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TV Pioneer Who Helped Create 24-Hour News Coverage as President of CNN–Who Also Helped Develop Home Video–Dead at 91

May 11, 2011  •  Post A Comment

A former president of CNN who helped lead the development of 24-hour news coverage during his tenure at the cable network has died at 91, reports CNN.com.

Burt Reinhardt was president of the cable network from 1983-1990, and served as vice chairman until retiring in 2000. He died Tuesday from complications following a series of strokes, the story says.

Reinhardt filmed U.S. Army Signal Corps combat footage in World War II, and later worked as a news editor for Fox Movietone News. He also served as vice president of United Press International Television News and as executive vice president at Paramount Pictures, where he worked on the development of home video, the article notes.

Reinhardt’s work was essential to the growth of CNN, said Reese Schoenfeld, the network’s first president, who was replaced by Reinhardt. "He was a person of integrity and a great newsman," Schoenfeld said. "I’m not sure that I would’ve had the financial discipline or the capability of doing that nearly as well as Burt did and it really saved the company–it’s the only reason CNN exists today.

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