Chet Collier, longtime colleague, mentor, and close friend of Roger Ailes and Fox News, has passed away. He had a good long life--no make that a great long life, full of achievement for himself, and even more full of kindness for others.
Born in 1927, "Chet," as everyone called him, had a crusty exterior, but he was much beloved in the world of TV. His career reached back to the 50s, when he started working with talent that included Regis Philbin, Steve Allen, Merv Griffin and David Frost; along the way, he won seven Emmys and a Peabody.
But even that resume understates Chet's true impact on The Cable Game. As the #2 exec at Fox in its formative first years--he semi-retired to Florida, sources remind The Cable Gamer, in 2000, although he continued to monitor FNC till the very end--Chet was involved in every aspect of FNC over the last 11 years, with a particular emphasis on the on-air "look" of the channel.
But at the same time, Chet was philosophical and reflective; he was always willing to take time to explain some detail about television, especially when it came to making the presentation more interesting and useful to the viewer. In keeping with his roots in the drama department at Emerson College, was truly a showman, a man of the theater, in the best sense of the word. (One of Chet's other passions was dogs, and dog shows; he was a big domo, too, at the Westminster Kennel Club, and was always ready, after hours, to discuss the finer points of breeding, or dog showing.)
And oh, by the way, Chet, born in Boston, was a Democrat, and something of a liberal, too. He never sought to impose his personal beliefs on the air, of course, on the channel--that was part of the Fox code, that Chet helped to formulate. And enforce, in the name of fairness & balance.
Michele Greppi offers a nice obit,, adding some insider stuff here:
In an internal e-mail Wednesday, Mr. Ailes wrote: “He had been battling illness for a while and when I went to see him for two days over the 4th of July week, he was still watching the Fox News Channel every hour of the day. He was also still giving me good advice. He loved Fox News and was very proud of the accomplishments here. He never took any credit for himself, but we couldn’t have accomplished everything we did without him. I do not know any more details at the moment, but I believe next month we’ll put together a memorial service here in New York. My condolences to his wife, Dottie, and his family.”
