Walter Annenberg

Walter H. Annenberg (March 13, 1908 – October 1, 2002) was a billionaire publisher and philanthropist.

Business Life

At age 32, after his father's death, he took over the family businesses and even made successes out of some that had been failing. He bought other print media as well as radio stations and television stations, successfully managing them as well.

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His biggest success was the creation of TV Guide in 1952, which he started against the advice of his financial advisors. He also created and made fortunes from the Daily Racing Form and Seventeen magazine.

Related Topics:
TV Guide - 1952 - Daily Racing Form - Seventeen

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While he ran his publishing empire as a business, he was not afraid to use it for his own ends, both good and bad. One of hit publications, the Inquirer, was influential in ridding Philadelphia of its corrupt city government in 1949. It also attacked Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s when most other publications feared McCarthy. It campaigned for the Marshall Plan after World War II. He also made many enemies: activist Ralph Nader, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, boxer Sonny Liston, and many politicians became "non-existent" in his newspapers.

Related Topics:
Inquirer - Philadelphia - 1949 - Senator - Joseph McCarthy - Marshall Plan - World War II - Ralph Nader - Zsa Zsa Gabor - Sonny Liston

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Their names were never mentioned, and they were even air-brushed out of group photos. He eventually sold the Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News to Knight Newspapers for $55 million in 1970.

Related Topics:
Philadelphia Daily News - Knight Newspapers - 1970

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