Jon Petrovich
Encyclopedia
Jon Petrovich was an American journalist and television executive. He is credited with founding numerous enterprises for CNN
, including CNN.com, CNN Airport Network
, and CNN en Español
.
. He earned a bachelor's degree
from Indiana University
and a masters degree from the University of Alabama
.
in Louisville, Kentucky
before moving on to become assistant News Director for WDIV-TV
in Detroit, Michigan
. He was news director
at WBAL-TV
in Baltimore, Maryland and later vice president and general manager of KTVI
-TV in St. Louis, Missouri
.
Petrovich was executive vice president for CNN's Headline News (now HLN) in Atlanta, Georgia
. Ted Turner
hired him to lead Headline News in the mid-1980s. He oversaw CNN Radio and was directly involved in business development and marketing for all CNN networks. In 1994, he funded the establishment of CNN.com, and helped create CNN Airport Network
and CNN en Español
. He is widely credited with launching CNN Radio Noticias, CNN NewsSource. While executive vice president of CNN Headline News, the network incorporated factoid
s into its on-air half-hour news wheel format.
After his role at CNN, Petrovich became president of Turner Broadcasting System
Latin America
.
Petrovich was the head of international networks for Sony Television after leaving CNN. Thereafter he was Professor and Broadcast Chair at the Medill School of Journalism
at Northwestern University
. In 2007 he became the head of U.S. broadcast operations for the Associated Press
, where he oversaw the day-to-day domestic operations, working directly with AP's broadcast wire, online, radio and television operations.
from complications due to cancer and diabetes, leaving behind his wife Karen and two grown children.
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, including CNN.com, CNN Airport Network
CNN Airport Network
CNN Airport Network is a satellite television network broadcasting general news, weather, stock market updates and features to airports across North America. It is run by Turner Private Networks, a division of Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting System. The founding management was led by Jon...
, and CNN en Español
CNN en Español
CNN en Español is CNN's Spanish language news channel. On March 17, 1997, CNN launched CNN en Español, a 24-hour Spanish-language news network for the Hispanic American and United States marketplace.-Mexico programming:...
.
Biography
Petrovich was born in Gary, IndianaGary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. He earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and a masters degree from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
.
Career
Petrovich began as a reporter for WHAS-TVWHAS-TV
WHAS-TV channel 11 is the ABC affiliated television station in Louisville, Kentucky. Owned by Belo Corporation, the station's transmitter is located in Floyd County, Indiana, near the community of Floyds Knobs...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
before moving on to become assistant News Director for WDIV-TV
WDIV-TV
WDIV-TV, virtual channel 4, is an NBC-affiliated television station based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is owned by Post-Newsweek Stations and is the flagship station and home base of the group with the offices of the group located alongside WDIV's studios; the "Local" branding now...
in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He was news director
News Director
A news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
at WBAL-TV
WBAL-TV
WBAL-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11. It is one of the flagship stations of Hearst Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, which also owns sister radio stations WBAL and...
in Baltimore, Maryland and later vice president and general manager of KTVI
KTVI
KTVI, virtual channel 2, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the St. Louis, Missouri, designated market area. The station is owned by Local TV LLC, the media arm of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, under a local marketing agreement with Tribune-owned CW affiliate KPLR...
-TV in St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Petrovich was executive vice president for CNN's Headline News (now HLN) in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
hired him to lead Headline News in the mid-1980s. He oversaw CNN Radio and was directly involved in business development and marketing for all CNN networks. In 1994, he funded the establishment of CNN.com, and helped create CNN Airport Network
CNN Airport Network
CNN Airport Network is a satellite television network broadcasting general news, weather, stock market updates and features to airports across North America. It is run by Turner Private Networks, a division of Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting System. The founding management was led by Jon...
and CNN en Español
CNN en Español
CNN en Español is CNN's Spanish language news channel. On March 17, 1997, CNN launched CNN en Español, a 24-hour Spanish-language news network for the Hispanic American and United States marketplace.-Mexico programming:...
. He is widely credited with launching CNN Radio Noticias, CNN NewsSource. While executive vice president of CNN Headline News, the network incorporated factoid
Factoid
A factoid is a questionable or spurious—unverified, incorrect, or fabricated—statement presented as a fact, but with no veracity. The word can also be used to describe a particularly insignificant or novel fact, in the absence of much relevant context...
s into its on-air half-hour news wheel format.
After his role at CNN, Petrovich became president of Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
Petrovich was the head of international networks for Sony Television after leaving CNN. Thereafter he was Professor and Broadcast Chair at the Medill School of Journalism
Medill School of Journalism
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It has consistently been one of the top-ranked schools in Journalism in the United States...
at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. In 2007 he became the head of U.S. broadcast operations for the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, where he oversaw the day-to-day domestic operations, working directly with AP's broadcast wire, online, radio and television operations.
Death
Petrovich, died February 10, 2011 in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from complications due to cancer and diabetes, leaving behind his wife Karen and two grown children.