David Loxton; Award-Winning PBS TV Producer

David Loxton, a TV documentary producer whose work included “I Remember Harvey Milk,” and “The Times of Harvey Milk”--both about the slain San Francisco supervisor--and the executive producer of the “Great Performances,” “NET Playhouse” and “America Playhouse” series--all on PBS--died Wednesday.

He was 46 and had been fighting pancreatic cancer when he died at a New York City Hospital.

He joined WNET, the New York public television affiliate, in 1966 and became director of the Television Laboratory, WNET’s experimental drama unit, when it was established in 1971. There he produced “Video and Television Review,” “Gerald Ford’s America,” “Lord of the Universe,” “The Good Times Are Killing Me” and “Super Bowl.”

As administrator of the Television Laboratory he was in charge of a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts which was used to select documentary ideas for production. In a single year (1978), 885 such proposals were submitted.

Loxton made his commercial TV debut in 1976 as co-producer of the late-night NBC show “People.”

Loxton received both an Emmy and an Academy Award in 1985 for “The Times of Harvey Milk” and other Emmys for “The Police Tapes,” “Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang” and “Third Avenue: Only the Strong Survive.”

In 1985 he received an ACE, cable TV’s equivalent of the Emmy, for “Countdown to Looking Glass,” an original drama about a U.S.-Soviet confrontation.

Most recently he was director of drama for the “Great Performances” series and senior executive producer for specials, both at WNET. His critically acclaimed “Tales From the Hollywood Hills” was produced as part of the “Great Performances” series.

Survivors include his wife, Pamela, and two sons.