Anthony Malara, 69; Former President of a CBS-TV Division

Anthony Malara, 69, a former president of the affiliate relations division of CBS Television, died Thursday at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia after having a heart attack.

Born in Watertown, N.Y., Malara attended Syracuse University before starting his career as the general manager of TV and radio at WWNY in Syracuse in 1957.

In 1978, he was recruited by CBS and became a network vice president responsible for the affiliates. In 1981, he was promoted to vice president and general manager of the network. In 1988, he was named president of the affiliate relations division.

Malara retired in 1996 after the network suffered a defection of several key affiliates to Fox.

After leaving CBS, he formed a consulting firm whose clients included the PAX Television Network and Telemundo. He later founded Malara Broadcasting, which owned television stations in several small markets.