W. Russell Barry, a former leader of twentieth Century Fox Television and chairman of Turner Program Services, passed on Aug. 26 of aspiratory fibrosis at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, his girl Sharon reported. He was 84.
A Brooklyn local and 1957 alumni of Dartmouth College, Barry found work in 1961 selling radio advertisements for CBS in Chicago and afterward New York, at that point regulated system AM stations during their transformation to all-news. In 1972, he moved to Los Angeles to accept a position as vp and GM for KNX-TV.
From that point he joined Fox as vp organize deals and at last became leader of twentieth Century Fox Television, liable for the creation and overall dispersion of system and partnered programming. He administered such shows as MAS*H, Paper Chase, Trapper John, M.D., That’s Hollywood, Dance Fever and Dinah! just as pilots and telefilms.
Barry moved to Playboy Enterprises in 1981 as leader of its creation organization and arranged a joint endeavor with Cablevision to dispatch the Playboy Channel. After two years, he was named leader of Taft Entertainment Television, where he created programming including the 1985-86 TV motion pictures The Key to Rebecca and When the Bough Breaks.
Barry became president on Turner Program Services in 1986 and afterward executive in 1995. He was answerable for overall promoting and circulation of all TBS programming, including the MGM film and TV library; first-run creations from National Geographic and The Cousteau Society; CNN; and projects including The Lazarus Man and The Wonder Years. He likewise facilitated the arrangement that put CNN into air terminals and lodgings around the globe.
Barry finished his profession as a senior leader at Warner Bros. following the 1995 merger between Time Warner and Turner.
Survivors incorporate his better half, Cynthia, and their little girl, Shannon; his ex, Phyllis, and their kids, Michael, Sharon and Craig, a veteran executive at Turner Sports; and grandkids Russell, Ryan, Sean, Taylor, Carter and Cassius.
Donations can be made in his memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
