In his 17-year tenure as the elegant publisher and editor-in-chief of the trade publication, Robert J. Dowling propelled The Hollywood Reporter to great heights. He has since passed away. He was 83.
According to a family representative, Dowling passed away on Friday at his Santa Monica home following a brief fight with cancer.
Tichi Wilkerson, the widow of William R. Wilkerson, the publisher of THR, sold the business to BPI Communications for $26.7 million prior to Dowling’s appointment as publisher in September 1988.
In the midst of an upsurge in media coverage of Hollywood, the journal experienced enormous growth under Dowling, who also helped transform THR into a tough, underdog opponent to the main five-days-a-week trade in the sector, Daily Variety.
Under his direction, THR’s Next Generation initiative, the annual Women in Entertainment brunch with the associated Sherry Lansing Award, and the Key Art Awards program—now known as the Clio Awards—all flourished and are still vital components of the publication today.
Where will Robert Dowling be buried?
There’s no information about where he’ll be buried
