From 1984 to 1993, Klein served as president of Gateway Communications, Inc., group owner of four CBS affiliate television stations in the states of New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Prior to his association with Gateway, Klein was director of television programming for The Triangle Group, where he supervised the programming activities of Triangle’s six television stations. Among his responsibilities were the development and production of local programs as well as the purchasing of syndicated films. From 1950 until 1972, Klein served with WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) in Philadelphia in varied capacities within the programming department. He was executive producer of the popular dance show American Bandstand and of the award-winning series Frontiers of Knowledge and College News Conference, which were both telecast nationally by ABC. During his tenure at WFIL, Klein directed the development and production of many live television programs for national distribution including Here Come the Doodletown Pipers, Dear Julia Mead, and Stump the Starts. Additionally, for 14 years he produced the telecasts of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball games. In addition to his career in broadcasting, Klein has been active in the academic community. He has been a faculty member of the English Department of the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater, and holds the position of Adjunct Professor in the BTMM Department, School of Communications at Temple University in Philadelphia—having taught there for over forty-nine years. In June 1996 he was a visiting lecturer at a seminar at The Sorbonne in Paris. Klein also co-authored a textbook titled Broadcasting/Cable Programming, being widely used in broadcast courses throughout the country since 1981 and of which four subsequent updated editions have been published. Klein was a founder of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) and has served as president for both the Television and Radio Advertising Club of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Chapter of Broadcast Pioneers. Throughout his career, Klein has received numerous awards of recognition by his peers. In 1980 he received NATPE’s President Award. In 1981 Alpha Epsilon Rho, the National Honorary Broadcasting Society, presented him with its prestigious Concerned Broadcaster of the Year Award. Two other organizations have awarded Klein their prestigious Broadcaster of the Year Award: the Broadcast Pioneers Philadelphia Chapter in 1983 and the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB) in 1990. In 1993, the PAB honored Klein with its coveted Gold Metal Award. The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) presented its Distinguished Education Service Award to Klein at their Annual Convention in Las Vegas in 1996. The diversity of Mr. Klein’s interest in the community is reflected in his active participation in civic activities. He has served on several organizations’ boards of trustees including the Einstein Medical Center of Philadelphia, Rodeph Shalom, the Cheltenham Art Center, the American Heart Association, and the Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment. In 1992 he was elected president of the Corporate Alliance for Drug Education (CADE) and is currently a member of their board of directors. He served three years as chairman of the board of the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia (PAL), an organization serving over 25,000 young people in the neighborhoods of the city. In 1975 he received PAL’s Community Service Award and in May of 1997 he was a recipient of PAL’s 50 th Anniversary Award for his service to the organization. A lifelong resident of the Philadelphia area, he presently resides in Rydal Pennsylvania with his wife Janet. View More: Board Of Directors | NATPE Staff | International Contacts |
2008 Conference & Exhibition:
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Lew Klein is president of the NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) Educational Foundation. He founded the Foundation in 1978 to promote educational activities on behalf of the association. Through seminars, grants, workshops, meetings, instructional videotapes and conferences, the Foundation reaches out to NATPE members and the academic community.
