Edmund Albert Chester Sr. (June 22, 1897 – October 14, 1973) was an American television executive. He served as a vice president and executive at the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

radio and television networks during the 1940s. As Director of Latin American Relations he collaborated with the

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs ...

to develop CBS's "La Cadena de Las Americas" radio network in support of

Pan-Americanism Pan-Americanism is a movement that seeks to create, encourage, and organize relationships, an association (a Union), and cooperation among the states of the Americas, through diplomatic, political, economic, and social means. The term Pan-Amer ...

during World War II.''Dissonant Divas In Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda''
Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 pp. 152 -157 Edmund Chester and "La Cadena De Las Americas" on google.books.com He also served as a highly respected journalist and Bureau Chief for Latin America at

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

and Vice President at La Prensa Asociada in the 1930s.''Time'', June 1, 1942''Current Biographical Yearbook Volume 2''. H. W. Wilson Co. New York, 1941 p. 148 Edmund A. Chester CBS Director of Foreign Broadcasting - biography on books.google
/ref> He was awarded the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes National Order of Merit by the government of Cuba in recognition of his efforts to foster greater understanding between the peoples of Cuba and the United States of America.''Beyond the Black and White TV: Asian and Latin American Spectacle in Cold War America''. Han, Benjamin M. Rutgers University Press, 2022 La Cadena de las Americas, Edmund Chester, William S. Paley and the Carlos Manuel De Cespedes National Order of Merit on Google Books
/ref>

Biography

During the course of a journalistic career which ranged over two decades, he assumed a central role in the development of a viable international radio transmission network linking the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

with the developing nations of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

for the

network from 1940 through 1949. As Director of Short Wave Broadcasts for

he supervised the creation of this vast shortwave service which was widely known throughout South America as the Network of the Americas (La Cadena de las Americas).''In All His Glory: the Life And Times of William S. Paley''
Salley Bedell Smith. Random House. New York, 2002 See Chapter 18 William S. Paley, CBS, Edmund A. Chester on books.google

Associated Press

Prior to accepting William S. Paley's invitation to join the CBS network, Edmund Chester served as a journalist in Latin America for the

for twenty years. He first joined the Associated Press in 1930 in Louisville, Kentucky after leaving his position at the Louisville Courier-Journal.''The New York Times'' - "Obituary: "Edmund Chester, 75, Ex-Directorate C.B.S.", October 16, 1973 p. 46 on nytimes.com
/ref> During this time he reported on several historic events including: the Lima Pan American Conference in 1938, the catastrophic earthquake in Chile during 1939 and the Havana Pan American Conference in 1940. In later years he emerged as the executive director for Associated Press' Latin America Department and Vice President of Associated Press' Latin American subsidiary ''La Presnes Asociada''.

CBS network

After joining CBS in 1940, Chester assumed the post of Vice President of the Columbia Broadcasting System and assisted

William S. Paley William Samuel Paley (September 28, 1901 – October 26, 1990) was an American businessman, primarily involved in the media, and best known as the chief executive who built the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from a small radio network into o ...

and high level diplomats from

in the development of the intricate broadcast standards which would serve as the foundations for this vital information link during the turbulent

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

era. He also collaborated with his counterparts in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

during the post World War II era in order to coordinate the creation of new technical broadcast standards and the expansion of the broadcast network which linked the two continents. His endeavors were not limited to the technical development of

' worldwide broadcasting capabilities. As

' Director of Latin American Relations Mr. Chester worked in concert with the

, the United States

Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, later known as the Office for Inter-American Affairs, was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation (Pan-Americanism) during the 1940s, especially in commercial and econ ...

(OCIAA) and

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

while supervising the development of news and cultural programming for live broadcasts to North America and Latin America from the CBS broadcast studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.''Time'' - Radio: La Cadena, June 1, 194
William S. Paley, La Cadena de las Americas on Content.time.com
/ref> These imaginative cultural initiatives served to foster benevolent diplomatic relations and high level cultural exchanges throughout South America as part of President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

's support for

and

cultural diplomacy Cultural diplomacy is a type of soft power that includes the "exchange of ideas, information, art, language and other aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding". The purpose of cultural diplomac ...

during the 1940s. Popular programs such as ''

Viva America Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Energy, an Australian petroleum company * Viva Entertainment, a Philippine media company * Viva Films, a Philippine film comp ...

'' showcased professional musical talent of the highest caliber in live concert while preserving cultural authenticity and were supervised by the Department of State and the Office of Inter-American Affairs during the tenure of

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...

.''The New York Times'', January 18, 1942, pg. 27''The New York Times'', November 5, 1983, pg. 34 Chester presented prominent musicians from both North America and South America for extended appearances on these broadcasts. Included among these performing artists were

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the e ...

(American (orchestral conductor));

Juan Arvizu Juan Nepomuceno Arvizu Santelices (known as Juan Arvizu; May 22, 1900 – November 19, 1985), was an acclaimed lyric tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of the Latin American bolero and tango on the international concert stage, on the radio an ...

