Jay Rodriguez, a former vice president of corporate information West Coast for NBC, died Wednesday of congestive heart failure in Palm Desert, California. He was 92.
A native of La Verne, California, Rodriguez graduated from Mt. San Antonio Community College, then worked for 13 years in the advertising department at the Pomona Progress Bulletin.
After leaving the newspaper in 1963, he was part-owner and manager of three Inland Empire dining establishments, including the Royal Tahitian in Ontario, which hosted live performances from the likes of Ray Charles, Martha & the Vandellas, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, The Righteous Brothers, Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory and Sonny & Cher.
Rodriguez joined KNBC's Community Relations Department in 1969, eventually becoming manager of press & community relations for the Los Angeles station. He was promoted to his vp post in 1979, responsible for corporate and media relations and communications with industry, government and special interest groups.
