[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 6, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING RALPH M. BARUCH

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                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 6, 2011

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Ralph M. Baruch, 
who will receive the WNET Distinguished Service Award, and to honor his 
pivotal role in American broadcast media.
  Ralph Baruch has led a truly remarkable life. Born in Frankfurt, 
Germany, he fled as a young child from Nazi Germany to Paris. He again 
sought exile from France during the war and on a three-month journey 
through France he heroically transported his grandmother over the 
Pyrenees Mountains.
  From an early age, Ralph understood the vital power of the free media 
to ensure a just and fair world. Following his immigration to the 
United States in 1940, Mr. Baruch began his long and distinguished 
career in communications in radio then joined the DuMont Television 
Network in 1950. As television became a force in the American 
lifestyle, he began a long stint at CBS in 1954, then co-founded Viacom 
International Inc. and served as President and CEO from 1971 to 1983. 
During his tenure, he played a role in establishing or acquiring some 
of the most popular cable networks in the nation including Lifetime, 
MTV, Nickelodeon, The Movie Channel, and VH-1.
  Events during Ralph's formative years were perhaps the most poignant 
in history in demonstrating the influence of media and the suppression 
of information on society. Perhaps that is why he sought to ensure an 
open government and freedom of the press throughout his career, 
including by co-founding C-SPAN. He believed strongly in the public's 
right to a real-time connection to our government's proceedings and in 
the responsibility of our citizens to actively participate in our 
government. C-SPAN has grown to provide unprecedented unedited coverage 
of government events throughout the nation as well as cultural and 
educational opportunities, like literary discussions and materials for 
teachers and students.
  Mr. Baruch has already been honored with numerous awards for his 
leadership including an induction into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2006, 
cable television industry's highest honor, the Vanguard Award, their 
Chairman of the Year Award, and the International Radio & Television 
Society's Gold Medal.
  Mr. Baruch has also donated his time to a number of important 
positions in his community to support public television and to promote 
the history of broadcast media. He served as vice chairman of Carnegie 
Hall, a Trustee of the Museum of Television and Radio, and a member of 
the New York City Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission under former 
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. He currently serves on the board of Thirteen 
and as a Trustee of Lenox Hill Hospital.
  Mr. Baruch has balanced his distinguished career and philanthropic 
work with an equally impressive family life. He and his wife Jean have 
four daughters, Eve Baruch, Renee Baruch, Alice Baruch, M.D., and 
Michele Baruch Jeffery. Mr. Baruch is the author of an autobiography, 
Television Tightrope--How I Escaped Hitler, Survived CBS and Fathered 
Viacom, published in April 2007.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring a national broadcast 
media icon, Mr. Ralph Baruch.

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