Silverman, Fred, 1937-2020

found: Washington post WWW site, viewed Feb. 3, 2020(in obituary dated Feb. 1, 2020: Fred Silverman, one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes figures in television history, who helped put such groundbreaking shows as "All in the Family," "Roots" and "Hill Street Blues" on the air and was the top programming executive, successively, at CBS, ABC and NBC, died Jan. 30 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 82. Fred Silverman was born Sept. 13, 1937, in New York City. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1958 and received a master's degree in television and theater arts from Ohio State University a year later, writing his thesis on programming practices at ABC. He worked at TV stations in Chicago and New York before joining CBS in 1963. Mr. Silverman moved to ABC in 1975 as president of the entertainment division. In 1978, Mr. Silverman jumped to NBC as president and chief executive. In 1981, Mr. Silverman was dismissed. After he was dismissed from NBC, Mr. Silverman formed a production company, which had several long-running TV hits, including "Matlock," "In the Heat of the Night," "Jake and the Fatman" and "Diagnosis Murder")