Sarnoff, David (1891–1971)

Belorussian-born US broadcasting pioneer, head of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) from 1930. A telegraph operator for Marconi Wireless from 1906, he became commercial manager of the company when it was taken over by RCA in 1919. Named RCA president in 1930 and board chair in 1947, Sarnoff was an early promoter of television broadcasting during the 1940s and the first to manufacture colour sets and transmit colour programmes in the 1950s.

Born in Minsk (now in Belarus), Sarnoff immigrated with his family to New York in 1900. After studying electrical engineering at the Pratt Institute, he was hired by Marconi. In 1926 he founded the first radio network, the National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) as a broadcast subsidiary.