Henry Siegel, Pioneer of Television Syndication, Dies at 85

Over his 40-year professional career, he helped launch the MTV Video Music Awards and the ESPYs, and was behind the highly anticipated 1987 TV special "Return to the Titanic."

Henry Siegel, a syndication specialist who emceed live television events including the MTV Video Music Awards, the ESPY Awards and a special on the hit 1987 film Return to the Titanic, has died. He was 85 years old.

Siegel died Monday at his home in Newtown, Connecticut, his son, Brian Siegel, who managed global marketing for Marvel and Star Wars consumer products at The Walt Disney Company, told The Hollywood Reporter.

After decades at Gray Advertising in New York, Siegel founded Lexington Broadcasting Services in 1976 and pioneered syndicated television syndication, an advertiser-supported model in which a program is shown to a station for free or at low cost in exchange for a portion of commercial time.

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At LBS, he and his twin brother, Paul, also produced, distributed and/or created the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984 and the first ESPY Awards for ESPN in 1993.

A list of 10 live events they presented included Return to the Titanic, a syndicated special hosted by Telly Savalas that revealed the (disappointing) contents of a salvaged ship after two hours of production.

The brothers also produced and distributed the shows Fame, Family Feud, and Baywatch, and children's television series such as Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Inspector Gadget.

In 1988, Siegel and Warburg's investment firm Pincus Capital bought Gary's interest in LBS.

Siegels launched Seagull Entertainment in 1994, then merged the television production and distribution company with Kaleidoscope Entertainment and Sports to form Kaleidoscope Media Group two years later. Henry Siegel served as chairman and CEO through the 1997 IPO.

KMG sold its sports business to the Interpublic Group of Companies in 1998 after creating GM Event Works, a joint venture with General Motors, IPG's largest client.

Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Siegel began his career as head of media at Gray Advertising and was named by Advertising Age as one of the 50 pioneers of the first 50 years of television for his expertise in syndicated exchanges.

In 2001, he assisted his father-in-law, popular New York sportscaster Bill Mizer, in moving his sports talk radio show to Whitney's two broadcast stations in Westchester, and also helped market the three-hour-a-day show.

Also that year, he and his brother ventured into boxing by investing in a group of fighters promoted by Banner Promotions and producing a series of bouts for ESPN.

Survivors include his wife, Fran; his children, Brian, Mickey, Scott and Lee; and his brothers Paul and Aryeh.