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.

Ethan Lucarelli, 42, first chief of the FCC Office of International Affairs, died Monday of undisclosed causes. An Alexandria, Virginia, resident, Lucarelli joined the FCC in 2020, holding positions in the Wireless Bureau and chairwoman’s office before assuming his most recent position in 2023. Prior to the FCC, Lucarelli was director-regulatory and public policy at Inmarsat and an associate at Wiley. Since 2012, he was an adjunct lecturer at George Washington University Law School. Lucarelli was a key FCC official at the World Radiocommunication Conference last year in Dubai (see 2310270047). Lucarelli's death leaves the International Affairs Office even more shorthanded. Recently, Nese Guendelsberger, one of its deputy chiefs, was tapped in an acting capacity as an aide to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks (see 2404250030). “The FCC family is deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend, Ethan Lucarelli,” an FCC spokesperson wrote in an email: “Over his years in private practice and public service, Ethan earned a reputation for his intelligence, honesty, dependability, and sensitivity. … He was open-minded, sincere, and valued the opinions of those who worked with him.” The loss “will be felt by all of us at the Commission and around the world who had the pleasure of working with him.” Survivors include his wife, Victoria Correa; mother, Diane Eubanks; father, Joseph; and siblings, Matthew and Melissa. Visitation is scheduled for May 25, 2-5 p.m., at Elmwood Chapel, 11300 W. 97th Lane, St. John, Indiana. Donations are being accepted for a scholarship in his name benefiting George Washington University Law School students participating in moot court competitions.

Longtime telecom executive Royce Holland, CEO of Masergy Communications until his retirement in 2014, died March 27. A Dallas resident, he was 75. Cause of death wasn’t disclosed. In the 1980s, Holland co-founded MFS Communications, where he served as president and chief operating officer, expanding the business in North America, Europe and Asia. WorldCom purchased the company in 1996. The following year, Holland co-founded Allegiance Telecom, serving as chairman and CEO until its 2004 sale to XO Communications. He then became CEO of McLeod USA, which was sold to Paetec in 2008, after which he joined Masergy, where he had served as a board member. In 1993, President George H.W. Bush appointed him to the National Security Telecom Advisory Committee and in 1999, then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush named him to the E-Government Task Force. Survivors include his wife, Sue, and children Andrea and David. Donations may be made to The Biggs Institute at the University of Texas Health San Antonio or the North Texas Food Bank.

Communications tower industry veteran Scott Krouse died Monday, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced Thursday. He was 69. The association didn’t provide a cause of death. Krouse joined NATE in 2016 as director of special projects, later becoming director of the NATE Wireless Industry Network. He previously worked for UNR-Rohn, PiRod Tower and Valmont Industries. Following his retirement from NATE in 2021, Krouse represented the association as a volunteer at industry events. Information on survivors and funeral arrangements wasn’t immediately available.

Former FCC Chairman Charles Ferris served on Cablevision's board (see 2402280032).