James Loper
James Leaders Loper (September 4, 1931 – July 8, 2013) was an American television executive who co-founded KCET in 1964 and served as Executive Director of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences from 1983 to 1999.
Life and career
Loper was born to John Loper and Ellen Leaders in Phoenix, Arizona, on September 4, 1931.[1] He obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism from Arizona State University in 1953 and his master's degree from the University of Denver in 1957.[1] He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1959 to begin his doctoral studies at the University of Southern California (USC), which he finished in 1967.[1] He then taught as a faculty member at USC.[1]
Loper co-founded KCET, a PBS affiliate in Los Angeles, during the early 1960s as an affiliate of National Educational Television.[2][1] He was working on his doctorate at the University of Southern California at the time of KCET's launch in 1964.[2] Loper became KCET's first director of education from 1964 to 1966.[2] He became the President and General Manager from 1966 to 1971, before serving as the President KCET from 1971 until 1983.[2][1]
Loper then served as the Executive Director of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which holds the Emmy Awards, from 1984 until 1999.[2] Under Loper, the Emmy Awards were expanded to include nominees from cable television in 1988.[2][1] Loper oversaw the creation of the Archive of American Television, which interviews and archives notable people from the history of television.[2] Loper was also responsible for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences's relocation to its current headquarters in North Hollywood, California.[2]
James Loper died at his home in Pasadena, California, on July 8, 2013, at the age of 81.[2] He was survived by his wife, former Los Angeles Times columnist Mary Lou Loper, and two children, Elizabeth Serhan and James L. Loper Jr.[1]