Fred W. Friendly

Fred W. Friendly (October 30, 1915 – March 3, 1998) was a president of CBS News and the creator, along with Edward R. Murrow, of the documentary television program See It Now. He originated the concept of public-access television cable TV channels.

Early career

Friendly was born Ferdinand Friendly Wachenheimer in New York City to Samuel Wachenheimer, a jewelry manufacturer, and Therese Friendly Wachenheimer. The family moved from Manhattan's Morningside Heights district (where Friendly would eventually teach for a quarter-century) to Providence, Rhode Island, where he graduated from Hope Street High School. He went on to graduate from Nichols Junior College in 1936.

Friendly entered radio broadcasting in 1937 at WEAN in Providence, Rhode Island. In World War II, he served as an instructor in the Army Signal Corps and reported for an Army newspaper in the Pacific Theater (The CBI Roundup) before mustering out as a master sergeant in 1945; his decorations included the Legion of Merit and the Soldier's Medal.