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Garth Ancier

Garth Ancier (born September 3, 1957) is an American film and television producer and media executive.

Ancier graduated from the Lawrenceville School in 1975 and Princeton University in 1979.

He began his broadcasting career as a high school sophomore in 1972, working as a reporter for NBC radio affiliates WBUD-AM and WBJH-FM in Trenton, New Jersey. In radio, he created American Focus, a weekly national interview program carried by over 300 radio stations in the U.S., including New York's WNBC, under the non-profit Focus on Youth. Ancier served as executive producer and host of over 250 episodes through 1979, each featuring a full-length career retrospective interview with guests ranging from Ayn Rand to Henry Fonda to David Brinkley. The show continued production for 17 years.[citation needed] Other guests included presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford, George H. W. Bush, and Caspar W. Weinberger, Lucille Ball, Howard Cosell, Henry Fonda, Tom Wolfe and Pete Rose. Five hundred of its programs were given to what is now known as the Paley Center for Media in 1984.

Ancier's network television career began in 1979 when NBC Entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff hired him as a program associate. He rose through the ranks and supervised production of the network's top comedies including The Cosby Show, Cheers, Family Ties and Golden Girls.

In 1986, Barry Diller, Jamie Kellner and Rupert Murdoch tapped the then 28-year-old Ancier to be the founding entertainment president for the new Fox Broadcasting Company, where he put The Tracey Ullman Show, 21 Jump Street, Married... with Children, The Simpsons, In Living Color, America's Most Wanted, and COPS on the air.

Ancier went from Fox (resigning March 1, 1989) to Disney as president of network television for Walt Disney Studios on April 18, 1989. He developed Home Improvement and oversaw Disney's signature franchise The Magical World of Disney, hosted by Disney CEO Michael Eisner.

From October 1991 through July 1992, Ancier served as the television consultant to the Democratic National Committee, specifically to advise on the television presentation of the Democratic Convention in New York City and reporting to DNC Chairman Ron Brown. In that role, Ancier introduced political convention format innovations, such as a 56-screen "videowall" integrated into the convention podium and program, to such forums for the first time. Later on, Ancier's production company developed and produced the talk show Jane Pratt, which debuted in mid-March 1992 on WNYW-TV in New York City and was intended for nationwide launch. However, despite good ratings, the show ended after only 11 weeks in production, as co-producer and distributor 20th Television felt it was too expensive for them to seek a return on their investment in the program.

Also in late 1992, Ancier co-created and executive produced Ricki Lake with former Donahue producer Gail Steinberg. The tabloid talk show aired for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004.

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