David Kohler, Former CNN VP and General Counsel, Dies at 56

By ( Broadcasting & Cable ) published

David Kohler, 56, former senior VP and general counsel for CNN, died of cancer Oct. 15, according to a posting on the Web site of the Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.

Most recently, Kohler was a law professor there and director of the Donald E. Biederman Entertainment and Law Institute, where he taught First Amendment and mass media law and oversaw a number of related programs.

Kohler joined TBS in 1991 and was named general counsel of CNN five years later.

Kohler was also a partner in the Richmond, Va. firm of Christian and Barton, where he represented cable and broadcast clients.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.