Communications Exec Arthur Sando Dies

Arthur Sando, an award-winning public relations executive and early communications pioneer at Turner Broadcasting and CNN, died unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack on Sept. 3, at Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. He was 71.

A distinguished executive in the television industry, Sando was presented with the NCTA’s President’s Award in 1987 and was inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers in 2018.

Sando, a trusted counselor to such luminaries as Ted Turner, Roger King and Joe Torre, headed public relations functions at Turner Broadcasting System, King World/CBS and Ion Media and provided long-term counsel to the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, which provides hope and healing to children exposed to domestic violence.

“Arthur was more than a friend; he was a caring, loving extension of our family,” said Ali and Joe Torre, whose relationship with Sando dates back to their days in Atlanta. “Arthur also served our Safe at Home Foundation as a longtime board member and was a champion for the cause. He had a wonderful zest for life, and his biggest passion was his family. We send our deepest condolences to his children and grandchildren. We are heartbroken over Arthur’s passing.”

Sando initially made his mark as TBS’s first public relations director, rising to VP of communications and marketing and building from scratch a PR firm with offices in Atlanta, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, London, Moscow and Hong Kong. During his tenure, he devised communications strategies and was company spokesman for such milestone events as the global expansion of CNN, the launches of Headline News and TNT, the attempted takeover of CBS, the purchase of MGM, the introduction of groundbreaking programming on TBS, and the creation and production of the Goodwill Games.

At King World/CBS, he directed publicity for many popular television series, including Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, Inside Edition, Hollywood Squares and Everybody Loves Raymond.

Sando started his career in Philadelphia as a reporter at WFIL-AM, then recognized as the nation’s leading Top 40 radio station. He became a television reporter at NBC affiliate WSYR-TV Syracuse, NY, then served in Washington, D.C. as press secretary to U.S. Representative James Hanley (D-N.Y.) before joining TBS.

He later headed corporate affairs for Comsat Corp. and Winstar Communications.

Years later, Sando worked for Larry Flynt on First Amendment issues and, as managing partner of Sando Communications, his clients included the MLB Network, Holding Pictures, Tyson Ranch, R-Water, MonaVie and the UN Foundation.

A native of Washington, D.C., Sando graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

Sando was predeceased by his parents, Edith and David, both Holocaust survivors, and a brother, Jack. He is survived by his daughter, Jackie Shea, and her husband Patrick, of Severna Park, Md.; their children, Sadie and Meara; a son, Michael, of Los Angeles; and his ex-wife Karen O’Keefe, of Gaithersburg, Md.

Donations in Sando’s name may be made by mail to the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation, Attn: Tracy Weber-Thomas, 55 W. 39^th Street, Suite 600, New York, NY 10018 or online at https://joetorre.org/arthursando/.

A celebration of Sando’s life will be held at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at Nationals Park (home of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club), 1500 South Capitol Street, SE, Washington, D.C. 20003.