’s human side. Ultimately, radio is a human-centric business on both sides of the mic.

Gary Sandy: Well, I think that’s exactly it. I mean, various interviewers and such have always mentioned The Who concert episode. It was a terrible thing that happened. For us not to have tackled that – and we’re in radio – wouldn’t have been realistic. But there’s an example of how WKRP could be extremely respectful.

Gordon Jump, who played the Big Guy – we were both from Dayton, Ohio. Gordon and I had a camaraderie that was just really unusual. One of the things I remember saying to myself—and I really, really tried—I said, “Sandy, don’t pull focus.” You know, that’s an actor’s term. Just lay it out. Don’t try to bring attention to yourself. Just be subtle and lay it out.

I just—I can’t imagine a part that could have been any better.

Years later, one of the casting people at MTM, because it was an MTM show, said to me, “Hey, you want to see the reel?” And there were like ten other guys. I said, “Yeah.” She said, “Don’t tell anybody I showed you this.”

When I watched that thing, I really deserved it. [Laughs] It had a lot to do with Gordon Jump, because he already had the part, so he screen tested with everybody. And Gordon told me later on, he said, “I knew that you were the guy.” He was one of the nicest men that ever lived.

You know, when my mom passed away, in her closet she had this periodical from the Dayton area. And there’s this little picture of me on one of the pages – “Spotlight on Youth” – and it’s about this kid they thought was going to be something. And it was me, and this little picture. The editor of the periodical was Gordon Jump.

Radio Ink: No way.

Gary Sandy: Absolutely, man. I’ve got a picture of it. I was in junior high school and there’s a picture of him right on the first page when you open it.

Radio Ink: That’s incredible. Well, while millions know you as Andy Travis, your career stretches far beyond WKRP. You’ve mentioned some of your TV work, but you’ve gotten to do some absolutely amazing stage work on Broadway and beyond.

Gary Sandy: I really, truly have. And I never claimed to be a singer, but I’m very good at selling a piece like The Music Man. I’ve done The Music Man like four or five times—major productions. So I’ve done a lot of musicals, and I just move well, so they always get me in the dance numbers and all this other stuff.

But some of the major stuff—like The Will Rogers Follies, Barnum, which was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I had to go to circus school and learn how to walk the tightwire because you have to sing a song while you’re walking the tightwire.

And then [the 1980s revival of] Pirates [of Penzance] on Broadway – that was one of the highlights of my life. Honest to God. Kevin Kline created the role, won the Tony Award for it, and then Treat Williams took over, and then I took over for Treat. I did the show for six or eight months.

You come out there on that stage, and it was just the coolest thing. The lights would come down in this 3,500-seat house in Times Square at The Minskoff, and this spotlight would hit the left side of the stage. These double doors would open up, and out strolls this six-foot-two, statuesque blonde in a tuxedo. She walks to the front of the orchestra, picks up the baton, leaps into the air – and she’s the conductor.

Then, when the curtain opens up around the back of this raked stage, comes this full-scale pirate ship. And you’re on the front of the pirate ship with your sword drawn, screaming. Then you put the sword away, leap off the boat – with the coolest boots in the world – and run down toward the stage, fall on your knees, slide all the way to the lip of the stage, reach out across the orchestra a bit, grab the conductor, and plant this big smooch on her. And then you open up your shirt and go, “Arghhhhh!” And the show hadn’t even started. It was phenomenal.

Radio Ink: I think it’s safe to say everyone in the audience got their money’s worth, then?

Gary Sandy: Oh, I’ve never seen anything like it. The audience leapt. It still cracks me up. Leapt to their feet. They didn’t even know they were standing. It was phenomenal.

Radio Ink: The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation is hosting the Giants of Broadcasting Gala this November, where you’ll be recognized. Their goal is to preserve radio and television history. To you, what’s the importance of preserving our cultural broadcast history?

Gary Sandy: So WKRP did 92 half-hour shows. Howard [Hesseman] and I used to argue – he said it was 92, and I said it was 90. We were both right, because two of the episodes were an hour long. In the annals of history, I think they always seem to show the same 15 or 20. But I’ve still got them all on tape, because I took the tapes out of the MTM studios and transferred them at home.

Radio Ink: Oh wow, so you’ve got the show with the original music too, still, I guess? Because they took that out for DVDs and syndication due to licensing.

Gary Sandy: Yeah. That was one of the things. And some of those scenes were timed with a rhythm to the songs that we originally used. And so now, when you slip in another song, it sometimes just doesn’t work.

Radio Ink: To close, who are your personal Giants of Broadcasting?

Gary Sandy: Well, it’s funny. I think [fellow 2025 Giants inductee] David Muir is one.

My mom passed away about a month before her 104th birthday. Every night for the last five years of her life, we would sit and watch David Muir. And at 104, she would always say, “I think he’s so cute.”

Radio Ink: That’s great. You’ll have to tell him that.

Gary Sandy: I will tell him that. I tell you… Well, so I’m just extremely proud. You know, when I was doing the soaps, my dad worked at the Frigidaire Division of General Motors. And he finally stayed home one day because the neighbors were coming over and asking my mom, “When’s Gary coming home? When’s Gary coming home?”

And dad said, “What’s going on?” She said, “Well, you’d have to see it, Austin.” So he stayed home and – brings a tear to my eye – he said, “You know what? I think you could be one of the best.”

It was great. So when it came to KRP, he was an avid watcher of that show. Loved it.

Radio Ink: Sounds like your dad came around to the acting idea after all.

Gary Sandy: That’s exactly right.

The 2025 Library of American Broadcasting Giants Gala is scheduled for Friday, November 14 at NYC’s Gotham Hall. More information on the event and tickets can be found here.