Obituary

John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/22/2001

Tom Paro, veteran broadcaster and communications association executive, died Jan. 11 at the age of 77.

Paro, who retired as president of the Association of Maximum Service Telecasters (AMST) in 1988, began his career with Mutual Broadcasting in Chicago in 1948. In 1955, Paro joined NBC Spot Sales in New York as an account executive. In 1960, he moved to Washington as director of sales for NBC-owned WRC-TV . He was named station manager in 1962, then moved to New York as station manager of WNBC(TV) in 1966. He returned to Washington in 1969 as VP and GM of WRC-TV ; was named VP, special projects, NBC station relations, in 1976. He then joined AMST in 1977 as executive VP. He was named president of AMST in 1978. At his retirement, Paro said: "The greatest compliment for me is to be called a broadcaster. As an epitaph, I suppose this ain't bad."

Paro recently had been discharged from Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Md., where he was being treated for pneumonia. He also had Parkinson's disease. Paro is survived by his wife, Jan Miller Paro; a brother, Alan F.; sons Daniel and Jeffery; daughter Kathleen Wieliczko; and stepchildren Kristine Miller McGehee and Kent I. Miller.