( Mexican "Tenor with the Silken Voice

Nestor Mesta Chayres, Nestor Mesta Chaires ( Mexican tenor aka "El Gitano De Mexico");

Eva Garza Eva Garza (May 11, 1917 – November 1, 1966) was a Mexican-American singer and film actress who acquired international recognition in the 1940s and 1950s during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She collaborated on live radio shows and films wit ...

( Mexican songstress);

Terig Tucci Terig Tucci (June 23, 1897 – February 28, 1973) was an Argentine composer, orchestrator, conductor, violinist, pianist, and mandolinist. He was a leading advocate of music for the tango in the United States who collaborated with the singer ...

(

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

composer/arranger); John Serry, Sr. (American concert accordionist/composer),

Elsa Miranda Elsa M. Miranda (14 February 1922 – 27 April 2007) was a noted Puerto Rican singer who was featured on radio and television in the United States during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1940s. As a naturalized Argentinian, she was also active as ...

(Puerto Rican vocalist), the

Los Panchos Originally, Trio Los Panchos were a '' trío romántico'' formed in New York City in 1944 by Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and the Puerto Rican Hernando Avilés. The trio became one of the leading exporters of the bolero and the romantic balla ...

Trio, Manuolita Arriola (1946) and members of the CBS Pan American Orchestra. By recruiting some of the best entertainment talent from throughout the hemisphere, Chester hoped to present an image of the American people as soulful romantics rather than mere "cogs in the national industrial machine", while also providing accurate and timely news programming. As World War II evolved, the shortwave broadcasts which were transmitted over Chester's "La Cadena de Las Americas" grew in popularity and scope throughout Latin America. Initially broadcasts only lasted for seven hours each day. By 1945, Chester successfully developed the network to broadcast high quality entertainment and news programming over 114 affiliated radio stations in twenty Latin American nations. In 1945, Chester also emerged as a Producer for the CBS broadcast of "Program of the Three Americas" which showcased the music of such noted American composers as: Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers on the La Cadena de Las Americas network. The broadcast illustrated Chester's collaboration with Alfredo Antonini (Conductor), Wendell Adams (Director) and Harry Kramer (Commentator).Edmund A. Chester on World Cat.org
/ref> In later years, Mr. Chester emerged as the director of news, special events and sports for the

Television Network A television broadcaster or television network is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television show, television content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations, pay television providers or ...

(1948). During this period he assumed a central role in coordinating the integration of the vast CBS radio network with the evolving television division. In 1949, Chester also collaborated with one of the original Murrow Boys

Larry LeSueur Laurence Edward LeSueur (June 10, 1909 – February 5, 2003) was an American journalist and a war correspondent during World War II. He worked closely with Edward R. Murrow and was one of the original Murrow Boys. Early life LeSueur was born o ...

, the media advisor Lyman Bryson and Benjamin V. Cohen (United Nations Assistant Secretary General) in yet another imaginative journalistic endeavor for CBS. In the course of supervising historic live television coverage of the proceedings of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

and the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

from

Lake Success, New York Lake Success is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The populat ...

on the broadcast series "United Nations in Action" in November 1949, Mr. Chester demonstrated an enduring commitment to the lofty professional standards for excellence in broadcasting which served as the hallmark of the entire

network for decades to come."United Nations In Action" on peabodyawards.com
/ref> The series of broadcasts was honored with the

George Foster Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in ...

for Television News in 1949. As a new decade began, Chester collaborated once again with leading journalists at CBS Radio including:

Edward R. Murrow Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American Broadcast journalism, broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broa ...

and

Eric Sevareid Arnold Eric Sevareid (November 26, 1912 – July 9, 1992) was an American author and CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977. He was one of a group of elite war correspondents who were hired by CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and nicknamed " Murr ...

in a discussion of the major news developments of the year on the broadcast "Challenge of the 50's Years of Crisis" in 1951.

Politics

Following his retirement from CBS in 1952, Chester served as a consultant on economic and foreign affairs to his friend

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (born Rubén Zaldívar; January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...

in Cuba.''Foreign Affairs'' Book Review of "A Sergeant Named Batista" by Henry L. Roberts April 1954 on foreign affairs.com
/ref> Earlier in 1938, he reported on Batista's proclaimed vision for the preservation of democracy in Cuba. Subsequently, in 1954, Chester completed a more comprehensive biography which outlined Batista's rise from a sergeant in the army to the leadership of the Cuban government. Following

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

's successful rise to power in 1959, Batista's

military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...

of 1952-1959 collapsed, and Edmund Chester joined the ranks of thousands of other American citizens and companies whose investments on the island were abruptly seized by Cuba's new Ministry of Ill-Gotten Goods.

Death

Edmund Chester died at the age of 75 on October 14, 1973, in Mount Dora, Florida. He was survived by his wife Enna and their four children.

Works

* ''A Sergeant Named Batista'' (New York, NY: Henry Holt & Company, 1954)

Awards

In recognition of his efforts to foster better relations between the peoples of Cuba and the United States of America, Chester was awarded the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes National Order of Merit (1943) by the government of Cuba - its highest civilian honor.

References

External links

WorldCat.org Library holdings for Edmund A. ChesterGettyImages.com Photographs of Edmund Chester
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester, Edmund A. American television executives American male journalists 1897 births 1973 deaths American radio executives CBS executives Journalists from New York City