Frank Batten | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frank Batten February 11, 1927 Norfolk, Virginia, US[1] |
| Died | September 10, 2009 (aged 82) Norfolk, Virginia, US[2] |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation(s) | Chairman and CEO, Landmark Communications |
| Spouse | Jane Batten |
| Children | 3 |
Frank Batten (February 11, 1927 – September 10, 2009[3]) was an American billionaire businessman, and co-founder of the first nationwide, 24-hour cable weather channel, The Weather Channel.[4][5] His media company, Landmark Media Enterprises, once owned nine daily newspapers, more than 50 weekly newspapers, television stations in Las Vegas and Nashville, and a national chain of classified advertising publications.
Batten assumed leadership in 1954 of two newspapers, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star in Norfolk, Virginia, parlaying those papers into a media conglomerate by acquiring other newspapers, radio stations, and television stations and establishing a cable outlet as well as the national cable weather channel. Until 2008, the company, Landmark Communications, now Landmark Media Enterprises, was one of the country’s largest privately held media companies.[6]
Batten sold TeleCable (a multi-system cable TV company) in 1995 to TCI for $1 billion[4] and the Weather Channel in 2008 to NBC Universal and two private equity firms for nearly $3.5 billion.
Batten was chairman of the Associated Press from 1982 to 1987.
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (11 September 2009). "Frank Batten Sr., Media Executive and Founder of Weather Channel, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ "Frank Batten". Legacy.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ "Frank Batten Sr., retired Landmark chairman, dies at 82". Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ a b Miller, Stephan (September 11, 2009). "He Put the Weather Channel On the Radar of Millions". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 14, 2009.
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (September 10, 2009). "Frank Batten Sr., Media Executive and Founder of Weather Channel, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ Swift, Earl (September 10, 2009). "Frank Batten Sr., founder of Roanoke Times parent company, dies at 82". The Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012.