I went to Reno Nevada this weekend (January 15, 2007) to meet up with my brother and mom, staying at the J A Nugget in Sparks, a place where my Grandpa Leo would gamble a few cartwheels 50 years ago.  The buzz was that recently appointed (May 2004) chancellor of the University had suddenly issued a two word message to the Board of Regents that weekend, "I quit".

This is the same Jim Rogers that is owner of Sunbelt Communications and TV13 in Casper Wyoming.


Details from a dispatch from Lawrence Mower to the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported some of the squabbles. When Rogers came in, he was to develop the University of Nevada Health Sciences Center. He appointed one of his casino buddies to be CEO, where he lasted 1 month. From there Thom Reilly moved to take a post at Harrahs Entertainment for a reported $500,000 salary.  Slots pays better than health services. Regent Howard Rosenberg was quoted by the AP saying "The very thing that you need most in education is what he (Rogers) brings to it ... But you can't kill everybody in your way" I am sure he was speaking metaphorically, although it's not exactly clear.

The University of Arizona named thier James E Rogers law school for him after he made a generous contribution. UNLV was promised to get $25 million from Rogers, but yet to be delivered. His self-written biography for the UNLV Chancellor page lists his many accomplishments providing money for various universities, not only his own money (nearly $175 million), but by calling in "markers" to support billion dollar capital campaigns. There is only a half sentence devoted to his entire law practice which supposedly provided the basis for this generousity. Keeping transactions off-books is possibly the reason he sits on the Bank of Nevada board.

His generousity does know  bounds as his personally headed non-profit corporation "Sunbelt Communications Education Foundation" recently got its license revoked in 11/2007. Appearantly some charities take exception to laundering other peoples dirty money.


Here is the up-date, a page out of the "Sopranos". Casino owner Reilly "invites" Regent James Dean Leavitt to a dinner with Rogers at an Italian Restaurant. After a couple of hours, Dean walks away with a new appreciation of Rogers intentions concerning health issues.... Leavitt himself being a fellow criminal defense lawyer gets the picture.


In other media coverage, KNPR Nevada public radio has interviewed Rogers a number of times by producer Dave Burns. His draconian management style always a topic for discussion. Listen in on these shows at Http://www.knpr.org/son/index.cfm
 most recently on 1/19/2007  Or read about it in the Las Vegas Life Http://www.lvlife.com/2001/01/rogers.html

As a Broadcaster, Rogers has close ties to the Las Vegas Casinos.  In 1997 his Las Vegas and Reno TV stations took the FCC to the 9th Circuit court to get the prohibition on Casino advertising declared unconstitutional. Lawyer in this case was his daughter and former Sunbelt corporation registered agent, Janet Frasier Rogers.  In the opinion, O'Scannlain made conspicuous mention of the fact the court considered casinos to be often associated with Mafia criminals.  Perhaps so as to paint Rogers and Rogers with the same brush.

To see how Rogers fits in with the ownership of the other Casper stations, see the profile on Pete Seiler.