Fred Dressler, E! Entertainment Founder, Dies at 66

By Gillian Reagan 12/27/07 5:00pm

Fred Dressler, the New York native who established the Mets’ SportsNet New York channel and E! Entertainment Television, died this week after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 66 years old. Mr. Dressler began his career at ABC-TV and also worked at Courier-Life Newspapers and United Press International in New York. He went on to become a top executive at Time Warner Cable, founding the video-on-demand and pay-per-view channel In Demand.

The Hollywood Reporter writes:

"Words cannot adequately express the sense of loss we all feel at this time," [Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn] Britt said. "His legacy will be felt for many years, not just in our programming department but throughout our organization and the industry. … Fred was revered for his intellect, his wit, his perspective, his vision and his humanity. We will miss him very much."

Since he left Time Warner last year, Dressler had stayed active, continuing to consult and advise a number of media firms, including Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media as well as the BBC, Retirement Living TV and Univision.

Dressler also served as chairman of the advisory board of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. He graduated from Syracuse in 1963.

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topics: Fred Dressler, The Culture Czar