Elton H. Rule (June 13, 1917-May 5, 1990) was an American television executive and former president of the

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...

. Assuming the presidency at a time when ABC was a distant third in the Nielsen ratings, Rule is credited with greatly expanding network revenue, ratings, affiliates and profits. He is also credited with developing the miniseries, beginning with an adaptation of ''

QB VII ''QB VII'' by Leon Uris is a dramatic courtroom novel published in 1970. The four-part novel highlights the events leading to a libel trial in the United Kingdom. The novel was Uris's second consecutive #1 ''New York Times'' Best Seller and th ...

'' in 1974 and including the landmark ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'' in 1977. Rule served as network president from 1972 to 1983. Elton Rule died of cancer at his Beverly Hills, California home in 1990.

References

1917 births 1990 deaths American Broadcasting Company executives Presidents of the American Broadcasting Company {{US-tv-bio-stub