Slater died April 24 at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. He had been residing at a nearby assisted-living facility and also was battling bone cancer. His son, David Slater, announced the news on Facebook.
Slater began his TV career in 1961 as the head usher for The Jackie Gleason Show on CBS and rose through the ranks to become head of production for CBS News. In that role, he often could be seen sitting behind Walter Cronkite as he anchored CBS Evening News.
While at PBS in 1974, the Bronx native was key in the its move to air the Senate Watergate hearings in primetime, helping to build the pubcaster’s national profile. He would continue helping to drive PBS’ development while working for WETA/Washington from 1975-89. He and CEO Ward Chamberlain built the small outlet into a big-time operation that produced some of PBS’ staple programs.
