Biography
William Paley — ceo with roots in the Russian Empire
William S. Paley was an American broadcasting executive who purchased the struggling Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in 1928 and built it into America's most powerful television and radio network over five decades. Under his leadership CBS broadcast the first colour television programmes and produced some of American television's greatest shows.
Russian Connection
Tracing the roots — Russian Empire
Born in Chicago in 1901 to Samuel Paley and Goldie Drell, both Jewish immigrants who had fled Russia (Russian Empire), Paley grew up in the immigrant Jewish world of Chicago before building the network that became America's cultural institution. CBS under Paley was the network of Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Jack Benny, and Lucille Ball.
Family Tree
Subject
William Paley🇺🇸 USA
↑
CBS
Ukraine (Parents)
↑
Origin
Russian Empire🇷🇺
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
Built CBS into America's dominant broadcast network across 5 decades
02
Chairman of CBS (1928-1990) — 62 years
03
Presidential Medal of Freedom (1984)
04
CBS broadcast first commercial colour television (1951)
05
Oversaw CBS News under Murrow and Cronkite — the gold standard of broadcast journalism
Sources