John A. Schneider

John A. Schneider

John A. Schneider

Television executive
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John A. Schneider

Television executive

December 4, 1926

Chicago, Illinois

December 10, 2019

John A. Schneider was an American television executive.

Following high school, Schneider enrolled at the University of Notre Dame where he earned his B.S. degree in naval science in 1946.

He served as an ensign in the Navy aboard the destroyer USS Hobson during World War II. After the war, he returned to Notre Dame and earned a degree in marketing in 1948.

Schneider joined CBS in 1950 and began a long and successful career in broadcasting. Following various television jobs in Chicago and New York, he was made general manager at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. In 1964 he was named vice president and general manager at WCBS-TV in New York. The following year he was appointed president of the CBS Broadcast Network and a vice president and board member of CBS, Inc.

Schneider became the first president of the newly formed CBS Broadcast Group in 1966. He became an executive vice president of CBS, Inc. in 1969 and held that position until 1978.

In the late 1970s, Schneider served as a consultant for AT&T, Coca Cola, Sony Corporation of America, The Kennedy Center, and Mel Simon Productions.

In 1979, Schneider became the founding president and CEO of Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Company. The company was established to provide programming for the rapidly expanding landscape of cable television. Schneider oversaw the launch of MTV for the company in 1981. He retired in 1985.

Schneider died December 10, 2019, in Stamford, Connecticut. He was 93.

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