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Early cable TV executive
Edward Bleier a prime mover in the rise of cable television and the transformation of Time Warner Cable into an industry giant, died on Tuesday October 17 2023 at his home in East Hampton, N.Y. He turned 94 the day before. His death was confirmed by his wife, Magda Bleier. In 1947, he enrolled at Syracuse University as a radio major. There, he joined the campus radio station and worked on a program written by William Safire, the future Times columnist, with Dick Clark, the future pop music TV host, as the announcer. Bleier and William Safire became lifelong friends. Mr. Bleier introduced him to Helene Belmar Julius, a model, pianist and jewelry designer who would become Mr. Safire’s wife. Mr. Safire later returned the favor, introducing Mr. Bleier to Magda Palacci, a French-language journalist who became the bureau chief for Paris Match in New York. They married in 1973. She is his only survivor. Mr. Bleier began his TV career at Channel 5 in New York, a station owned by the DuMont Television Network. From there he moved to ABC, where his work in strategic planning helped him recognize the coming impact of cable television. Frustrated with what he saw as a lack of vision at ABC, he left in 1968. He joined Warner Brothers and worked closely with Gustave Hauser, who built the innovative cable system QUBE for Warner Bros. In 1977, QUBE, based in Columbus, Ohio, introduced pay-per-view programs, special-interest cable networks and interactive services. Running the Warner Bros. division responsible for licensing old movies and television shows to cable and broadcast outlets, Mr. Bleier worked with a growing list of start-up cable and pay-TV outlets, including HBO. As president of Warner Bros. Animation and knowing of Steven Spielberg’s deep affection for Looney Tunes characters, he also collaborated with the director on three animated series, including “Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures.” Until he retired from Time Warner in 2005, Mr. Bleier continued to explore new digital media markets, including one for on-demand content delivered through the internet. Even into his 80s he continued to consult with the company.
