CBS Legend Dies After ‘a Long Illness’: Carol Altieri Was 76

CBS legend Carol Altieri has died.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the long-time executive passed away on Aug. 9 at her Palm Desert, California home after “a long illness.”

Altieri was born on Nov. 14, 1948, in Queens, New York, per Desert Sun, and grew up in Long Island. After graduating from high school in 1966, she attended music school for two years. She later decided to enroll in secretarial school. Altieri first joined CBS in 1969 as an executive assistant in the network’s C-suite. During that time, the network was nicknamed “The Tiffany Network” due to its high-quality and aesthetically discerning programming under William S. Paley’s leadership.

In 1974, Altieri was promoted to editor and became senior editor in the network’s program practices department in 1977. She moved to Los Angeles in 1982 after becoming the director of program practices, which makes sure that programming meets broadcast standards. In 1984, Altieri was promoted to VP, leading the department for over 20 years and rising to senior VP level in 2003. During her time in the department, she wrote CBS’ program standards manual, a seminal document guiding content evaluation. The manual is still in use today.

Altieri retired in 2005 and previously testified before Congress to help protect the TV business’ First Amendment rights from government overreach, also working with special interest groups and industry task forces to protect the First Amendment rights. Additionally, Altieri wrote for and lectured at UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.

As of now, it’s unknown what illness Alteri had or how long she had it, but what is known is that CBS’ program practices have not been the same since she was at the helm. She’s made an impact on the network and will leave a lasting legacy. Although she never married, she had a love for cats, often adopting strays. She also cherished her nieces and nephews and was close to her four first cousins. She is survived by her sister, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandniece, and grandnephews. Donations in Altieri’s honor can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Wounded Warriors Project.

As Altieri said, “All in all, not too bad for a dropout who had more faith in herself than in a sheepskin.”