Throughout his decades-long career, Philip R. Beuth was an influential figure in television news.
It all started for him after graduate school, becoming the first employee of Capital Cities Communications. He would be perfectly positioned 30 years later when the company acquired ABC.
But as early as age 4, Beuth lived with his grandfather, who ran a junkyard on Staten Island.
“That’s how I learned to sell, and how to deal with people,” Beuth said.
Without much savings, Beuth was planning to attend a community college on Staten Island. However, his friend connected him with Union College in Schenectady, New York, and he ultimately received a full scholarship.
“That was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said.
Beuth’s relationship with the school didn’t end with the degree. He spent 10 years on the board, and the Beuth House residency on the Union campus bears his name. He continues to support his alma mater with scholarships.
While at Union, he got his first full-time broadcasting gig — WRGB Albany, originally an NBC affiliate. He worked himself up the ladder from page to occasional cameraman.
Cap Cities was more of a brotherhood than a company. It was the best in the business by a lot of measures.”
Phillip R. Beuth
Upon his graduation, the WRGB general manager asked Beuth about his future desires. “Well, I’d like to work here,” Beuth recalled saying.
To have any chance for career advancement, Beuth needed a graduate degree. His boss saw enough work ethic and versatility to enroll him at Syracuse University for a Television Management master’s program paid for by owner General Electric. It was the first executive trainee class offered by WRGB.
“That was another lucky break,” Beuth, who is 92, said.
It was not his last one. Upon learning that the bosses were looking to sell WRGB, veteran newscaster Lowell Thomas put together a group to buy WRBG’s UHF competitor. Veteran advertising executive Thomas Murphy was hired, despite not having broadcasting experience. His staffing for the new venture was a clean slate and limitless possibilities. Beuth was loaned to Murphy. “They hired me over the phone,” Beuth recalled.
He started as a $60-a-week film editor. Ultimately, Murphy and Beuth would meet and became partners for the next 42 years. The company would become Capital Cities, based in Albany.
“Cap Cities was more of a brotherhood than a company,” Beuth said. “It was the best in the business by a lot of measures.”
While Cap Cities was buying up stations, it made the biggest purchase in 1985, acquiring the ABC Television Network for $3.5 billion. Beuth relocated his family from Los Angeles to New York. He ran Good Morning America for 12 years, bringing riches to himself and ABC as the morning show eclipsed NBC’s venerable Today.
Beuth also was the executive in charge of specials and late night, where he attempted to get David Letterman over to ABC. “I never was successful,” he said.
But Beuth did bring Bill Ritter into the fold at ABC as anchor for the newly created Good Morning America Sunday.
“Phil was a mentor, in addition to being my boss,” Ritter, a longtime WABC New York anchor, said. “I was smitten with him from day one. I still am.”
Beuth moved up at Cap Cities with 17 different positions, ultimately as president of the entertainment division, retiring in 1997.
Overcoming Hurdles
He attained professional triumphs, while faced with personal setbacks, including being born with cerebral palsy.
“I haven’t let it get in my way,” he said.
It was tough in the schoolyard, because running, and even walking, was an obstacle. Without insurance, “my mother would have to teach me how to walk,” he shared.
By the time he was 11, Beuth was moving freely without the aid of a cane. However, his condition worsened with age. He has been in a wheelchair, unable to take a step for 20 years. Nonetheless, he said, “I feel like I’m 50.”
Family (second wife and four children) and philanthropy are the main priorities for Beuth, who spends summers in Buffalo and winters in the Caribbean, with his main residence in Florida.
Mindful of the breaks he got toward forging his career path, Beuth and his wife are paying it forward with students who need their own break.
“We are very abundantly rewarded,” Beuth said. “It feels very good to sponsor a child … [giving] them a good start to get into college.”
