Irving B. Kahn; Teleprompter Founder, Cable TV Pioneer

Irving B. Kahn, 76, who pioneered the TelePrompTer and cable television. Named for his songwriter uncle, Irving Berlin Kahn grew up in Montclair, N.J., won a scholarship to the University of Alabama as a drum major, served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and at 27 became the youngest vice president in 20th Century Fox’s history. He left the studio in 1950 to form Teleprompter Corp., developing and marketing the device that replaced cue cards for television performers. He promoted boxing and auto races on closed-circuit television in theaters, and entered the cable television industry in 1959 when it was in its infancy. His cable company grew to be the nation’s largest in 1970--a year before he was convicted of perjury and bribing New Jersey officials. After serving 20 months in prison, Kahn made a remarkable business comeback. In 1974, he bought a 55-franchise cable system in New Jersey, which he sold to the New York Times Co. in 1981. More recently, Kahn headed Broadband Communications, a New York holding company. On Saturday in Boston of a heart attack.