Pradman Kaul, 78, retired Hughes president and CEO, died Saturday. Kaul joined Hughes in 1973 as its 10th employee, eventually becoming president in 2000. Under his leadership, Hughes commercialized the first broadband satellite network, the first satellite internet services and the first multi-path satellite-plus-wireless service for consumers, according to the company. He retired in 2022 (see 2212010006). "Pradman was a role model and mentor to many in our company and industry," Hughes wrote Monday. A funeral service and celebration of life will be held Friday in Bethesda, Maryland.
Monica DeLong, who served in the FCC Wireless Bureau for 17 years as an attorney adviser, has died. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced DeLong’s passing during Monday’s open commission meeting. No details were released. Carr called DeLong “a huge contributor to the agency's work, primarily focusing on wireless transactions... She will be deeply missed.”
Elizabeth Murphy Burns, 79, chair of Morgan Murphy Media’s board and among the first women elected to NAB’s board, passed away April 24 at her home in Arizona. Cause of death wasn't provided. Murphy Burns was CEO and president of the Madison, Wisconsin-based media firm for 43 years. She fought for small-market broadcasters on Capitol Hill, among many other causes. Her impact on broadcasting is "simply immeasurable," NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said in a statement. Information about a memorial will be announced at a later date.
Robert (Bob) McChesney, 72, academic and public intellectual known for his decades-long warnings about the threat that corporate ownership of media poses to democracy, passed away of brain cancer March 25 at his Madison, Wisconsin, home. Author or co-author of 27 books, including Rich Media, Poor Democracy, McChesney frequently appeared before the FCC. He was co-founder of Free Press, leading the organization as president during its early years and subsequently serving on its board. Survivors include his wife, Inger, and daughters Amy Martin and Lucy McChesney. A celebration of his life is planned for later this year.
Richard Parsons, who led Time Warner and Citibank through turbulent times, died Dec. 26 of complications of multiple myeloma. He was 76. Early in his career, he worked for Nelson Rockefeller (R), who was then New York's governor and later when Rockefeller was vice president under Gerald Ford. A lawyer, Parsons joined Time Warner’s board in the mid-1990s, serving during the company's expansion, including with the purchase of CNN. Later he helped negotiate AOL’s purchase of TW, in 2000. Parsons helmed the combined entity during what proved to be a rocky time, with company stock plunging and fighting among divisions. He resigned as CEO late in 2007 and was named Citibank chairman in 2009, leading it through restructuring and stepping down in 2012. In 2018, CBS tapped him as interim board chairman following Les Moonves’ ouster amid allegations of sexual misconduct, but Parsons stepped down a month later following his cancer diagnosis. Survivors include his wife, Laura, and children, Gregory, Leslie, Rebecca and Ella. Details about funeral services weren’t available at our deadline.
Fred Wentland, a former longtime NTIA official, died Dec. 18 following a brief illness. A resident of Odenton, Maryland, he was 85. Wentland joined NTIA following his retirement from the Air Force. He worked for 27 years as associate administrator for spectrum management, where he was involved in relocating spectrum to the private sector. Wentland later consulted for a dozen years for Freedom Technologies. Survivors include his wife, Milagros; children, Kathy Lyng and Dan Wentland; and brother Mike Wentland. Visitation will be Sunday, 11 a.m. at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, 1120 Spa Road, Annapolis, Maryland, immediately followed by a memorial service.
Ralph Jennings, who, as deputy director for the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, challenged licenses of local TV and radio stations for their discriminatory hiring and programming content, died Oct. 9 of a brain condition and multiple infections. A New York resident, he was 86. At UCC, he worked on reports about racial and gender bias in public broadcasting. During Jennings’ tenure, UCC saw the successful resolution of its court case leading to the revocation of the license of TV station WLBT Jackson, Mississippi, for its discriminatory practices. Jennings left UCC in 1980, later becoming general manager of WFUV(FM) New York, Fordham University’s NPR member radio station. He retired in 2011. Survivors include his wife, Paula, and two children, Alma and Matthew.
Kathy Wallman, who served as chief of the FCC Common Carrier Bureau and deputy chief of the agency’s Cable Services Bureau in the 1990s, died of appendiceal cancer July 14. A Great Falls, Virginia, resident, she was 66. Wallman also chaired the FCC’s Public Safety National Coordination Committee. Prior to joining the FCC, Wallman was a partner at Arnold & Porter. After leaving the agency, Wallman worked in the Clinton White House and later founded Wallman Consulting, a strategic consulting firm specializing in technology, media and telecom. She also was a past board member of Public Knowledge and a former senior adviser to the Brattle Group. Survivors include her husband, Steven, and her sister, Margaret. Services will be held 11 a.m. Aug. 10 at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls. Contributions may be made to CANCollaborate, a nonprofit organization Wallman and her husband founded to develop collaborative projects in cancer research.
Jamie Kellner, founding president of Fox Broadcasting in 1987, died Friday of cancer. He was 77. Early in his career, Kellner worked for CBS, later becoming a vice president for Viacom and then joining Filmways. At Fox, he also helped create the Fox Children’s Network. Kellner left there in 1993 and joined Warner Bros., helping launch a fifth broadcast network, the WB. He later became chairman-chief executive of Turner Broadcasting in 2001, overseeing TBS, CNN and TNT. Kellner retired in 2004. He also chaired Acme, a station ownership group, from its creation in 1997 until its demise in 2016. A few months before retiring, Kellner, discussing TV recording devices and DVDs, told TV critics that a decade or so earlier, “as cable spread and satellite was introduced, technology worked to the benefit of both the consumer and the business… . Now it’s becoming the enemy” (see 0401150103). Survivors include his wife, Julie Smith; a daughter, Melissa; a son, Christopher; and three grandchildren.
Jonathan Blake, a retired Covington partner and prominent communications lawyer, died May 21 of complications of Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his wife, Elizabeth Shriver, told The Washington Post. He was 85 and retired in 2013. Blake headed the firm’s communications and media practice. He successfully represented the Post when allies of President Richard Nixon were trying to prevent the FCC from renewing the license of two Florida TV stations the Post owned. He was involved in advocating for the transition to digital high-definition TV, winning an Emmy in 2011 for his efforts, according to Covington. Blake was a past president of the FCBA. In addition to his wife, survivors include five children and a brother.