Walter was born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the only son along with seven sisters. The family later moved to Long Island, New York.
When Walter’s father died in 1942, Walter took control of a failing media business that included radio, TV and print media.
Walter proved to be an exceptional businessman and added additional media companies to his existing collection. Then in 1952 Walter saw a newspaper ad for a local weekly magazine called “TV Digest” and had an idea.
Intrigued by the ad, Walter decided to launch a national magazine dedicated to TV programming. He named it “TV Guide”. Every financial advisor he consulted told him the magazine was a big mistake.
The first issue in 1953 focused on the most popular show on television, “I Love Lucy”, and featured Lucille Ball on the cover with stories about her, her husband Desi Arnez and their new baby. The public loved it, and it sold in huge numbers.
But sales quickly dropped and as Walter re-examined his marketing strategy, he realized that the magazine could only succeed if it met people’s needs.
Walter did new research to find what people wanted and based on the results, did two things. He first added regional editions to provide local information, but his big change was to start a fall edition that would feature information on all the new shows being introduced. This is what the people wanted, and TV Guide became a national phenomenon.
Walter created a profitable success because he met the needs of others. Later when Walter Annenberg became the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, he was still known as the man who started “TV Guide”.
When you focus on the needs of others first, God pours out blessings on all you do.
The Bible says in Luke 6:38, “Give and it will be given to you…For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” NIV
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