On Ralph Baruch ...

Let me say that I read your [Ralph Baruch] review [in the June 2007 issue of VideoAge]. I thought that you were very fair and could not think of how you could improve it, despite what others might have said.

I worked at Viacom from 1974 to 1986. These years allowed me to learn my trade from many of the Viacom executives that Ralph mentioned in his book. My time there was wonderful, as the senior management from Ralph on down created a friendly family environment. We all worked exceptionally long hours, but we were treated fairly and with respect and had the opportunity to share personal time at executives' homes and at parties, fishing trips, etc.

However, from my view down the hall, a short distance from his office, I noticed that Ralph was always quiet, humble and guarded, and let few people into his inner circle. This may ultimately have been his downfall. I was therefore very surprised to see this insider's book in the twilight of his business life. I was there during part of the "Mutiny" (19861987) and it was ugly.

From my perspective, Ralph tells an accurate and interesting story. He could have gone into more specific details but I that he wanted to take the high In my opinion, he really was cheated out of the opportunity to be part of the management buyout orchestrated by Terry Elkes, who double-crossed him. This book had to be written because no one in senior management at Viacom stood by his side or stood up for Baruch during this corporate mutiny, which ultimately led to the Sumner Redstone takeover. I left Viacom for greener pastures at ITC during the last 12 months of the siege (1987), so I missed much of the inside action.

It is interesting to note that after many skilled years of fighting for and building the Viacom brand, the only respect and business support that Baruch received was from Redstone. This was very unfair especially after Ralph made so many Viacom executives very successful and very rich. Ralph did himself a major disservice in his pre-mutiny years by being aloof and distant to his employees. In his defense, the company had grown tremendously and he could not know everyone by name, yet I still think he might have had more support had he endeared himself to more middle management executives.

The only problem with the book is his very unflattering remarks about the family and the spouse of Terry Elkes. The Baruch that I knew, was very opinionated, but I would never have expected these personal attacks. This was out of character for him. It greatly disappointed me and ultimately made his attempt to take the "high road" a failure.

In summary, someone had to tell the inside story of the Viacom takeover so I am glad that he provided a bit of insight into his history and his unfair departure. His impact on the cable and entertainment industry was really important, but unfortunately, due to his humble profile, he will never really get credit for his impact on the industry.

Jim Marrinan Calabasas, California