George Faber, a newsman, publicist and executive who spent a company record 50 years at CBS and corporate sibling Viacom, passed away March 11 in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles. He was 89.
Faber began his career at age 18 as an engineer and radio station announcer at WMFD in Wilmington, N.C. He then moved to Chicago to work for NBC, ABC and then CBS.
Responsible for Midwest news at Chicago CBS station WBBM-TV, Faber’s crew produced a report on the lack of fire alarms in schools after a 1958 blaze at Our Lady of Angeles School took the lives of almost 100 people. That led to a national movement to protect schoolchildren and an Emmy Award.
Later, Faber moved to Los Angeles and became a director of client relations at CBS, managing a variety of activities, including public relations and international syndication. He took the cast of The Carol Burnett Show to Australia for the opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973, entertained foreign buyers when they visited L.A., and worked to get stories about CBS shows printed overseas.
Through the years, he was involved in more than 80 television programs, including Rawhide, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Roseanne, The Cosby Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Hanna-Barbera cartoons and programs that ran on Nick-At-Night.
In May 1996, Viacom/CBS celebrated his half-century with the company.
Survivors include children Kathie Diane, Michael William and Patricia Dawn; son-in-laws Barry and Raymond and daughter-in-law Carol; grandchildren Robert, Sean, Chris, Nick, Alisa, Alex, Mathew, Sarah and Jacob; granddaughter-in-laws Jennifer, Elise and Helen; great granddaughters Sydney, Emma and Aine; great grandson Noah; and future great granddaughter Esme.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on March 21 at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica.
