William J. Ryan, 69, the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau's founding
chairman in 1980, died of cancer at the Naples Community Hospital in Naples,
Fla., Dec. 2.
Ryan, who was Palmer Communications Inc.'s CEO, chaired the advertising
committee of CTAM (then Cable Television Administration & Marketing) when it
conceived what became the CAB.
Ryan was also directly involved in hiring Robert Alter from the Radio
Advertising Bureau to become the CAB's founding president and CEO. The CAB
opened its doors in 1981.
'Bill Ryan was a true visionary in recognizing the potential of cable as an
advertising medium, and he was highly instrumental in establishing the
foundation for what has become a $16 billion business,' current CAB president
and CEO Joseph Ostrow said in a prepared statement.
After moving to Naples in 1955, Ryan became owner and general manager of
WNOG, that city's first radio station. In 1982, he became CEO of Palmer
Broadcasting and Palmer Wireless, He retired in 1998.
Prior to his CAB stint, Ryan was the founding president of the Southwest
Florida Broadcasters Association, as well as president of the Florida
Association of Broadcasters and the Florida Cable TV
Association.
