R.I.P. Robert J. Wussler

He died at his home in Westport, Connecticut, on Saturday, June 5th, after a long illness. He was 73. Robert J. Wussler was internationally recognized as a leader in the television and sports industries, and held senior executive positions at CBS and Turner Broadcasting System where he co-founded CNN. Wussler began his CBS career as a mailroom clerk in 1957, and rose to become President of the CBS Television Network and President of CBS Sports. In 1980, Ted Turner recruited Wussler to join Turner Broadcasting System in its Atlanta headquarters and became Senior EVP.

From 1989-1992, Wussler served as President and CEO of Comsat Video Enterprises. In 1992, he formed The Wussler Group, where he spent the past two decades consulting and creating programming for syndication, network, cable and internet platforms. Over his career, Wussler won seven national Emmy Awards, including the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Trustees (NATAS) Award, four Awards for Cable Excellence (ACE) and the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) President’s Award.