Weigel Chairman Shapiro Dies

Still active with the company until his death at 86

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/24/2012 5:03:09 PM

Howard Shapiro, chairman of Weigel Broadcasting, has died. He was 86.

Shapiro remained active around headquarters prior to his death, said the company.

"A larger-than-life figure in Chicago business and broadcasting for decades, Howard guided Weigel Broadcasting from a struggling single UHF television station in Chicago, to a company with more than ten stations in three markets as well as involvement in two national broadcast networks," said Weigel in a statement.

A graduate of Purdue, Shapiro's connection with television began in 1964 when he was one of the first advertisers on WCIU, Chicago's first UHF television station. His advertisements were for C.E.T., a television retailer that he founded in 1949.

Shapiro was married to Jacqueline Cooper Shapiro, who preceded him in death in 2003. He is survived by his three sons Norman, Ken and David, daughter Caroline (Barry) Smith, and four grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.