Oliver Ernest Treyz (April 23, 1918 – June 14, 1998) was an American network television executive. Treyz was best known as the racy and controversial president of the American Broadcasting Company. He was promoted from vice president to president in 1958 after the departure of

James T. Aubrey James Thomas Aubrey Jr. (December 14, 1918 – September 3, 1994) was an American television and film executive. As president of the CBS television network from 1959 to 1965, with his "smell for the blue-collar," he produced some of televi ...

. He served as network president until 1962. During his two-year tenure as vice-president and his four-year tenure as president, Treyz was responsible for the creation of several popular and memorable programs including '' Adventures in Paradise'', '' Cheyenne'', ''

Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian partner, Tom Lopaka (Robert Con ...

'', '' 77 Sunset Strip'', '' Surfside 6'', '' Maverick'', '' The Rifleman'' and '' The Untouchables''.

Early life and early career

Oliver Ernest Treyz was born on April 23, 1918 in Willowemoc, New York to Harry August Treyz (September 25, 1889–May 26, 1959) and Martha ''née'' Davey (1891–1984). Treyz graduated from Hamilton College in 1939. After graduation, Treyz began his career in broadcasting working at a small radio station in

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

. He then went to work at advertising agency BBDO. During World War II, Treyz served in the Army Air Corps. After the war, in 1948, Treyz began his association with

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

as a presentation writer for the company's radio division. On November 2, 1953, he was named Director of the ABC Radio Network. Treyz left ABC in 1954 and became the founder and first president of the Television Bureau of Advertising, a trade group for local television stations.

Tenure with ABC Television

On October 17, 1956, Treyz succeeded

Robert E. Kintner Robert E. Kintner (September 12, 1909 – December 20, 1980) was an American juggler and tennis champion who served as president of both the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Early life A nati ...

(1909–1980) as vice-president of the television division of the American Broadcasting Company. Kintner stepped down as president due to, what was termed as, "a dispute over policy". The next year on February 17, 1958, Treyz filled in and took over the seat as president of ABC. That position had been filled by Leonard Goldenson, at the time, the president of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, ABC's former parent company, who took over after the sudden departure of former network president

. During his years as president on ABC, Treyz was responsible for the creation and production of several memorable shows of that era including ''

'', '' 77 Sunset Strip'', '' Surfside 6'', '' Maverick'', '' The Rifleman'', '' The Untouchables'', '' The Real McCoys'' and '' The Flintstones''.

''Bus Stop'' and resignation

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

'' premiered on ABC in October 1961. Several memorable episodes were produced during the show's single season run. But one in particular, '' A Lion Walks Among Us'', was the end to Treyz's tenure as president of ABC. The episode originally aired on December 3, 1961. It starred teenage heartthrob Fabian Forte and the synopsis of that episode was as follows: "Fabian plays a degenerate drifter capable only of deceit, betrayal and murder. To win acquittal of one charge of murder in the town, he had an affair with the D.A.'s alcoholic wife, and then used that to blackmail the D.A. Once released he killed his own lawyers. And in a perverse 'balance of justice', the D.A.'s wife then killed him." The episode was highly criticized and caused great controversy due to its depiction and portrayal of what some called "graphic violence". The episode stirred so much controversy that 25 ABC affiliates refused to air the episode. The public outcry was so massive that, in January 1962, the Federal Communications Commission scheduled a congressional hearing to be headed by Senator

Thomas J. Dodd Thomas Joseph Dodd (May 15, 1907 – May 24, 1971) was an American attorney and diplomat who served as a United States Senator and Representative from Connecticut. He is the father of former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd and Thomas J. Dodd Jr., ...

. Neither executive producer Roy Huggins, director

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

or Goldenson were subpoenaed to the hearing. Instead, Treyz was summoned to the proceedings for his publicly known support to broadcast the episode. After an intense verbal exchange between Treyz and Dodd, the hearings eventually move on to Goldenson. The scandal brought so much shame to the network that Treyz was asked to step down from his position.

The Overmyer years

In the summer of 1966, warehouse mogul Daniel Overmyer announced plans to create a fourth television network to compete against the Big Three television networks and to take the place of the failed

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...

. The network would be called the

Overmyer Network The Overmyer Network, later the United Network, was a television network. It was intended to be a fourth television network, fourth national commercial network in the United States, competing with the Big Three television networks. The network ...

. Overmyer hired Treyz to head the new network. The Overmyer Network debuted as the United Network on May 1, 1967. Unfortunately, the network folded one month later and Treyz's chance to make a comeback also failed.

Personal life

Treyz was married to Janet Treyz. They had two sons together; Donald C. Treyz (born 1949) and James Treyz (born 1952). He was widowed. Treyz, who suffered with alcoholism later in life, moved into the Actors' Fund Retirement Home in

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which at the 2020 United States census had a population of 29,308. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from por ...

in the 1990s. Treyz died June 14, 1998 of kidney failure due to prostate cancer at the age of 80. He was survived by his two sons and two granddaughters.Obituary in Variety
/ref> He is buried with his parents in Orchard Street Cemetery in

Livingston Manor, New York Livingston Manor is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet (and a census-designated place) in Sullivan County, New York, Sullivan County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2010 census. Livingston Manor is located in t ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Treyz, Oliver 1918 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American people American television executives American Broadcasting Company executives Presidents of the American Broadcasting Company