Remembering Ted Bergmann

We're sad to learn of the passing of Television and Advertising Executive Ted Bergmann, who died on March 2, 2014 at the age of 93. Bergmann started his career as an NBC page, but soon went to work in advertising sales for DuMont, eventually becoming Managing Director of the Broadcast Division. He sold DuMont's Life Is Worth Living (with Bishop Fulton Sheen), Life Begins at Eighty, and Cavalcade of Stars, among other programs, and negotiated DuMont's deals for carrying live boxing and NFL games. Bergmann left DuMont to work for McCann Erickson, left McCann for Parkson Advertisting Agency, and then started his own program packaging company, Charter Producers Corporation. He created and produced The Best on Record specials (the precursor to The Grammy Awards shows) and also produced the hit sitcom Three's Company.

Below are some selections from his 2004 Archive Interview:

On the DuMont show, Life Begins at Eighty:

On casting John Ritter on Three's Company:

On the road to televising The Grammy Awards:

On his legacy in television:

Watch Ted Bergmann's full Archive Interview and read his obituary in Deadline.