John Witherspoon, KPBS/San Diego GM Influential In Public Broadcasting Development, Passes Away At 88

Witherspoon

JOHN WITHERSPOON, one of modern-day public broadcasting's pioneers as a member of the group of GMs who created the Public Broadcasting Act in 1967, died OCTOBER 11th of natural causes in CORONADO, CA at 88, according to PBS affiliate KPBS-TV and NPR affiliate KPBS-F/SAN DIEGO.

WITHERSPOON was the first GM (from the station's JUNE 1967 launch) of KPBS-TV, then KEBS-TV, and also took over KEBS-F (now KPBS-F) when he was enlisted along with other noncommercial TV GMs to draft the law that established the CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING and, later, PBS and NPR.  He also served as founding Chairman of NPR's Board of Directors, strongly advocating that NPR produce its own programming for national distribution, leading to the launch of "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED," and founding President of the Public Service Satellite Consortium, as well as a professor at SAN DIEGO STATE.

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