TV One'sfirst general counsel, John Jones, died Sunday night of an apparent heart attack.
Jones, 38, most recently was vice president, general counsel and assistant secretary of Radio One, but he formally joined TV One as legal counsel in August 2003 and was named senior VP and general counsel of TV One soon after the African-American-targeted network's launch in January 2004. He rejoined Radio One as general counsel in December 2004.
At TV One, he was an integral part of the startup network’s senior management team, overseeing early distribution and programming agreements, among other matters.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he served as a logistics officer for fighter squadrons in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he attained the rank of captain. He also held a master’s of business administration from Webster University and a juris doctorate from the University of Maryland.
Before joining Radio One in 2001, John was an associate with law firm Cooley Goddard in Reston, Va., where he was involved in multiple transactions, including financing for public and private companies, mergers and acquisitions and venture-capital financings. Early in his career, he served as an attorney at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance.
“John played a critical role in TV One’s genesis, working tirelessly to see that TV One’s distribution and other legal agreements necessary to get a fledgling network off the ground were favorable and well-executed,” TV One CEO Johnathan Rodgers said. “He not only was a talented and hard-working executive, he was an incredibly kind and thoughtful person, someone who can truly best be described as a gentleman.”
Funeral services will be Thursday at Maple Springs Baptist Church, 4131 Belt Road, Capitol Heights, Md., 20743 (wake at 10 a.m., funeral service at 11 a.m.). There is also visitation at Reese & Sons Mortuary, 821 West Street, Annapolis, Md., Wednesday from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
