John Gould; Pioneer TV, Radio Critic

John Ludlow Gould, a pioneering television and radio critic who wrote under the byline Jack Gould for the New York Times, has died in Concord, Calif. He was 79.

He died Monday at a convalescent home of complications from a gallbladder infection, said his son, Lewis.

Gould worked as a reporter, commentator and critic covering broadcasting from 1944 to 1972 and is widely believed to have been one of the most influential television critics during the industry’s early years.

The many honors he received during his career included a George Polk memorial award in 1953, a Page One award in 1953 and the Peabody award in 1957, which cited his “fairness, objectivity and authority as a critic.”

He broke a number of exclusive stories, including quiz show scandals and plans for new shows.

Gould believed that his finest hour came during the Suez crisis in 1956 when he criticized networks for running game shows instead of broadcasting the U.N. Security Council proceedings live.

When Steve Allen launched the “Tonight Show” in 1954, Gould noted that the job was “an assignment to tax the durability of any personality.” He greeted Lucille Ball’s classic series by writing: “An extraordinary discipline and intuitive understanding of farce give ‘I Love Lucy’ an engaging lilt.” And he dismissed the phenomenon named Elvis shaking up “The Ed Sullivan Show” by writing, “Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability.”

Besides his son, Lewis, of Austin, Tex., Gould is survived by two other sons, Richard of Berkeley and Robert of Kansas City, Mo., and three grandchildren. His wife, Carmen, died in 1991.