Viacom Co-Founder & former President Ralph Baruch (1923-2016)

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BARUCH--Ralph M., passed away on March 3, 2016 at the age of 92. Ralph was a founder of Viacom International Inc. and served as its President and CEO from 1971 to 1983 and as Chairman until July 1987. Ralph was born in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1933, as a young child, he was forced to flee from the Nazis with his family to Paris, where he was educated.

In 1940, they then escaped Paris. A harrowing three-month journey through France ensued, and Ralph carried his grandmother over the Pyrenees mountains. Eventually, under the auspices of the International Rescue Committee, the family arrived in the United States in December, 1940. He began his communications career in radio and joined the DuMont Television Network in 1950. He moved to CBS in 1954, progressing to CBS Group President, prior to the inception of Viacom. Ralph was instrumental in spinning off Viacom from CBS in 1971.

During his tenure, Viacom acquired cable television systems, initiated Showtime, The Cable Health Network (now Lifetime), MTV, Nickelodeon, The Movie Channel, VH-1, and bought back the half of Showtime which had previously been sold to Warner. Eventually, Viacom, in turn, acquired CBS. Ralph authored an autobiography, "Television Tightrope - How I Escaped Hitler, Survived CBS and Fathered Viacom," published in April 2007, and also wrote "How Broadcasting and Cable Happened (in spite of the FCC)."

Mr. Baruch served as vice chairman of Carnegie Hall, as a member of its Executive Committee and as chairman or member of various committees of the Board of Trustees of the Hall. He was named an Honorary Trustee in 2007. He served as a member of the Board of WNET and was a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of Northwell Health. He also served as a Trustee of the Museum of Television and Radio (now the Paley Center for Media).

Ralph was a founder and a Fellow of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Academy. He was a past-President of both the International Radio & Television Society and its Foundation. In 1985 the IRTS honored him with its Gold Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in communications for his outstanding contributions to the industry.

A former director and member of the Executive Committee of the National Cable Television Association, (now the National Cable & Telecommunications Association), Mr. Baruch served for seven years as Chairman of an NCTA committee instrumental in the passage by Congress of the Cable Act of 1984. Under President Reagan, Ralph served for seven years as Chairman of the USIA's Television Communications Board of Advisors and as a member of the President's International Youth Exchange Initiative.

In 1988, he served as a Senior Fellow of the Freedom Forum at Columbia University. Ralph was a co-founder, immediate past Chairman and Chairman Emeritus of the National Academy of Cable Programming. He received the Academy's first "Governor's Award," recognizing his contributions to the development of cable programming. He received the cable television industry's highest honor, the Vanguard Award, three of the NCTA's President's Awards, and its Chairman of the Year Award.

In 1994 Ralph was honored with a special award from the International Academy of Television Arts and in 1999, Walter Cronkite presented him with an Emmy for the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Seven years later, he was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame. Then, in 2011, Ralph was the inaugural recipient of the WNET Distinguished Service Award.

Ralph was a co-founder of C- Span, and often testified before regulatory agencies and committees of the Senate and House. He also served as Chairman of the NCTA's Pay Cable Committee, instrumental in removing FCC industry restrictions. Ralph was appointed in 1994 as a member of the New York City Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission by former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Ralph leaves behind Jean, his beloved wife of 52 years, and four daughters: Eve Baruch, Renee Baruch, Esq., Alice Baruch, M.D., and Michele Baruch Jeffery, son-in-law James Jeffery, and grandchildren Rebecca, Charles and Jane.