KSWB GM Schonbak Has Died

Ray Schonbak, KSWB San Diego VP and general manager, passed away Nov. 20. The local TV veteran had battled cancer and was 70.

Schonbak was born in Pittsburgh and served two combat tours in Vietnam as a green beret. His broadcast career started in Portland, Maine, and his employers in local TV over the years include General Electric, Metromedia and News Corp. He also held corporate roles as group VP at Benedek and president at Emmis, among others. He came to Tribune's KSWB in 2008.

Schonbak is survived by Deborah, his wife of 41 years.

"Ray was respected by all who met him and will be fondly remembered by his many colleagues, co-workers and friends who proudly worked with him these many years," said KSWB in a statement.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.