Richard William Jencks (1921 – June 30, 2014) was an American television executive, lawyer, former president of the CBS Broadcast Group, and former member of

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 ...

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

. He retired from his position as Corporate Vice President of CBS in 1976. Jencks was also a former president of the Alliance of Television and Film Producers, or ATFP, which is now called the

Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is a trade association based in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, that represents over 350 American television and film production companies in collective bargaining negotia ...

Early life and education

Jencks, a fourth generation Californian, was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, in 1921. As a child, he vacationed during the summer at Fallen Leaf Lake near

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

, where his family had opened a resort (present-day Stanford Sierra Camp). He initially enrolled at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, but left to join the

U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

during

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 ...

. He served as a commanding officer for several harbor defense vessels, which placed

anti-submarine net An anti-submarine net or anti-submarine boom is a boom placed across the mouth of a harbour or a strait for protection against submarines. Net laying ships would be used to place and remove the nets. The US Navy used anti-submarine nets in the ...

s and

torpedo net Torpedo nets were a passive ship defensive device against torpedoes. They were in common use from the 1890s until the Second World War. They were superseded by the anti-torpedo bulge and torpedo belts. Origins With the introduction of the Whit ...

throughout the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

and the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

during the war. He enrolled at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

after the war, where he earned both his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

(1946) and his

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...

(1948).

Career

Following law school, Jencks joined the

National Association of Broadcasters The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a Industry trade group, trade association and lobbying, lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, broadcasters in th ...

(NAB) in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

as an associate

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

. He then moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where he became West Coast Resident Attorney for CBS, Inc. He later left CBS to become president of the Alliance of Television and Film Producers. While working in Los Angeles, Jencks became the first president of the West Pasadena Residents' Association (WPRA), serving in 1962–1963. He also served on the Pasadena City Council. Jencks returned to CBS as the television network's general counsel and was later named president of the CBS Broadcast Group, which included

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

CBS Television Network 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 ...

CBS Radio Network CBS News Radio, formerly known as CBS Radio News and historically known as the CBS Radio Network, is a radio network that provides news to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by Paramount Global. It ...

Cinema Center Films Cinema Center Films (CCF) was the theatrical film production company of the CBS Television Network from 1967 to 1972. Its films were distributed by National General Pictures. The production unit was located at CBS Studio Center in the Studio City ...

, and the television and radio stations owned by CBS. When CBS became the target of accusations of excessive depictions of sex and violence by the Nixon administration during the early 1970s, Jencks, who was a CBS corporate vice president at the time, flew to Washington to defend the broadcast network against the allegations. He remained in Washington, D.C. until his retirement in 1976. Jencks was appointed a

distinguished visiting professor Professors in the United States commonly occupy any of several positions of teaching and research within a college or university. In the U.S., the word "professor" is often used to refer to anyone who teaches at a college of university level at ...

of communications at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

and was a founding member of the board of directors for the University of California at Berkeley Foundation. He served as well on the editorial board for the ''

Marin Independent Journal The ''Marin Independent Journal'' is the main newspaper of Marin County, California. The paper is owned by California Newspapers Partnership, which is in turn mostly owned by MediaNews Group.

''. Jencks began appearing on a weekly radio opinion show called "2 Minutes with Richard" on

KSCO KSCO (1080 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station broadcasting a talk radio radio format, format. The station is owned by Zwerling Broadcasting System, Ltd and is city of license, licensed to Santa Cruz, Californi ...

when he was 85 years old and was frequently in demand as a speaker on broadcasting and other communication subjects.

Personal life

He and his wife, Mary, resided in

Stinson Beach, California Stinson Beach is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, on the west coast of the United States. Stinson Beach is located east-southea ...

, for fifteen years before moving to nearby

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mill Valley is lo ...

. Jencks died on June 30, 2014, at the age of 93. He was survived by his wife; two children, Michael Reynolds Jencks and Nancy de Laguna Jencks and four step-children - Lynn Christopher Collins, Martha M. Barrett, Elizabeth B. Snyder, and George B. Barrett III.

Works

Remarks
to the National Association of Farm Directors, November 24, 1967 (regarding tobacco advertising and the Fairness Doctrine)
''Sumner Redstone, William S. Paley, and Other Diversions: Media moguls, then and now''
A Talk for the CBS Alumni Club, New York City, January 15, 2002
"Richard W. Jencks: Internet's entertainment threat"
Marin Independent Journal, July 20, 2006
"Why Capitol Hill Needs a Churchill Reminder"
''The Wall Street Journal'', May 10, 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jencks, Richard 1921 births 2014 deaths CBS executives American television executives California city council members Stanford Law School alumni Stanford University alumni San Diego State University faculty United States Navy personnel of World War II Lawyers from Pasadena, California People from Mill Valley, California People from Stinson Beach, California 20th-century American lawyers United States Navy officers Military personnel from California