Brian L. Roberts (born June 28, 1959) is an American billionaire businessman, and the chairman and CEO of Comcast, an American company providing cable, entertainment, and communications products and services which was founded by his father, Ralph J. Roberts. While no one doubts that the father still calls a lot of the shots, he has eased his son into high-profile positions both at the bargaining table and in the public eye. Soon after buying the Flyers, Mr. Roberts admitted that he had just seen his first hockey game. A result was Microsoft's $1 billion investment in Comcast. ''I used to talk to Julian all the time,'' recalled Gordon Crawford, a senior vice president at the Capital Group, whose funds hold 8.1 percent of Comcast's class A stock. ", "He had a wonderful sense of humor, and he was very inspirational to me personally," Snider said in a statement. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. January 6, 1955 - The potential for conflict is obvious. It struck me as a place where culture really mattered. Without being asked, Mrs. Roberts volunteered her opinion that Ralph and Brian clicked as few business partners do. He also sold advertising on ink blotters. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. In 1994, for example, Ralph Roberts scuttled a bid by Barry Diller, then the chairman of QVC, the home-shopping cable channel, to acquire CBS. In 1963, he and his partners, Daniel Aaron and Julian A. Brodsky, paid $500,000 for a 1,200-subscriber cable TV operator in Tupelo, Mississippi, called American Cable Systems. ''This is a relatively unusual situation,'' said Leon Danco, president of the Center for Family Studies. A unique . And experts say the odds of a successful transition are greater at Comcast than at most family businesses. He managed to get a photograph of Bob Hope holding the club and asked him to endorse it, to help out a veteran, Mr. Roberts recalled, but there was never any formal agreement. BEST DEAL! Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York City. Douglass Edward Roberts, 69, a lifelong resident of Swansea and the son of the late Edward Francis Roberts and Barbara (Douglass) Roberts, passed away on December 25, 2019. . Many entrepreneurs are very secretive. "You could tell Ralph was crazy about Brian, and Brian was crazy about him. ''I was probably the one to pull the curtain,'' he said. '', Brian Roberts, on the other hand, seems to relish his public role. Ralph J. Roberts, the man whofounded Comcast Corp. with the purchase of a 1,200-subscriber cable television system in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1963, died Thursday night of natural causes in Philadelphia. ''I don't think Ralph knows any more about Brian's personal life than he knows about the others. Overnight, it went from 18th to fifth among cable firms in the United States, with two million customers. ommitted to the fight against cancer, he and his family helped establish the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine in 2006. I never felt that Comcast was a sixth child," she said. In one generation, he started a company that is one of the 50 biggest companies in the U.S.," said Burke, one of a second wave of executives to join Comcast 15 years ago. And to prevent his other heirs from putting pressure on Brian to sell Comcast -- an issue that has torn many families apart -- Mr. Roberts is struggling with a way to give them nonvoting stock that they could cash in without disturbing their brother's grip on the company. The elder Mr. Roberts has made sure that each of Brian's siblings will retain an economic stake in Comcast equal their brother's. Doug was born July 24, 1969, in Kalamazoo, the son of Douglas and Vicky (Troyer). Besides his son Brian, Mr. Roberts is survived by his wife, the host of the Comcast Network program "Seeking Solutions With Suzanne," aimed at viewers 50 and older; two daughters, Catherine. Ralph has been the heart and soul of Comcast for 50 years, and his integrity, honesty and respect for everyone around him will never be forgotten. "For me, the culture and comfort and chemistry have always been really important. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. "So much of what he is to the public is what he was to us. All Rights Reserved. He has five children, aged 36 to 47. ''Hopefully, I have had more experience than most people,'' he said, ''but you never know.''. These early losses, coupled with experiences as a young salesman of golf clubs, men's accessories, cologne, and Muzak, gave Mr. Roberts an ambitious, entrepreneurial spirit. It also locked up broadcast rights to the Phillies. Questions? The acquisition, which faced scrutiny from Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department, was scuttled in April of this year. ALL along, however, Mr. Roberts has drawn his son closer to the center of action inside Comcast and pushed him into the spotlight outside the company. He loved my mother and my entire family so much. Ralph is survived by Suzanne Roberts, his wife of over 70 years. "He was the greatest influence in my life and a joy for me to work side by side with for over three decades. After selling the firm, he set up shop in 1961 in