Steven J. Ross was born Steven J. Rechnitz on April 5, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were poor Jewish immigrants whose fortunes were to be worsened with the onset of the Great Depression. His father changed the family’s name from Rechnitz to Ross in order to broaden his prospects for a job. To help the family, Steven did odd-jobs such as carrying groceries and collecting laundry. After a brief service in the Navy, and two years’ attendance at Paul Smith’s College in upstate New York, he married Carol Rosenthal. He went to work in his father-in-law’s funeral parlor in Manhattan.

After his initial success, Ross started a rent-a-car company, which he combined with the funeral parlors, another rental company, and an office-cleaning business. The company that ran these enterprises was called Kinney. In 1969, Kinney bought the Warner-Seven Arts film studio for $400 million. Ross would later rename it Warner Communications. In 1971, he branched out into cable television, a new and risky venture in the days when the “Big Three” networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) dominated the market share. Warner would come to develop such successful and revolutionary cable stations such as MTV and Nickelodeon. He lavishly rewarded his employees with incentive-based compensation, and his management style allowed those under him the freedom to develop projects without significant interference.

Warner, despite these successes, would suffer financial setbacks during the 1980s, including a proposed takeover bid by Rupert Murdoch. Warner’s fortunes were to have been improved by its merger with media giant Time, Inc. The deal matched Time’s publishing and music holdings with Warner’s entertainment businesses. After some early setbacks, Time-Warner started showing signs of success in the early 1990s. In 1991, Time-Warner’s net income was around $1.1 billion. Its holding included the following: Warner Brother’s film, television, and music divisions; Atlantic, Elektra, and Asylum Records; Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Newsweek magazines; D.C. Comics, Little, Brown Publishers; Lorimar Television, HBO, Cinemax, and nation-wide cable system operators. Unfortunately, Mr. Ross’ failing health—he had prostate cancer—would prevent him from overseeing Time-Warner’s most successful years. He died from complications of the cancer on December 20, 1992. He was survived by his third wife, Courtney Sale Ross, and his three children. He was remembered as a talented businessman with a gift for helping others.