NEW YORK, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Bob Sherman, a WNBC executive who nurtured the nascent careers of shock jocks Howard Stern and Don Imus, has died of cancer in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
The New Jersey native's son, Tate, confirmed his death at age 69 Sunday to The New York Times. The type of cancer he battled was not specified.
Sherman worked for WNBC in 1970s and 1980s, then co-founded the advertising agency Della Femina, Travisano, Sherman & Olken; helped start two radio networks that serve small markets; served as an executive at AOL-Time Warner and became chairman of the Double O Radio network in 2003, the Times noted.
"By hiring Imus and Stern, Sherman laid the foundation for shock-jock radio," Ron Simon, curator of television and radio at the Paley Center for Media, told the newspaper Wednesday.
Sherman is survived by his wife of 28 years, the former Amanda Tomalin; three sons, Tate, Luke and Scott; and three daughters, Jessica, Tess and Nell.