Bala Cynwyd. ''Every chance I get I step back and say, 'Here is Brian.' Mr. Roberts bought a small cable service in Tupelo, Miss., and built it into Comcast. After Robert Roberts died in 1932, Ralphs mother, Sara, moved the family to the Germantown section of Philadelphia, to be near her ailing sister. ''Barry is very charismatic and hypnotic, but we were not going to lose our business and become a nonvoting stockholder of CBS to provide Barry with an entree to CBS.'' At the time of his death, Mr. Roberts was past president and chairman emeritus of the public company, which has its headquarters on John F. Kennedy Boulevard. We are deeply saddened to announce that Ralph J. Roberts, husband, father and grandfather, died of natural causes Thursday, June 18 in Philadelphia, PA. They were like mass therapy sessions with the children.''. '', That would have been a wrenching decision, as it almost invariably is for the founder of a company. "He did it in a positive, thoughtful way, not self-aggrandizing. "It's just a miracle," Brodsky said. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. Enter It's been a real pleasure for the whole family," he said in 1999. He graduated with an economics degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and enlisted in the Navy as World War II was beginning, serving at the Philadelphia Navy Yard for the duration of the war. in memory of Douglass Edward Roberts, please visit our floral store. But the son wanted to stay in the family business, so Mr. Roberts started him off in the trenches, stringing cable in New Kensington, Pa. ''We were lucky because the cable business was growing and growing, '' Mr. Roberts recalled. He was. He was the greatest influence in my life and a joy for me to work side by side with for over three decades. Mr. Roberts built Comcast through a series of acquisitions of cable systems around the country. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. [11] Her name appears on the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Philadelphia and she hosted a TV program aimed at seniors called "Seeking Solutions with Suzanne" on Comcast's CN8 network. It is the mother who will make it work. The family holding company owns all the supervoting shares, as well as 1.8 million of the class A shares and 5.3 million of the nonvoting shares. Burial will follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Hillside, IL. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Though Brian Roberts spearheaded the deal, Ralph Roberts played a crucial role in assuring the G.E. It shows the power of Ralph's influence, that he has been able to keep that feeling alive over 50 years," Cohen said. He was 95. chief executive, Jeffrey R. Immelt, that the deal would be completed. Using the proceeds from Pioneer, he started purchasing local community antenna television systems which brought TV to people in rural areas,[2] which were then underserved by big broadcasters. Create an obituary. PhillyVoice Contributor. Cancel any time, no strings attached. Brian Roberts countered that other companies, including Comcast, were aggressively upgrading. Their simple philosophy was summed up by Mr. Roberts in an interview with The New York Times in 2007. Even as he is promoting his son, the elder Mr. Roberts is looking after the financial interests of his other children. founded Comcast Corp. with the purchase of a 1,200-subscriber cable television system in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1963, died Thursday night of natural causes in Philadelphia. There is no photo or video of Douglas A. Roberts.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. Mr. Roberts later took jobs with the Muzak Corporation and the Pioneer Suspender Company, which sold mens belts and cologne. Ralph Joel Roberts was born on March 13, 1920, in New York. Then in 1941, after seeing him twirling with another dance partner, she "grabbed Ralph, took him out on the golf course, and said, 'I want to marry you.' '', Or an arrogant one. For Brodsky that was giving up the four or five packs of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes he used to smoke. And Ed Snider, Comcast Spectacor chairman, said Mr. Roberts was "a great partner and an even greater friend. Blogs; Online will; Shop. "His legacy is that he left a big, vibrant company, that is led by his son, that will live on for many, many years," Comcast executive Steve Burke said. Throughout his life, Roberts was involved in numerous community and civic activities, serving the boards of the Council of Emeritus Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Brandywine Museum and Conservancy, among others. The two said their relationship had been strengthened by having much to discuss, as each pursued separate professional interests - and also by the collaboration that developed when one asked the other for advice. The family will host a private service for the family, the company announced. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Contributions may be made to the Germantown Boys and Girls Club, 25 W. Penn St., Philadelphia 19144, or the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia 19103, or at http://unitedforimpact.org/ways-to-give. NewsLibrary. It bottomed out at $16.375 last March and has recovered slightly, closing at $21.375 on Friday on Nasdaq. He was preceded in death by his father, Joe Nathan Scott, and his brother, Jonathan Scott. