Other Voices on Television Tightrope

“A great read from start to intriguing finish. Baruch’s roller coaster ride through broadcasting and cable is an insider’s account of what makes television tick. An inspiring memoir.” Larry King CNN Talk Show Host

“Ralph’s fascinating tales from the financial and communications world and his personal story are the stuff of which movie thrillers are made. The Baruch story serves to remind us of how many of our leaders in so many fields are refugees from native lands plagued by tyranny... Baruch takes us inside the executive suites to show with utmost candor the tangle of personal relationships which affect corporate life.” Walter Cronkite Former CBS Anchor

“A Great American Story...from immigrant to one of the most successful corporate leaders of our time. Baruch has earned an important place in the history of American telecommunications.” Brian Lamb C-Span Founder and CEO

"Ralph is a leader of leaders, a giant in our industry. He played a major role in the spin off of Viacom from CBS, and saw his legacy come full term as Viacom bought CBS."  Sumner Redstone Executive chairman of the board, Viacom

"How wonderful it is to finally read Ralph Baruch's full account of his escape from German, the early CBS years, and the founding of Viacom...A true television legend upon whose shoulders the current industry stands."  Paula Kerger President and CEO, PBS

“He built the foundation for the entire cable industry...This anecdotal history of times past often sounds like times present. This is chock full of lessons for our industry today. For those of us who think of ourselves as pioneers, we have a lot to learn from Ralph Baruch.”

Geraldine Laybourne,
Chairman and CEO, Oxygen Media, Inc.

"...The story of [Baruch's] rise to fame and fortune in the entertainment industry is one that readers will be absorbed by."

George Cohen
American Library Association's Booklist

"I absolutely love this book."

Jacqueline Cutler
Tribune Media Services

"The book is graceful, classy, cultured and generous. Like the man himself. Although loaded with corporate intrigue from the glory days of CBS and the founding of Viacom, the reader soon discovers that Ralph Baruch’s life is even more interesting than his career. And the achingly personal Epilogue alone is worth the price of admission. His life instructs everyone who speaks into a microphone or appears in front of a television. We are all his students."

Bill Paley would have loved this book..."

William O’Shaughnessy President, Whitney Radio
Editorial Director, WVOX and WVIP New York

From Booklist

In 1933, when Baruch was nine years old, his family fled to Paris from Frankfurt, escaping growing Nazi restrictions, and in December 1940 they came to the U.S. In his fascinating memoir, Baruch tells how the family began a new life in New York City and how he got his first job in Brooklyn in a footwear factory. He describes early television and his career with DuMont, CBS, and Viacom, the growth of cable TV, the death of his first wife, and the marriage to his second wife. There is name-dropping on just about every page, but Baruch has known just about anyone of any importance. The story of his rise to fame and fortune in the entertainment industry is one that readers will be absorbed by.

George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

(Reprinted from the Spring 2006 issue of On the Air magazine, courtesy of the Broadcasters’ Foundation)