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Obituaries : WINTER D. HORTON JR., 1929 - 2009 : Co-founder of L.A.’s KCET

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Winter D. Horton Jr., a broadcasting pioneer who co - founded KCET-TV in Los Angeles, helped shape the nation’s public television programming in the 1960s and later was appointed to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s board of directors, died of natural causes Thursday in Pasadena. He was 80.

Born June 2, 1929, in San Gabriel and educated at the Midland School in Los Olivos, Calif., and Pomona College in Claremont, Horton got his first taste of show business at 19 as a gofer for his uncle, stage and screen actor Edward Everett Horton.

Winter Horton began his television career at KFSD, an NBC affiliate in San Diego, and went on to spend a decade as television producer for Benton & Bowles Advertising. But much of his career was devoted to public television, and, in 1964, he was among the co-founders of the Los Angeles public television station KCET.

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“He was very deeply involved in the early days,” said Al Jerome, president and chief executive of KCET, who called Horton “forceful, but always a pleasure to deal with.”

From 1965 to 1970, Horton served as vice president for development at National Educational Television, forerunner to the Public Broadcasting Service. In 1972 and 1973, Horton worked as a consultant for the Children’s Television Workshop, producers of “Sesame Street.”

Horton also founded and served as president of Centre Films Inc., producing films, videos and documentaries for PBS and commercial networks in the 1970s and ‘80s.

“I first met Winter back in the ‘70s, when I was working for the Osmonds,” said U.S. Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah), referring to the family singing group from Utah. “He became a consultant to the Osmonds and we became very good friends very quickly.”

When Bennett took over the top job at Salt Lake City-based Franklin Quest (now FranklinCovey), Horton signed on as vice president of marketing for the business tools company. And when Bennett won his Senate seat in the early 1990s, Horton became first his communications director and later his special projects director.

In 1997, with Bennett’s encouragement, President Clinton appointed Horton to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes federal funds to hundreds of public television and radio stations nationwide.

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At his Senate confirmation hearing, Horton crossed swords with U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) over the propriety of advertising on PBS. Horton opposed it.

“I can’t imagine Sesame Street’s Count von Count ‘selling’ anything but numbers, or Fred Rogers ‘selling’ anything but the concept of ‘you are a very special person,’ ” Horton was quoted as saying.

“Even though McCain was controlling his confirmation, he was willing to be forthcoming in his positions,” Bennett recalled.

McCain decided not to block Horton’s confirmation, noting his extensive experience. Horton served until 2002, and joined KCET as a board member in 2006.

“He just never lost the passion for it,” Jerome said.

Horton, who lived in Pasadena and spent summers at Lake George, N.Y., is survived by his wife of 52 years, Carol; a son, Winter W. Horton of Pasadena; two daughters, Katherine Safford of Pasadena and Sarah Anderson of Honokaa, Hawaii; and five grandchildren.

Plans for a private service are pending. The family suggests that any donations go to the Midland School or to KCET.

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chris.reynolds@latimes.com

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