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. Today, Ralph Jr. is a professor of psychology at the University of Denver, and the other three all live near their parents in Philadelphia, where Lisa has a design business, Cathy is involved in philanthropy and Douglas is an assistant District Attorney. We have all learned so much from Ralph, but perhaps the greatest lesson was the way he lived his life. Brian brought in the Walt Disney Company to put up most of the funds for the acquisition, even though Comcast management gained effective control of E Entertainment. Through the 1970s and '80s, it built cable networks, learned to maintain them, and profited by Mr. Roberts' favorite element - recurring monthly income. Find the obituary of Douglas A. Roberts (1955 - 2021) from Mount Carmel, IL. His father, Robert Max Roberts, was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who prospered with a string of pharmacies in the city. The deal would have relegated Comcast, the biggest QVC shareholder, to be a minor, and passive, investor in CBS, and the elder Mr. Roberts wanted no part of that. In addition to his wife, Ralph is survived by four of his children and their spouses: Catherine R. Clifton and Anthony A. Clifton, Lisa S. Roberts and David Seltzer, Ralph Roberts Jr. and Kim Roberts, Brian L. Roberts and Aileen K. Roberts and Diane Roberts, widow of Ralph and Suzannes son Douglas Roberts, who passed away in September 2011. Douglas graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 1977 where he was an accomplished student, basketball & track star, and leader. Like many media entrepreneurs, Ralph Roberts created several classes of stock, enabling him to issue equity without losing control. Mr. Roberts has reason to track the way family-run companies pass the baton from one generation to next. We would like to offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief. It purchased for $30 billion controlling interest in the entertainment conglomerate's NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks; pay TV channels such as USA, CNBC, Bravo, and Syfy; the Universal movie studio; and Universal Studios theme parks in Florida and California. "Ralph served as a longtime member of the Penn Medicine board, and actively supported athletics, undergraduate financial aid, and his class." They have met at the investment bank Allen & Company's annual Sun Valley Conference for media heavyweights, and they got together last summer when Mr. Gates came to speak at a United Way fund-raising event in Philadelphia. can stop at any time. ''It is the same thing as giving birth -- or having another generation. Now Brian typically takes the lead.''. to the family or plant a tree Comcast's decision in late April to abandon its $45 billion deal to buy Time Warner Cable Inc. was a rare misstep for the company and a trimming of its ambitions for the moment. I speak for all of us when I say he will be greatly missed. Later, the two men found themselves in the same restaurant, and Mr. Roberts suggested that Microsoft consider investing in cable. Before he founded Comcast, Roberts was president and CEO of Pioneer Industries, a leading mens clothing accessories company, vice president of Muzak Corp. and an account executive with Aitken Kynett Advertising Agency, according to his company biography. Private. "From selling belts door-to-door to creating the largest entertainment and technology corporation in the United States of America - it's an incredible success story. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Make a life-giving gesture. . Then he turned the company over to his son at an early age. '', Ralph Roberts acknowledges that he was the heavy. ''Deals like Microsoft and QVC would not have happened without Brian,'' said Steven Rattner, deputy chief executive of Lazard Freres & Company, who has worked with the family for about a decade. If he hadn't, his father confesses, ''I probably would have sold the company. [4] He was awarded honorary degrees from both Holy Family College and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received their Joseph P. Wharton Award. '', See the article in its original context from. [1], When Roberts was five the family moved to New Rochelle, New York and then after his father died of a heart-attack, to Germantown, Philadelphia when he was seventeen to live with his stepfather Harry Bobrow, of Bobrow Brothers Cigars. ''Usually we have about 200.''. We all will.". Comcast, the company that the venture became (with Mr. Aaron and Mr. Brodsky as its first two employees), has 27.2 million subscribers and produced $68.8 billion in revenue in 2014, the company said. mother. Inquirer staff writer Harold Brubaker and former staff writer Thomas J. Brady contributed to this article. There was plenty of room to give the son a shot. He came home each weeknight at 7 p.m. and left his briefcase by the door, along with business cares. 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