After a prolonged battle with heart disease, Rogers Communications founder and CEO Ted Rogers died earlier today of congestive heart failure at his Toronto home. He was 75. Nationally and internationally acclaimed for his acute business savvy and pioneering spirit, Rogers was educated as a lawyer but chose instead to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue a passion for media.
While articling at a Toronto law firm, Rogers acquired a local FM station, CHFI. From that single station, his multimedia empire quickly grew. Aptly described as “fearless” by Rogers Media president Tony Viner in a recent Marketing profile, Rogers not only expanded his radio holdings and added traditional media properties—spanning consumer and business magazines, including Marketing, via the acquisition of Maclean-Hunter, and television, including most recently the acquisition of Citytv—to his portfolio but also aggressively invested in new technology. Sagely anticipating the widespread popularity of both cable television and cellular technology, Rogers risked financial instability to develop this country’s dominant cable system and largest wireless network. Less than five decades after the acquisition of that first radio station, Rogers Communications ranks among the largest and most diverse media companies in Canada.
In an official statement, the company has confirmed that “Mr. Rogers’ successor as chief executive officer will be addressed by the Rogers Communications board of directors, which intends to form a special committee to lead a search considering internal and external candidates. In the meantime, Alan Horn, chairman of Rogers Communications, will continue to serve as acting chief executive officer and lead the company’s office of the president.”
Mr. Rogers is survived by his wife of 45 years, Loretta, their four children, son Edward, president of Rogers Cable, and daughters Melinda, senior vice-president strategy and development for Rogers Communication Inc., Lisa and Martha, and four grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be confirmed shortly by the family.
