Jon Petrovich, a highly regarded broadcast executive who began his career as a reporter for Louisville’s WHAS, died on Thursday at the age of 63.
According to the Associated Press, Petrovich passed away following a battle with cancer and diabetes.
He began his career in 1970 at WHAS and later went on to become the news director at Baltimore’s WBAL, which won an Edward R. Murrow Award for best regional newscast during his tenure.
Petrovich’s influence on the broadcast news industry was far-reaching. He served as executive vice president of CNN for 15 years and had worked as AP’s VP for Broadcast U.S. Operations since 2007. He also spent time as the chairman of the broadcast department at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
“He was a tremendous innovator and a creative force,” former CNN president Tom Johnson told the AP.